06 October 2021
On Sunday, 10 October 2021, German Chancellor H.E. Ms. Angela Merkel will visit Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The Chancellor will be accompanied by Prime Minister of Israel H.E. Mr. Naftali Bennett, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Israel Meir Lau .
During her visit, the Chancellor will be guided through the "Flashes of Memory: Photography during the Holocaust" exhibition as well as the Museum of Holocaust Art. Afterwards, the Chancellor will view a number of items from the Holocaust period that will eventually be housed in the new Collections Center, which is one element of the Moshal Shoah Legacy Campus, currently under construction at Yad Vashem. The Collections Center is being funded in part by the Federal Republic of Germany. The viewing will be followed by a personal meeting with Kindertransport survivor Henry Foner, renowned author of "Postcards to a Little Boy" – an authentic, moving book that presents the illustrated postcards and letters sent by Foner's father as well as other relatives and friends to the young refugee in the UK. Included in the book are the translations of the missives, and an historical afterword on the Kindertransport rescue effort.
Chancellor Merkel will also participate in a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, where she will rekindle the eternal flame and lay a wreath in the memory of the six million victims of Nazi Germany and its collaborators.
At the conclusion of the visit, according to her personal request, Chancellor Merkel will enter the Holocaust History Museum for private contemplation and identification with the memory of the victims of the Shoah and their experiences.
This will be Merkel's sixth visit to Yad Vashem, and her final visit as Chancellor of Germany. She previously visited Yad Vashem in 2018.
Media interested in covering the Hall of Remembrance and Guestbook signing component of this event, must have a valid GPO card and current Green Pass and pre-register no later than Thursday, 7 October 2021 at 13:00. Please send email with Full Name, GPO and ID number to simmy.allen@yadvashem.org.il.
