19 April 2017
The official Opening Ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day will take place on Sunday, 23 April 2017 at 20:00, in Warsaw Ghetto Square, Yad Vashem, Mount of Remembrance, Jerusalem.
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will both deliver remarks. Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev will kindle the Memorial Torch. Esther Miron will speak on behalf of the survivors.
During the ceremony, Holocaust survivors will light six torches. First torch: Moshe Ha-Elion, second torch: Moshe Jakubowitz, third torch: Jeannine Sebbane-Bouhanna, fourth torch: Moshe Porat, fifth torch: Max Privler, sixth torch: Elka Abramovitz. During the ceremony, short videos about each of the torchlighters will be shown. These videos were produced and directed by Levi Zini and will be available on the Yad Vashem website in the section dedicated to Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Singer Roni Dalumi and the IDF Paratroopers’ Honor Guard will participant in the ceremony and include narrative pieces by Actor Adir Miller. The evening’s MC will be Hila Korach.
The ceremony will include the traditional memorial service including the recitation of a chapter from Psalms by The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau. The Rishon LeZion, Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will recite the Kaddish and Cantor Lipa Glanz: El Maleh Rahamim, the Jewish prayer for the souls of the martyrs.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on television on Channels 1, 2, 10 and 33, on Channel 9 in Russian, and on the news website Ynet, as well as on radio on Kol Israel and Galei Zahal. It will last about 75 minutes.
For the first time, Yad Vashem will broadcast the official ceremony marking the start of Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day. The live feed will be accessible via Facebook and Yad Vashem's YouTube Channel or through the Yad Vashem mini-site dedicated to Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day.
The mini-site is comprised of information about the events and ceremonies as well as relevant educational materials.
Yad Vashem continues to calls on the public to fill out Pages of Testimony to commemorate the names of Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Volunteers are available to help Holocaust survivors fill out Pages of Testimony. For more information, please call: +972-2-6443111.
Yad Vashem is also continuing the Gathering the Fragments campaign in an effort to rescue Holocaust-related documents, artifacts, photographs and art. To donate material to Yad Vashem, please call +972-2-644 3888. Additionally, the Testimony Section of the Yad Vashem's Archives Division is continuing to interview and document video testimony of survivors. Yad Vashem staff can visit survivors in their homes and videotape their testimony. For more information or to schedule a session, please call +972-6443888 or email testimonies@yadvashem.org.il.
Throughout Holocaust Remembrance Day, 24 April, special guided tours and behind-the-scenes gatherings will be open to the public. The events will take place in Hebrew and are free of charge. The full listing and times are available on www.yadvashem.org.
MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS
Entrance for Journalists to the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, 23 April 2017
ALL PRESS MUST PRE-REGISTER WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS DIVISION AT YAD VASHEM Tel: 02-6443412 or Email: media.relations@yadvashem.org.il
YOU MUST BRING YOUR 2017 GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD WITH YOU.
Shuttle Services will run from the Mt. Herzl Parking Lot starting at 18:00.
Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem.
No firearms are permitted.
It is recommended to dress warmly.
Entrance for Journalists to the Wreath-Laying Ceremony on Monday, 24 April 2017
Journalists are permitted to enter the site via shuttle buses available for the public departing from the Mt. Herzl parking lot starting at 07:30.
ENTRANCE FOR JOURNALISTS WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED WITH A VALID 2017 GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD.
THERE WILL BE NO ENTRY TO THE CEREMONY AFTER 08:30.
The Wreath-Laying Ceremony on Monday, 24 April 2017 will start promptly at 10:00 immediately following the siren in the presence of the President and Prime Minister,
Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem.
No Firearms Permitted.
There will be a Pool Position during the wreath-laying ceremony – Amir Cohen + Reuters TV.
The Yad Vashem Campus will be accessible to the public from 10:30 via free shuttle services departing from the Mt. Herzl Parking Lot until the hour of 20:00.
Attached are details of Holocaust Remembrance Day events at Yad Vashem.
Sunday 23 April
20:00 State opening ceremony marking Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, in the presence of Israel’s President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Knesset and Deputy President of the Supreme Court and with the participation of 2,500 Holocaust survivors, members of the Diplomatic Corps, IDF soldiers and youth—Warsaw Ghetto Square
Admission by personal invitation only
Monday 24 April
10:00 Siren
10:02 Wreath-laying ceremony with the participation of Israel’s President, Prime Minister, Deputy President of the Supreme Court Justice, Chairman of the World Zionist Organization, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Chief of the General Staff, Chief of Police, Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mayor of Jerusalem, representatives of survivor and fighter organizations and delegations from throughout the country—Warsaw Ghetto Square
11:00–12:45 “Unto Every Person There is a Name” Recitation of Holocaust victims’ names by members of the public—Hall of Remembrance
11:00 “Unto Every Person There is a Name” Recitation of Holocaust victims’ names under the auspices of the Speaker of the Knesset—Knesset
11:00-14:30 "Behind-the-Scenes" Activities for the general public across the Yad Vashem campus (available in Hebrew only).
13:00 Main memorial ceremony—Hall of Remembrance
17:30 Ceremony for youth movements in the presence of the Director General of the Israel Ministry of Education, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Education’s Youth and Social Administration and the Youth Movement Council—Valley of the Communities
Admission by personal invitation only
Throughout the day, Yad Vashem’s International School for Holocaust Studies will be running a variety of activities for educational groups from Israel and abroad, and holding a number of musical performances as part of the "Music and Memory" project in cooperation with the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance.
Exhibitions at Yad Vashem
- "Stars Without a Heaven: Children in the Holocaust"
Exhibitions Pavilion - "Gathering the Fragments" Behind the Scenes of the Campaign to Rescue Personal Items from the Holocaust Period
Archives and Library Building Foyer - "Memory Through the Lens" Photography Exhibition – A joint project of the Ort Israel Network and the International School for Holocaust Studies
The Family Plaza
