Construction of the memorial site at Prokhid was well underway in October 2014. The four Holocaust mass graves located here will be protected by large prism-like forms. They rise gradually with the slope of the forest floor to a height of approximately one meter. The concept was developed by the architect Taras Savka.
The architects Dmitry Zhuikov and Arina Agieieva created the design for this site, which covers 2,000 square meters. The design integrates triangles that represent splinters and thus refer to the destruction of Kovel’s Jewish community. The contrast between the hard concrete and soft forest floor stands for the abrupt end of Jewish life in Kovel.
In accordance with the plans of contractor Volodymyr Motyka, workers measure the former Jewish cemetery. Mass graves in Ostrozhets are located inside and outside the cemetery. A road now runs through the area and may have damaged one or more of the graves. During construction, workers treated the site with great care and respect.
To ensure compliance with Halachic law, scholar Joe Shik of the Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe was present during construction work at the memorial site in Bakhiv. The provisions of Halacha state that a grave must remain unviolated.
In Bakhiv, numerous human bones were found just below the earth’s surface. Such discoveries helped determine the contours of the mass graves. Joe Shik of the Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe assisted in this work, ensuring that Halachic regulations were upheld.
Participants in a training program on Holocaust history visit the memorial site in Prokhid. The theme on this particular day was Jewish remembrance culture. Vitaly Bobrov of the Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies and Joe Shik of the Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe accompanied the group.
In May 2014, construction in Rava-Ruska was largely complete. The historical marker and the memorial stone were the only elements left to be installed.
A number of smashed gravestones, presumably from both the new and old Jewish cemeteries, were found near the memorial construction site in Rava-Ruska. Some of these stones were used to build a wall of remembrance.
Covered by stone and framed by wooden posts, the mass grave and shooting site near Kysylyn is located in an open field. The posts were put up to prevent agricultural machinery from crossing the site. Prior to protection, the site was used as cropland. The memorial was designed by Arina Agieieva and Dmitry Zhuikov.
In December 2013, the mass graves and former cemetery were covered with a protective layer of crushed granite. The concept for this site, which covers 3,800 square meters, was developed by Volodymyr Motyka. Precise identification of the contours of the mass graves was no longer possible due to erosion and plundering.