27 January 2016
US President Barack Obama will be marking the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of Victims of the Holocaust at a unique Yad Vashem ceremony honoring Righteous Among the Nations. The event, which is being hosted by the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC, will mark the first time that a ceremony presenting medals and certificates of honor to two American citizens designated as Righteous Among the Nations will be held in the United States. The Righteous Among the Nations honored are Americans, Master Sargent Roddie Edmonds and Lois Gunden, and Polish citizens Walery and Maryla Zbijewski, all of whom have been recognized posthumously by Yad Vashem for risking their lives to rescue Jews during the Holocaust.
President Obama will deliver the keynote address at the event.
Tune in live to hear the President's address, as well as the heroic stories of those brave individuals who stood up to evil during the Holocaust. The event will take place at 6:00 PM EST. Remarks will also be offered by Israel’s Ambassador to the US, H.E. Ron Dermer; Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council and a Holocaust survivor who himself was rescued by Righteous Among the Nations and liberated by American soldiers; Lenny Wilf, Chairman of the American Society for Yad Vashem; and Holocaust survivors.
For more information about the Righteous Among the Nations, including background stories and the Database of Righteous, please visit our website.
