Yad Vashem Archives Receives San Marino WWII document

In January 2014, Yad Vashem signed an agreement with the San Marino State Archives guaranteeing the transfer of scanned copies of the ancient republic's wartime documents. Today, May 12, 2014 San Marino Ambassador at Large H.E. Mr. Yosef Gershon presented Dr. Haim Gertner, Director of the Archives Division and Fred Hillman Chair of Holocaust Documentation at Yad Vashem, with a hard drive containing documents that will provide more information and shed light on the story of Jewish life in the oldest sovereign country in the world. Upon receiving the WWII-era documents, Dr. Gertner said,

"One of Yad Vashem's core missions is the documentation of the Holocaust by gathering information from archives and sources all over the world. Yet, even the most compelling and authentic documents and research related to the Holocaust are only a means to an end. Our shared goal must be to arouse citizens everywhere, especially young people, to face the harsh realities of the past, to grasp their contemporary significance and to commit to shaping more humane, democratic and tolerant societies in the future. I wish the people and Government of San Marino much success as they join us today in taking on this formidable challenge.

I wish to thank the people and Government of San Marino and specifically the Minster of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of San Marino, Mr. Pascuale Valentini, for his personal involvement and devotion to fulfilling the mission and transferring these documents. We are grateful to his Excellency Mr. Yossi Gershon, Israeli Ambassador-at-large to the Republic of San Marino, for initiating this cooperation and for his active involvement in realizing the agreement. We hope that this event will provide a gateway to further cooperation in education, research and other fields between our two nations.”