12 March 2007
Some 10 Sudanese refugees who arrived in Israel due to the crisis in Darfur, visited Yad Vashem today. The visit was initiated by the Committee for the Advancement of Refugees from Darfur, which works to assist the Sudanese refugees who have arrived in Israel.
Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem welcomed the refugees. He stressed the importance of raising public awareness, in Israel and around the world, about the genocide that is taking place in Darfur.
Shalev told the group, "As Jews, who have the memory of the Shoah embedded within us, we cannot stand by as refugees from genocide in Darfur are knocking on our doors. The memory of the past, and the Jewish values that underpin our existence, command us to humanitarian solidarity with the persecuted." He added that although the genocide is still taking place in Darfur, “it is important that you already begin to think about ways to remember the events and memorialize the victims.”
The tour was conducted in English, by Dr. Robert Rozett, Director of the Yad Vashem Libraries.
