World Leaders Gather for Holocaust Memorial

On 21^st January Benjamin Netanyahu started to welcome many international leaders to Jerusalem.

I welcome the leaders from around the world who are coming here, to Jerusalem,
to mark with us 75 years since the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp.
It is important that they remember where we came from, and 
it is important that they see what we have achieved.

The list of world leaders who are due to attend is substantial, reported to include 4 kings, 26 presidents, and 4 prime ministers.

They are gathering for the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, entitled “Remembering the Holocaust: Fighting Antisemitism,” which will take place at Yad Vashem on Thursday 23rd January 2020. It is planned as a special event to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Prince Charles is due to arrive in Israel today and will attend the Forum at Yad Vashem tomorrow. He will be “one of a small number of international visitors” to address the event, which will be attended by national leaders including French President, Emmanuel Macron, and Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

Before the main event tomorrow, Israel’s President, Reuven Rivlin, will host around 40 foreign delegations at his Jerusalem residence this evening.

In an opinion piece for Ynet News, Reuven Rivlin wrote:

‘Anti-Semitism has been rearing its ugly head once again all over the world.
The number of Holocaust survivors dwindles fast, while attempts to re-write history and
distort the facts about the Holocaust have grown rapidly.

The willingness of the world`s leaders to join me in the Yad Vashem
Holocaust Remembrance Center in these tough times is both noteworthy and
deserving of great appreciation. We will once again affirm our commitment to
make sure the memory of that dark time is not forgotten, and
its legacy is passed on to future generations.’