30 July 2024
The Honourable Peter Dutton MP, Leader of Australia's Liberal Party and Opposition Leader, visited Yad Vashem today, 30 July 2024.
The visit included a guided tour of Yad Vashem's Holocaust History Museum, featuring a chronological account of the history of the Holocaust told from the perspective of the victims. During the visit, Mr. Dutton also participated in a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, where he rekindled the eternal flame and laid a commemorative wreath on a slab under which ashes from the extermination camps are buried.
At the end of the visit, Dutton visited the Children's Memorial dedicated to the 1.5 million Jewish children murdered during the Holocaust and afterwards signed the Yad Vashem Guest Book.
He wrote:
"Thank you for your dedication and devotion to the cause of honoring those who have fallen at the hands of evil. The task will never be complete and our commitment must be to stand with you, the people and State of Israel, to ensure the atrocities are never repeated."
Reflecting on the significance of MP Peter Dutton's visit, Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan stated:
"One of the lessons of the Holocaust is the imperative to confront antisemitism the moment it shows its first signs. The nature of antisemitism is that if left unchecked it can metastasize into monstrous dimensions, and then it's too late to defeat it. We must continue to raise global awareness of the dangers and consequences of unchecked antisemitism. Yad Vashem need allies around the world to accomplish this essential mission."