The central ceremony of marking the Day of Holocaust Martyrs" and Heroes" Rememberance in Israel, Yom HaShoah, was held in Yad Vashem on 11 April, with the slogan „70 Years of Remembering and Building: Holokaust Survivors and the States of Israel“ – in the presence of President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein. The President and Prime Minister addressed the audience respectively, and the 6 Holocaust survivors lit the torch in rememberance of 6 million Jews killed during the Holocaust. This year they were – Mirjam Lapid, Shmuel Bogler, Thea Friedman, Raul Teitelbaum, Yisaschar Dov Goldstein, Abba Naor, whose stories of survival were told in short documentaries. On behalf of all survivors, Zipora Nahir, addressed the audience. Chargee d"Affaires of the Embassy of Croatia Tina Krce attended the ceremony, along with other members of the diplomatic corps in Israel.
President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin: “The Jewish people will always bear the banner of the struggle against anti-Semitism and racism. No political, diplomatic or economic interest can cause us to turn a blind eye to them - neither in Europe nor anywhere else. We do not expect European countries to pass on to the younger generation a sense of guilt. However, we do expect and demand that they pass on the torch of memory and responsibility.”
Prime Minister of the State of Israel Benyamin Netanyahu: “In the Holocaust we were helpless, defenseless and voiceless,” he said. “In truth, our voice was not heard at all. Today we have a strong country, a strong army, and our voice is heard among the nations.”
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