26 April 2011
The central theme for this year’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day is Fragments of Memory: The Faces Behind the Documents, Artifacts and Photographs.
The official Opening Ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day will take place on Sunday, May 1, 2011 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. Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate will kindle the Memorial Torch. Michael (Mickey) Goldman-Gilad will speak on behalf of the survivors.
During the ceremony, Holocaust survivors will light six torches. First torch: Simcha Applebaum; second torch: Dina Büchler-Chen; third torch: Andrei Călăraşu, fourth torch: Yona (Janek) Fuchs, fifth torch: Chava Pressburger; sixth torch: Avraham Aviel. During the ceremony, short videos of the torchlighters’ testimonies will be shown (directed by Levi Zini).
The traditional memorial service will take place during the ceremony. The Rishon Lezion Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Amar will recite Psalms. The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yona Metzger will recite Kaddish. El Ma’aleh Rahamim, a Jewish prayer for the souls of the martyrs, will be recited by IDF Chief Cantor Lt. Col. Shai Abramson.
Participants in the ceremony include singer Yehudit Ravitz and violinists of the Keshet Eilon Music Center, as well as the IDF Paratroopers’ Honor Guard. Narrative pieces: Yiftach Klein. The evening’s MC will be Yona Elian.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on television on Channels 1, 2, 10 and 33, and channel 9 in Russian, and by radio on Kol Israel and Galei Zahal. It will last about one hour and a quarter.
At 22:00 a special radio program on “Gathering the Fragments” will air on Galei Zahal.
Yad Vashem will be closed to the public as of 12 noon on May 1. It will re-open on Monday, May 2, at 8:00 a.m.
Yad Vashem has launched a new campaign, “Gathering the Fragments” in an effort to rescue Holocaust-related documents, artifacts, photographs and art. A special collection stand for people who would like to donate Holocaust-related material will be set up near Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem and will operate from 11:00 on May 2. To donate material to Yad Vashem, call [in Israel] 1-800-25-7777.
Information about Holocaust Remembrance Day, as well as online exhibits, educational materials, video testimonies, forms for people to submit names for reading in the Hall of Remembrance on Holocaust Remembrance Day, and more is available at www.yadvashem.org.
To mark Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yad Vashem will launch an online event on its Facebook page called the "I Remember" Wall event. By attending the online event, your name and Facebook profile picture will automatically be connected to the name and photo of a Holocaust victim on the “I Remember Wall”. The event will be open through May 3, 2011.
MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS
Entrance for Journalists to the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, May 1, 2011
COVERAGE OF THE OPENING CEREMONY IS OPEN, WITH PRIOR REGISTRATION, AND VALID 2011 GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD ONLY. Journalists should arrive at Mt. Herzl by 18:00 Shuttles will run from Mt Herzl from 17:30. 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, May 2, 2011 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 2011 GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD. THERE WILL BE NO ENTRY TO THE CEREMONY AFTER 8:45. No Firearms Permitted. From 11:00-20:30 entry will be permitted to all events at Yad Vashem, by way of shuttle service from Mt. Herzl.
Attached are details of the Remembrance Day events at Yad Vashem.
Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day: Monday 2 May
10:00 Siren
10:02 Wreath-laying ceremony with the participation of Israel’s President, Prime Minister, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, President of the Supreme Court, Chairman of the World Jewish Congress, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Chief of General Staff, Chief of Police, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mayor of Jerusalem, public figures, representatives of survivor and fighter organizations, school children and delegations from throughout the country—Warsaw Ghetto Square
10:30 – 12:30 “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 in the presence of the Speaker of the Knesset and public figures—Knesset
13:00 Main memorial ceremony—Hall of Remembrance
15:00 Memorial ceremony for the Association of Hungarian Jews in Israel—Synagogue 16:00 Memorial ceremony for former members of the Jewish Resistance in France—Auditorium
17:30 Ceremony for youth movements in conjunction with the Youth Movement Council and the Ministry of Education’s Youth and Social Administration, and in the presence of Israel's Minister of Education, hundreds of youth movement members, Holocaust survivors and their families—Warsaw Ghetto Square
“Gathering the Fragments” Collection of personal Holocaust-related items from the public—VIP Pavilion, Warsaw Ghetto Square, from 11:00 a.m.
Educational activities for groups from Israel and abroad, including meetings with survivors, will take place across the country, in schools, absorption centers and community centers.
* * *
18:30 Special evening of the “Generation to Generation-Bearers of the Holocaust and Heroism Legacy” organization with the participation of the Director General of Yad Vashem Nathan Eitan. The program includes a lecture entitled, “And These are the Names – Identifying the Names of the Death March Victims” by Naama Galil, Director of Yad Vashem’s Guiding Department, and an artistic performance—Wohlin Community Hall, Givatayim Registration and details: dorot.hahemshech@gmail.com or 02-6443822
19:00 Premiere of the recently restored Memories of the Eichmann Trial (1979) directed by David Perlov, in cooperation with Yad Vashem’s Visual Center and the Israel Broadcasting Authority, and with the participation of Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev. Opening address by Rafi Eitan, one of Eichmann’s captors interviewed in the film, and Yael Perlov, daughter of the director. Moderator: Director of the Visual Center Liat Benhabib—Sherover Theatre, Jerusalem Centre for the Performing Arts. Limited seats.
