Patriarch of UGCC thanks Chief Rabbi of Ukraine for the initiative of conferring on Sheptytsky the title “Righteous among the Nations”

The Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Svyatoslav Shevchuk, thanked the chief rabbi of Kyiv and Ukraine, Moshe Reuven Asman, for the initiative to confer on Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky the title of "Righteous Among the Nations." The text of the letter has become available to LB.ua.

"I thank you very much for calling on the head of the Yad Vashem Memorial Complex Avner Shalev to renew the examination of Andriy Sheptytskys nomination for the title of Righteous Among the Nation and your deep understanding of the role of Metropolitan Andrey as "the great humanitarian of XX century," the letter says.

The Patriarch of the UGCC also thanked for the recognition of Sheptytsky's merit and the symbolically planted a tree in his honor near the Brodsky Central Synagogue.

"Such acts in the spirit of truth, love and understanding are a good continuation of the science and personal example of the great humanist and friend of the Jewish people, Andrey Sheptytsky. I hope that his personality and personal example in the past will be for us, the modern people, an inspiration for even greater understanding, mutual respect and active confirmation of the truth in our actions in the modern world, in which there are also many difficult challenges," said the Head of the UGCC.

It should be noted that in January, the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Moshe Reuven Asman turned to the chairman of the board of a memorial complex of Yad Vashem (Israel) Avner Shalev with a request for conferring on Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky an honorary title "Righteous Among the Nations".

"Metropolitan Andrey led an operation to rescue over 150 Jewish children during the Holocaust in Western Ukraine. He not only gave orders to bury Jewish children in monasteries but also forbade them to be baptized in order to preserve them for the Jewish people. Some of these children are still alive today - and I am familiar with their memories, they say they owe their lives to Andrei Sheptytsky," the statement reads.

Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Joel Lyon has announced that he will contact the Yad Vashem leadership to see if Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is given the title of Righteous Among the Nations.

Avad Shalev, the head of Yad Vashem, replied to Asman that "a special commission for the conferment of the title of the Righteous, established in 1963, has considered Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky's candidacy several times and found the case very difficult."