Date :
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
The history of Bobruisk holds many chapters, but one of the most moving and significant is connected with the deeds of ordinary townspeople and villagers during World War II. Those who, risking their own lives, saved Jews from death were decades later recognized as the Righteous Among the Nations. In their honor, a memorial complex was established in the city center – the Alley of the Righteous Among the Nations, opened on July 3, 2005, at 119 Socialisticheskaya Street.
How the idea of the Alley appeared
During the war, Bobruisk became one of the cities where the tragedy of the Holocaust was particularly severe. In 1941, a ghetto was established here, through which thousands of people passed. Many did not survive the occupation. Yet among the people of Bobruisk and nearby villages, there were those who dared to shelter their neighbors and acquaintances, share their last piece of bread, and help children escape from columns being driven to execution.
The title “Righteous Among the Nations” is awarded by the Yad Vashem Institute (Jerusalem) to people from different countries who saved Jews during the Holocaust. For Bobruisk, the creation of the Alley became a symbol of recognition of these heroic deeds and a reminder that even in the darkest times, there were those who remained human.
Symbolism and architecture
The memorial complex was designed by architect Galina Levina, with the participation of Leonid Levin – both renowned masters and laureates of the State Prize of Belarus. The Alley is a 30-meter-long path lined with trees. Next to each tree is a stone bearing the name of a person honored with the title of Righteous Among the Nations.
Today, the Alley commemorates 17 names of Bobruisk residents and locals, including Efrosinya and Alexander Belyavsky, Alexandra Zvonik, Irina Masyukevich, Anton and Maria Moroz, Viktor and Yulia Yalovik, and others. These people were officially recognized as Righteous Among the Nations; their names are inscribed in the Yad Vashem museum, and trees have been planted in their honor in Jerusalem.
The Alley is crowned with a memorial made of red stone. Its shape resembles both the crown of a tree and a heart split in two. The stone bears an inscription in Belarusian and Hebrew:
“To the Righteous Among the Nations, people who, at the risk of their own lives, saved Jews during the war.”
This symbol speaks for itself: the feat of the righteous is both pain and compassion, but also eternal life growing in human memory.
New names
The memorial is not static. In 2021, on the 80th anniversary of the destruction of the Bobruisk ghetto, a new commemorative stone was added – in honor of Pavel and Evdokia Gatsko, a family who also sheltered and saved Jewish children during the war. Thus, the list of Bobruisk’s Righteous Among the Nations continues to expand, showing that the memory of their heroism lives on.
A place of memory and meetings
The Alley of the Righteous has become not only a monument but also a place for commemorative events, intergenerational meetings, and lessons of courage. Schoolchildren and students come here to learn real stories of rescue; diplomats and representatives of Jewish organizations lay flowers here; relatives and descendants of those saved come to honor the memory.
The Alley fits harmoniously into the urban environment. It is located next to Gymnasium No. 3, which is symbolic: youth should be the keepers of memory. Excursions, including for tourists visiting Bobruisk, are often held here.
Why you should visit
The Alley of the Righteous Among the Nations is not only a historical monument but also a place that makes you reflect on the value of life, kindness, and human courage. It reminds us that even in the horrors of war, ordinary people showed the highest form of humanity – the willingness to sacrifice themselves for others.
When visiting Bobruisk, you should definitely walk along this quiet path, look at the trees planted in honor of the heroes, and read the names engraved on the stones. Perhaps here you will feel that history is not only about great battles and dates but also about the destinies of real people whose actions changed the world around them.