23 April 2014
The central theme for this year's Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day is Jews "On the Edge": 1944: Between Annihilation and Liberation.
The official Opening Ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day will take place on Sunday, April 27, 2014 at 20:00, in Warsaw Ghetto Square, Yad Vashem, Mount of Remembrance, Jerusalem.
Israel’s President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak. Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council, will kindle the Memorial Torch. Dr. Shalom Eilati will speak on behalf of the survivors. During the ceremony, Holocaust survivors will light six torches. First torch: Asher Aud, second torch: Zvi Michaeli, third torch: Dita Kraus, fourth torch: Chayim Herzl, fifth torch: Hinda Tasman, sixth torch: Itzchak Biran. During the ceremony, short videos about each of the torchlighters will be shown (produced and directed by Levi Zini).
The traditional memorial service will take place during the ceremony. The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau will recite Psalms. The Rishon LeZion Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will recite Kaddish. El Maleh Rahamim, a Jewish prayer for the souls of the martyrs, will be recited by Lt. Col Shai Abramson, Chief Cantor of the IDF. Participants in the ceremony include singers Hagit Yaso, Idan Amedi and violinist Sanya Kroitor, accompanied by pianist Alex Gold, as well as the IDF Paratroopers’ Honor Guard. Narrative piece, excerpt from the testimony of Sarah Zelwer Auerbach: actress Maya Dagan. The evening's MC will be Danny Kushmaro.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on television on Channels 1, 2, 10 and 33, and channel 9 in Russian, and on Kol Israel and Galei Zahal radio. It will last about one hour and a quarter.
Following the opening ceremony, a study evening will be held for students, as well as participants in the "Masa Israel Journey" program, at the International School for Holocaust Studies.
At 21:30, an evening of discussion and commemoration organized by the International School for Holocaust Studies of Yad Vashem in cooperation with the Tel Aviv Municipality and the Habimah Theater "So that the Next Generations Will Know" - Between Memory and Identity in Israeli Discourse, will take place at Habimartef, Habimah Theater, Tel Aviv. Open to the public, free of charge. For further information, tel: 03-6295555
Yad Vashem will be closed to the public as of 12 noon on April 27. It will re-open on Monday, April 28, at 8:00 a.m. The Museum Complex and Children's Memorial will open at 10:30.
Yad Vashem calls on the public to fill in Pages of Testimony to commemorate the names of Jews murdered in the Holocaust. Volunteers are available to help Holocaust survivors fill out Pages of Testimony (in Israel please call: 02 6443111). At the same time, Yad Vashem is continuing the Gathering the Fragments campaign in an effort to rescue Holocaust-related documents, artifacts, photographs and art. To donate material to Yad Vashem, call [in Israel] 02 644 3888.
MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS
Entrance for Journalists to the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, April 27, 2014
COVERAGE OF THE OPENING CEREMONY IS OPEN, WITH PRIOR REGISTRATION AT media.relations@yadvashem.org.il AND VALID 2014 GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD ONLY.
Journalists should arrive at Mt. Herzl by 18:00
Shuttles will run from Mt. Herzl from 16:30. Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem.No firearms permitted. It is recommended to dress warmly.
Entrance for Journalists to the Wreath-Laying Ceremony in the Presence of the President and Prime Minister, Monday, April 28, 2014, at 10:00 a.m.
Journalists will be permitted to enter the site by buses available to the public at the Mt. Herzl parking lot beginning at 7:30 a.m. Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem. ENTRANCE WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED WITH A VALID 2014 GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD. THERE WILL BE NO ENTRY TO THE CEREMONY AFTER 8:30 a.m. No Firearms Permitted. There will be a Pool Position during the wreath-laying ceremony - details TBD. From 11:00-20:00 entry will be permitted to all events at Yad Vashem, by way of shuttle service from Mt. Herzl.
