Some 30 heads of state from around the world, invited by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, will attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, taking place on January 23, 2020, at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.

The lead-up to this historic event was officially launched on Wednesday morning, November 20, 2019, at a press conference, held at The President’s Residence in Jerusalem, where President Rivlin, Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz, Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and World Holocaust Forum Foundation President Dr. Moshe Kantor spoke about the importance of the event and the urgent need to fight against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

The event, titled ‘Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Anti-Semitism,’ is being organized by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, in cooperation with Yad Vashem, under the auspices of the President of the State of Israel.

As the world prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the message will be clear that anti-Semitism has no place in our global society.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen are among the leaders who have so far confirmed their attendance of this historic event.

The event takes place against the background of the rise in hateful and violent expressions of anti-Semitism, especially in Europe. Given this alarming situation, efforts to educate about the dangers of anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia and foster Holocaust commemoration and research have made this event more crucial and relevant than ever.

President Rivlin: “In a few weeks I will be joined by heads of states and world leaders, who were invited by the European –Jewish Congress and Yad Vashem to be with me in Jerusalem, to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

“The presidents of Russia, Germany, France, Italy and Austria together with a representative of the United Kingdom and many other leaders, will come to Jerusalem to discuss how we can fight anti-Semitism. We will come together to think about how to pass on Holocaust remembrance to generations who will live in a world without survivors, and what urgent steps we must take to ensure the safety and security of Jews- all around the world.”

Foreign Minister Katz: “Holding this high-level event in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, as we mark seventy-five years since the liberation of Auschwitz, has great historical and personal significance. I am the son of Holocaust survivors Meir and Malka Katz, may they rest in peace. My mother Malka Katz was in Auschwitz and was sent on the ‘Death March’. Since those dark days, we have defended, and developed our homeland. Today, the State of Israel is strong and advanced. The IDF ensures that the Jewish People will never again stand defenseless against its enemies. Even so, anti-Semitism is rising around the world. We see it in violent attacks against Jews, vandalized cemeteries, incitement, and the murder of Jews. The international community must unite against the rise of anti-Semitism.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem / photo credit: Amos Ben-Gershom, GPO)