NEWS

October 29, 2023
Yad Vashem Opens the Building of the International School for Holocaust Studies so that Evacuated Children from Southern Israel can go Back to School

Today, Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, opened the building of the International School for Holocaust Studies to some 300 students ranging from grades 1 through12, so that they could resume regular educational activities despite the ongoing war. Yad Vashem's Directorate, together with the Ministry of Education and the Regional Council of Sedot HaNegev, have created an environment for the displaced families and children from the south relocated to the vicinity of Jerusalem, the opportunity to return to school restoring some sense of mental and emotional resilience.

Starting this morning, the International School, which is located on the other side of the Mount of Remembrance will offer a variety of routine lessons adapted for elementary, middle and high school students. Some fifty Yad Vashem staff have volunteered to assist in this effort.

The building of the International School also underwent special visual adjustments, to allow a pleasant reception for the students. During the school day, each student will receive a learning kit with and meals. In addition to classes for students, Yad Vashem will offer lectures on a variety of topics for parents who accompany their children to school at Yad Vashem.

Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan said:

"At a time when we are experiencing one of the most difficult crises in the history of our country, it is our duty to extend a helping hand and do what we can to support those affected. Israelis and Jews worldwide are united together in the face of those who seek to harm us. By opening the doors of our International School, we hope to provide these children with a routine in order to infuse a sense of normalcy and provide for their continued educational future."

Yad Vashem's International School for Holocaust Studies normally operates to impart the memory of the Holocaust to groups of educators, students and community leaders and influencers from around the world. These efforts are part of a special Yad Vashem Initiative entitled "Yad B'Yad", which is spearheaded by employees of the organization.

Read the Times of Israel Article HERE

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October 25, 2023

Yad Vashem’s Response to UN Secretary General António Guterres's Statements Yesterday in the UN Security Council

(25 October 2023 – Jerusalem, Israel) Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan responded to remarks made by UN Secretary General António Guterres's yesterday during the UN Security Council session.

"The slaughter of Jews by Hamas on October 7th was genocidal in its intents and immeasurably brutal in its form. Part of why it differs from the Holocaust is because Jews have today a state and an army. We are not defenseless and at the mercy of others.

However, it puts to test the sincerity of world leaders, intellectuals and influencers that come to Yad Vashem and pledge “Never Again”.  Those who seek to "understand", look for a justifying context, do not condemn the perpetrators, and do not call for the unconditional and immediate release of the abducted – fail the test. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres failed the test."

Read the Times of Israel Article HERE

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October 19, 2023
NEVER AGAIN, AGAIN
A Personal Reflection from our Chair of the Board, Shael Rosenbaum

It is not appropriate to compare the experience of any survivor or victim or suggest one had it more difficult than the other because it is all relative to the situation. My grandparents were all Holocaust survivors from Poland, but they had very different exposures and tragedies during the Shoah. My paternal grandparents were subject to the horrors of a series of Concentration Camps, while my maternal grandparents were hidden in a cellar by a Righteous Catholic woman with over a dozen others. They all endured these torturous conditions for years and have very distinct stories. The only common elements are that they were Polish Jewish Holocaust survivors and had an affinity for Israel that they carried with them throughout their lives.

The memories I maintain of my grandparents are all unique. My paternal Zaidy Sam passed away when I was a child, while my maternal Zaidy Chaim passed away before I was born (I am his namesake). The memories I have are of my grandmothers, Bubie Bina and Bubie Helen. I had different relationships with each of them, creating varying recollections.

There was an enormous cabinet in my maternal grandmother Bubie Bina’s apartment filled with “chachkas”; mementos she had accumulated throughout her life. Some of these treasures looked like they came out of a flea market, some looked like they were heirlooms from an opulent European castle, but they all had something in common. They were all from Israel. She lost everything and almost everyone in the Holocaust, so when she survived, she kept everything. The items and memories she cherished most were the ones from Israel. When she passed away in 2004, I took only one memento from this vast collection, a horseshoe shaped keychain that says “Jerusalem.”

When our friend, Honey Sherman approached me to join the Advisory Board of the Neuberger Holocaust Centre, I immediately said yes. There were two reasons I decided to join. The first, was because I was the descendant of four Holocaust survivors and had a duty and responsibility to carry on my family’s story. The second, was because the only time I ever heard any of my grandparent’s testimonies was at the Holocaust Centre. My Bubie Helen accompanied my Grade 6 class trip from Associated Hebrew School in 1997 to recall her life’s journey. I do not remember details, but what I do remember is that peppered throughout her testimony was the word and dream of Israel.

Following Liberation, survivors filled out detailed information cards to give them their identity back and replace their number with their given name. These cards helped survivors find missing loved ones scattered throughout a broken Europe and gave them an opportunity to suggest a desired relocation destination. My maternal grandparents, Bina and Chaim, were granted their wish to immigrate to Israel to be with my grandfather’s sister Frania. The climate was too harsh for my grandfather’s health condition, so they only remained for a short time before moving to Canada via France. My paternal grandparents, Helen and Sam, indicated Israel as well, but ended up in New York as refugees, before moving to Canada a decade later.

Israel provided a sense of security and homeland for my grandparents and all Holocaust survivors. It is the only place where Jews could live in absolute safety and pure freedom. That all changed on Saturday October 7 when Hamas terrorists brutally murdered and injured thousands in this unimaginable massacre. Just as I hesitate to compare my grandparents Holocaust stories to one another, I hesitate to draw parallels to current tragedies and the Holocaust. I believe it can minimize and dilute the unique and individual stories of the victims and of the survivors. The savagery of Saturday October 7 is the first time there has been a resemblance to the unbearable tragedies of the Holocaust. I could have never imagined that we would have a new group of victims and survivors. I never thought we would have to say “Never Again” again.

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September 26, 2023
Statements from Shael Rosenbaum, National Chair of the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem and Yad Vashem, Jerusalem to the Canadian Parliament's Standing Ovation Honouring Yaroslav Hunka:

The atrocities that are currently taking place in Eastern Europe are horrific. Innocent civilians are the casualties of a completely unnecessary conflict. The Canadian Government has made it very clear that they support Ukraine, its people and its sovereignty.

When the conflict began, both Russia and Ukraine accused one another of Antisemitism and Nazism. Historically, both nations have been responsible for countless acts against their Jewish citizens for centuries. The Pogroms that took place in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century in Russia, under the guidance of the Romanov Imperial Dynasty, led to the mass migration of Jews out of Russia. Those that were not murdered, settled in surrounding nations like the Ukraine, Poland and Western Europe or travelled across the Atlantic to North and South America.

The Jewish people who lived and remained in the Ukraine or had settled there faced a constant threat. Many lived in small towns or Shtetls and were devoutly religious and insular. Frequently, they would be attacked by their non-Jewish neighbours. In some occurrences, they were protected, but there is limited documentation on these incidents.

When the Second World War began, Ukraine looked at the Red Army (Russia) as the perpetrators and the Nazis as their allies and liberators. The Ukranians who fought in the Second World War did not fight with the Allied Forces, but fought for and with the Nazis (directly or indirectly).

Prior to the Wannsee Conference and Final Solution in January 1942, most of the Jewish people that were murdered were killed by members of the Einsatzgruppen. These mobile killing squads were primarily comprised of German Nazis, but they also contained Ukrainian troops. Over a quarter of all Jewish people murdered in the Holocaust were at the hands of the Einsatzgruppen.

Once the Final Solution was in full force, there were six Extermination Camps created in occupied Poland. Three of the camps, Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka were responsible for the murder of 1.5 Million individual Jewish lives. Many of the soldiers that operated these camps originated in the Ukraine. The well known trial and story of Ivan Demjanuk and his time at Sobibor is just one of those cases.

Today, Nazis are still honoured in Ukraine. During national holidays, it is common to see people dressed in full SS regalia and garb. Stepan Bandera, who was a Ukranian Nazi collaborator, is celebrated as a hero.

Last week, Yaroslav Hunka, a former Ukranian soldier during the Second World War, recieved a standing ovation at the Canadian Parliament. This deplorable moment was a result of ignorance and complete lack of education. This man may have fought for his country, but he was also fighting alongside the Nazis. The Ukranian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, also cheered on his fellow country man, as did everyone present in the chamber. This also took place between the holiest days in the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

A shameful event like this further proves that more work needs to be done with Holocaust education and remembrance. The history of the Holocaust cannot be altered or distorted. We must remember the true liberators and rescuers, but also recognize those who were complicit.

Sincerely,

Shael Rosenbaum
Chair of the Board of The Canadian Society for Yad Vashem
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Reaction from Yad Vashem:

(26 September 2023 – Jerusalem) Last week the Canadian Parliament honored former World War II Ukrainian soldier Yaroslav Hunka, in the form of a standing ovation. This deplorable moment was a result of ignorance and lack of information about the facts of the Holocaust and an absence of sensitivity to the many Holocaust survivors who sought refuge in Canada post Holocaust, not to mention the many members of the Canadian armed forces who lost their lives fighting the Nazis. While Yaroslav Hunka fought during WWII, he did so as a member of the Waffen SS as part of the German war effort. Regardless of the political goals invoked by the Ukrainian ultra-nationalists to justify their approach, these people actively collaborated with the Nazis.

Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem, advocates the adoption of a zero-tolerance policy to war criminals associated with the massacre of civilians, Jews and non-Jews.

Yad Vashem continues to be committed to promoting accurate Holocaust remembrance, education, research and documentation. We call upon the Canadian government to partner with Yad Vashem's global educational efforts in bringing Holocaust remembrance and education to all relevant audiences worldwide, including in Canada. We invite the Speaker of the Canadian Parliament and other Canadian leaders to visit Yad Vashem in order to learn more about the Holocaust.