15 January 2020
At the invitation of the President of the State of Israel, 46 members of royalty, presidents, prime ministers and parliamentary leaders from Europe, North America and Australia will attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, entitled “Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism” (see below for the list of confirmed leaders of nations and heads of delegations).
The Fifth World Holocaust Forum, organized by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, in cooperation with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, will take place on 23 January 2020 at Warsaw Ghetto Square in Yad Vashem, Jerusalem. Marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the UN-sanctioned International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Forum will begin at 13:30.
At 10.30 on the morning of the Forum, a press conference will take place with Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation Dr. Moshe Kantor at the Yad Vashem Press Center ( International School for Holocaust Studies Building). Access to the press center is permitted only to journalists who are pre-registered and confirmed. For any questions please contact the Press Center Coordinators. The press conference will be broadcast live on the Government Press Office Facebook page.
Forum program:
The event program will open at 13:30 with an address by President of the State of Israel H.E. Mr. Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin. Additional speakers include: Prime Minister of the State of Israel H.E. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President of the United States of America H.E. Mr. Michael R. Pence (awaiting official confirmation), President of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of France H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron,The Prince of Wales HRH Prince Charles, and President of Germany H.E. Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Holocaust survivor and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Israel Meir Lau as well as Forum organizers – President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation Dr. Moshe Kantor and Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev – will also speak at the event. Interspersed throughout the proceedings will be several short video clips and musical interludes performed by an international orchestra, conducted by world-renowned conductor Vladimir Spivakov and accompanied by an international choir.
At approximately 15:10, the Memorial Ceremony segment will begin. Holocaust survivors Rose Moskowitz from the United States and Colette Avital, Chairperson of the Center Organization of Holocaust Survivors in Israel will light a memorial torch, after which heads of delegations will commemorate the victims of the Holocaust by laying wreaths at the foot of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Monument in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem. Cantor Shai Abramson will recite the El Maleh Rahamim memorial prayer, followed by Holocaust survivor Naftali Deutsch who will say Kaddish, the mourner's prayer. The ceremony will conclude with a moment of silence and Israel's national anthem, Hatikvah.
The World Holocaust Forum will be broadcast live via satellite feed worldwide and via Yad Vashem's website and Facebook page. The broadcast will be translated simultaneously to six languages – English, Hebrew, French, German, Russian and Spanish.
Click here for the Fifth World Holocaust Forum Media Arrangements.
Confirmed Leaders of Nations and Heads of Delegations at the Fifth World Holocaust Forum
(As of 15 January 2020)
- President of Albania H.E. Mr. Ilir Meta
- President of Armenia H.E. Mr. Armen Sarkissian
- Governor-General of Australia The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
- Federal President of Austria H.E. Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen
- Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus H.E. Mr. Vladimir Andreichenko
- King of Belgium His Majesty King Phillipe
- Chairman of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina H.E. Mr. Željko Komšić
- President of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Rumen Radev
- Governor-General of Canada the Right Honourable Ms. Julie Payette
- President of Croatia H.E. Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
- President of Cyprus H.E. Mr. Nicos Anastasiades
- Prime Minister of the Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Andrej Babiš
- Prime Minister of Denmark H.E. Ms. Mette Frederiksen
- President of European Council H.E. Mr. Charles Michel
- President of the European Commission H.E. Ms. Ursula von der Leyen
- President of the European Parliament H.E. Mr. David Sassoli
- President of Finland H.E. Mr. Sauli Niinistö
- President of France H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron
- President of Georgia H.E. Ms. Salome Zourabichvili
- President of Germany H.E. Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
- President of the Hellenic Republic H.E. Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos
- Representative of the Holy See His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch
- President of Hungary H.E. Mr. János Áder
- President of Iceland H.E. Mr. Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson
- President of Italy H.E. Mr. Sergio Mattarella
- Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia H.E. Ms. Ināra Mūrniece
- President of Lithuania H.E. Mr. Gitanas Nauseda
- Grand Duke of Luxembourg HRH Henri
- President of Moldova H.E. Mr. Igor Dodon
- Minister of State of Monaco H.E. Mr. Serge Telle
- President of Montenegro H.E. Mr. Milo Đjukanović
- King of the Netherlands His Royal Majesty Willem-Alexander
- President of North Macedonia H.E. Prof. Dr. Stevo Pendarovski
- Crown Prince of Norway HRH Crown Prince Haakon
- President of Portugal H.E. Prof. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
- President of Romania H.E. Mr. Klaus Iohannis
- President of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin
- President of Serbia H.E. Mr. Aleksandar Vučić
- President of Slovakia H.E. Ms. Zuzana Čaputová
- President of Slovenia H.E. Mr. Borut Pahor
- King of Spain His Majesty King Felipe VI
- Prime Minister of Sweden H.E. Mr. Stefan Löfven
- President of Ukraine H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- The Prince of Wales HRH Prince Charles, United Kingdom
- Vice President of the United States of America H.E. Mr. Michael R. Pence*
- Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi*
*Awaiting official confirmation
