Visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel to Yad Vashem

On a recent visit to Yad Vashem, German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated:

"In the name of the government of Germany and the German people, we want to say that what occurred in the Holocaust is a source of deep shame. We are grateful to the fact that the Museum includes stories of the Righteous Among the Nations, even though they were too few. Yet, this challenges us to learn from history. Here at Yad Vashem, I want to stress again, what I stressed with our various partners in diplomatic discussions, the friendly relations between Germany and Israel, and particularly the special friendship that has developed between us. For us the Germans, the relationship between Germany and Israel will remain special and we are thankful for it."

For approximately two hours Dr. Merkel toured the Holocaust History Museum with Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, laid a wreath in the Hall of Remembrance and then visited the Children's Memorial. Upon exiting the Children's Memorial, Dr. Merkel wrote in the guest book:

"Those who do not understand the past, have no future"
Alexander von Humbolt