- Details
- Written by Prime Minister's Office
The leaders discussed regional issues at length, first among them Iran and the nuclear agreement. PM Lapid emphasized his opposition to returning to the nuclear agreement and the need to intensify the pressure on Iran so that it will return to the negotiating table.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid and US President Joe Biden held a bilateral working meeting today (Thursday, 14 July 2022), with the participation of both countries' teams.
Prime Minister Lapid and US President Biden praised the warm and unbreakable ties between Israel and the US.
Prime Minister Lapid, President Biden and their teams discussed regional issues at length, first among them Iran and the nuclear agreement. The Prime Minister thanked the President for his decision not to remove the Revolutionary Guards from the list of terrorist organizations.
Prime Minister Lapid also emphasized his opposition to returning to the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) and the need to intensify the pressure on Iran so that it will return to the negotiating table to discuss an alternative agreement.
The two leaders also stressed the importance of the Negev Forum as well as the need to advance cooperation in the framework of the regional architecture and the aspiration to expand the circle of normalization.
Prime Minister Lapid and President Biden exchanged views on the Palestinian issue. The Prime Minister presented Israel's actions to improve the Palestinians' fabric of life in various areas.
The two leaders praised the two joint declarations between their countries, first and foremost the Jerusalem Declaration that will be signed today, and the joint declaration on strategic cooperation in advanced technology.
They also praised the planned meeting of the I2U2 Forum leaders that they will chair today.
The two leaders instructed the professional echelon to complete the visa exemption process forthwith.
Participating on the Israeli side were Chief of Staff Dani Vesely, National Security Council Chairman and National Security Adviser Dr. Eyal Hulata, Cabinet Secretary Shalom Shlomo, Prime Minister's Office Director General Naama Schultz, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director-General Alon Ushpiz, the Prime Minister's Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil, Diplomatic Adviser Yair Zivan, Deputy Head of the National Security Council Avivit Bar-Ilan and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog.
Participating on the American side were Secretary of State Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides.
PM Lapid and US President Biden at the bilateral working meeting. Photo: GPO/Kobi Gideon.
- Details
- Written by MDA
For many years, Magen David Adom teams have been medically securing the Maccabiah events held in Israel. The preparations and assessments for medical security for the events of the 21st Maccabiah, which will open on July 14 with a festive ceremony at the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, have just ended. MDA, as the National Rescue Organization of the State of Israel, will provide medical cover for the tens of thousands of participants, including about 10,000 athletes who come in 62 delegations from 58 countries, celebrities and guests from around the world.
MDA EMTs and paramedics began providing cover this week at the pre-training and preparations for the opening ceremony and will be on high alert throughout the Maccabiah until the closing ceremony, which will take place on July 25 at Live Park in Rishon Lezion.
The training, competitions, ceremonies and other special events that will take place during the 21st Maccabiah will be covered by thousands of MDA EMTs and paramedics using hundreds of the most advanced rescue vehicles and technological means in the world, including MDA's boat-ambulance (to secure the competitions on the Sea of Galilee), medicycles, ambulances, mobile intensive care units, 4X4 SUVs, ATVs, jeep ambulances and more MDA helicopters will also be on standby. In addition, Magen David Adom nurses will provide a medical response in the evening at the hotels where Maccabiah participants will be staying in Jerusalem, the center of the country and in the north.
A special center has been opened at the MDA National Operations Center that monitors and coordinates the activities of MDA teams in the field. During the events, MDA will place special emphasis on open-air competitions, including triathlons, half marathons, bicycle races And more. In these competitions, which are affected by the particularly hot weather these days,participants will be accompanied by MDA motorcycles and EMTs and paramedics will be on standby in clinic tents located in the area.
MDA Director General, Eli Bin: "MDA, as Israel's National Rescue Organization, is engaged throughout the year in securing the largest national events, and we are proud to take part in the events of the 21st Maccabiah. For many years, MDA has been securing the Maccabiah events and working in full cooperation with the management and headquarters of the Maccabiah and all the parties involved. I wish great success to all participants of the competitions and enjoyment to all Maccabiah guests."
- Details
- Written by Prime Minister's Media Adviser
.
PM Bennett: The campaign to weaken Iran has begun. This campaign is being conducted in multiple fields: nuclear, economic, cyber, overt and covert operations, both by ourselves and in collaboration with others.
Following are Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's remarks at the INSS 15th Annual International Conference in Tel Aviv this evening (Tuesday, 1 February 2022):
Main quotes:
"Israel will build a ‘Laser-Wall’ defensive system.”
"We decided to break this equation, and it will break, in just a few short years. In about a year, the IDF will launch a laser interception system. At first experimentally and later it will become operational. First in the south and then elsewhere. This will allow us, in the medium to long term, to surround Israel with a laser wall that protects us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats. In fact, it will take away the strongest card the enemy has against us."
"The economic equation will be reversed; they will invest a lot and we will invest a little. If it is possible to intercept a missile or rocket with just an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we will have nullified the ring of fire that Iran has set up on our borders. The whole thing no longer pays off."
"This new generation of Israeli air defense could also serve our friends in the region who are also exposed to severe threats from Iran and its proxies. This is another way in which we will create assets, use them and give what we have to the world in order to gain support, create alliances and become even stronger."
Iran:
"The campaign to weaken Iran has begun. This campaign is being conducted in multiple fields: nuclear, economic, cyber, overt and covert operations, both by ourselves and in collaboration with others."
Nuclear Talks:
"On the other hand, the removal of sanctions and the flood of billions of dollars for this regime means more rockets, more UAVs, more terrorist cells, more cyber attacks and malign activities. More of everything. By the way, not only against us but also against our American allies in the region and other allies."
"We are following the nuclear talks in Vienna and we hope that they conclude without an agreement. But even with an agreement, our assessment is that the Iranians will continue to be Iranians. We already see it now. While Iranian foreign ministry officials are negotiating in Vienna with the superpowers, the Revolutionary Guard is behaving like the neighborhood bully and attacking the UAE and other places. This is the definition of negotiation under fire. This is blackmail."
Full speech:
"Good evening.
"As anyone who has ever gone out on a cold night to navigate a dangerous area knows, intuition can be deceiving. In most cases, those who predominantly rely on luck and gut feelings do not prove successful. You need an image of the map in your mind; you need a destination; and you need a compass, which will indicate where you are in relation to your destination.
"When we formed this government a little over seven months ago, the gut feeling, the feeling that we should stop the bleeding and save Israel from itself, is what guided us. Since then, we have taken some significant steps to stabilize the ship.
"We passed a budget, allowed government ministries to resume activities, some of which had been long-neglected and in a state of paralysis. In the field of foreign relations, we warmed relations that had cooled down, especially with the United States and our neighbors, and opened a new and fresh page between Israel and the world.
"In regards to the current security situation, we have brought calm to the south and are working on preventing the situation in Judea and Samaria from deteriorating. Within Israel, we have stopped the political turmoil.
"Now, the public arena is dealing more with its citizens and less with its leader. That is a good thing. Even the news headlines have become shorter. As I mentioned, we have stabilized the ship but in the Middle East, a cruise in calm waters is always a very short cruise.
"You have to read the map and decide where to steer the ship from here. To do this, you need to understand what the destination is and how we see the State of Israel in the years ahead.
"Today, Israel is 73. The journey ahead begins with the question, what do we wish for Israel on its 80th birthday? The past couple of times the Jewish people had sovereignty over their land we did not reach that line. We have a duty not only to cross the 80-year-old barrier but to bring the State of Israel to great heights and make it stronger and more prosperous, peaceful and self-assured than ever.
"How do we accomplish this? First, we have to correctly understand the full picture. The face of the Middle East is constantly changing. New alliances are forged and old alliances lose their relevance.
"Therefore, our first rule has to be flexibility. We must make friends and neutralize enemies. The United States has been, and will always be, our best friend, but Washington has its own set of interests, which we must honestly admit do not always overlap with ours. We are speaking honestly and understand one another. Its interest in the region is dwindling. The United States is currently focused on the Russian-Ukrainian border and it is in a strategic conflict with China.
"This is the reality. There is no point in whining about it. We must act within existing circumstances, not in a world that we wished existed. This new reality presents us with challenges but also creates opportunities. In the geopolitical arena, there is no vacuum. A void that is created is immediately filled. The US presence in the region can be filled, God forbid, by the forces of terrorism and hatred, or with the right steps, it can be filled by Israel.
"The foundation of friendship that we have formed with our neighbors can be the beginning of a multidimensional regional alliance. Together, we can better contend with the challenges posed by extremists that seek to destabilize the Middle East. I'm always trying to explain to the world that our region is full of people who get up in the morning, every morning, with one purpose: to disturb the peace, disrupt stability and create a perpetual state of chaos and war. This is prevalent from the Houthis in Yemen to Hezbollah in Lebanon, from Shiite militias in Iraq to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza. What these extremists all have in common is that their invoice is sent to Tehran at the end of the month. Four years ago, at this conference, I presented my view that when it comes to the majority of threats against us, Iran is the head of the axis and the 'head of the octopus'.
"Since then, even as defense minister and now as prime minister, this perception has been refined, adapted to circumstances and is becoming a reality. The campaign to weaken Iran has begun. This campaign is being conducted in multiple fields: nuclear, economic, cyber, overt and covert operations, bothby ourselves and in collaboration with others.
"The basic principle remains the same. The missile may have been launched from Beirut or from Gaza but the address is Tehran. The weaker Tehran is, the weaker its affiliates are. The hungrier the octopus is, the less reach it has with its tentacles. Then on our border we encounter something much weaker. The logic is clear.
"On the other hand, the removal of sanctions and the flood of billions of dollars for this regime means more rockets, more UAVs, more terrorist cells, more cyber attacks and malign activities. More of everything. By the way, not only against us but also against our American allies in the region and other allies.
"We are following the nuclear talks in Vienna and we hope that they conclude without an agreement. But even with an agreement, our assessment is that the Iranians will continue to be Iranians. We already see it now. While Iranian foreign ministry officials are negotiating in Vienna with the superpowers, the Revolutionary Guard is behaving like the neighborhood bully and attacking the UAE and other places. This is the definition of negotiation under fire. This is blackmail.
"If an agreement is signed, and the flow of dollars is renewed, we know that their aggressive behavior will only intensify. We in Israel are ready. We will continue to stand against them in every way. No agreement will prevent us from protecting the citizens of Israel. The Israeli strategy remains the same in the case of an agreement, which in any case only buys a very short amount of time until the sunset clause, or in the event that there is no agreement. In both cases, our campaign continues.
"Which brings me to the big question: how do we maintain a democratic and developed country in a dangerous and unstable region and in a world where there is no longer a single global policeman? What must we do to prepare the State of Israel for the next decade and beyond? The answer is economic growth and becoming stronger. You can find this in two decisions we made as a government.
"First, we are managing the pandemic without lockdowns, even when it proves to be difficult. Paralyzing the Israeli economy is simply not an option. Second, we allocated a very large, separate budget for the strengthening of our military and economic growth.
"This is our move. Allow me to explain. The State of Israel needs a very strong economy. GDP needs to reach a trillion dollars. Hi-tech should not be 12% of our total GDP but double that. The economy needs to remain open and functional, even in a decade marked by pandemic like the one we currently are living in. Democracy must be stable and society must strong, with solidarity between the two.
"The standard of living needs to increase and prices need to fall. A rich and prosperous country can devote a significant portion of its revenue to build its power and strengthen itself. Because GDP is also related to the size of the population. Security is not linear. You can take a lot of money and pour it into power, not for the sake of military bureaucracy, but for developing capabilities that lessen the huge gap between Israel and other countries.
"The stronger we become, the more deterrence we will have and the less likely we will have to use our power. The more we deter, the less likely we are to have to use our power. The more periods of quiet there are, the more we can continue to grow economically. It's a positive cycle. Economic growth, military strength, stability, economic growth and so on.
"To do this, we must utilize our superior technological capability and wisely manage our resources. Today, for example, Ahmed is sitting in Khan Yunis, loading the launcher with a self-made rocket that costs a few hundred dollars and is shooting it at Israel. On the other hand, the Iron Dome interceptor costs tens of thousands of dollars. This is an illogical equation which does not converge and allows Ahmed to launch more and more Qassam rockets and for us to spend millions on every 'lightning strike' and billions during a military campaign. This is not a sustainable equation.
"We decided to break this equation, and it will break, in just a few short years. In about a year, the IDF will launch a laser interception system. At first experimentally and later it will become operational. First in the south and then elsewhere. This will allow us, in the medium to long term, to surround Israel with a laser wall that protects us from missiles, rockets, UAVs and other threats. In fact, it will take away the strongest card the enemy has against us.
"The economic equation will be reversed; they will invest a lot and we will invest a little. If it is possible to intercept a missile or rocket with just an electric pulse that costs a few dollars, we will have nullified the ring of fire that Iran has set up on our borders. The whole thing no longer pays off.
"This new generation of Israeli air defense could also serve our friends in the region who are also exposed to severe threats from Iran and its proxies. This is another way in which we will create assets, use them and give what we have to the world in order to gain support, create alliances and become even stronger.
"We do this in many fields, from cybersecurity to technologies that help fight climate change and track new variants of Covid. We are always at the forefront. I talk to world leaders on a daily basis, also on WhatsApp, because we are all in the same boat. Today, we are approached on a daily basis for advice and when they contact you, you really are in a completely different place when you need them.
"The conflict with our neighbors, which once defined almost all of our contact with the world, is still there but does not define us as much. We in Israel are much more than the conflict. Why? Because we have something to give.
"In conclusion, the coming years will shape the face of the State of Israel for the next generation. The task is on us, it's on me, to help strengthen and prepare Israel for the next decade. Economy and security.
"We are currently laying the groundwork for another economic leap by removing regulations, encouraging competition and introducing the ultra-Orthodox in the workforce, something no government had the courage to do until now. I have been dreaming about this for a decade and yesterday, the Knesset passed it in the first reading.
"Like a coil, the energy, innovation and strength of the citizens of Israel: Jews, Arabs, secular, religious alike, will create an eruption and the Israeli economy will fly forward with less bureaucracy and more competition.
"We are also currently in the process of becoming stronger, after several years of stagnation because it was impossible to pass a budget but not only because of this. We had reached a gap in power and we are not only closing it but getting stronger and moving forward. Growth and strength. Strength and growth.
"Our enemies are in the business of destruction while we, with God's help, are in the business of building the State of Israel.
"Thank you."
PM Bennett addressing the INSS 15th Annual International Conference . Photo: GPO/Haim Zach.
- Details
- Written by Yad Vashem
Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 27-28 April 2022
Central Theme for Holocaust Remembrance Day: "Transports to Extinction: Deportations of the Jews During the Holocaust"
Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day will be observed this year starting Wednesday evening, 27 April 2022 through Thursday, 28 April 2022. The official State Opening Ceremony for Holocaust Remembrance Day will take place on Wednesday, 27 April, at 20:00, in Warsaw Ghetto Square, Yad Vashem, on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem. Israel’s President H.E. Mr. Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Naftali Bennett will both deliver remarks at the Opening Ceremony. Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Israel Meir Lau will kindle the Memorial Torch. Moshe Meron will speak on behalf of the survivors. This year, Holocaust survivor Beni Harel will recite El Maleh Rahamim, the Jewish prayer for the souls of the martyrs.
During the ceremony, Holocaust survivors will light six torches. First torch: Zvi Gill; second torch: Shmuel Blumenfeld z"l (the torch will be lit by his son Aryeh); third torch: Olga Kay; fourth torch: Arie Shilansky; fifth torch: Shaul Spielmann; sixth torch: Rebecca Elizur. During the ceremony, short videos about each of the torchlighters will be shown. Produced and directed by Shira Felix, these videos will be available on the Yad Vashem website in the section dedicated to Holocaust Remembrance Day 2022.
Israeli singers Ester Rada and Ron Buchnik, as well as the IDF Paratroopers’ Honor Guard, will participate in the ceremony, which will also include narrative pieces by Israeli actor Noa Koler. The MC for the ceremony will be Danny Cushmaro.
The ceremony will feature a traditional memorial service, including the recitation of a chapter from Psalms by Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi David Lau. The Rishon LeZion, Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef will recite the Kaddish mourner's prayer.
Yad Vashem will broadcast the State Opening Ceremony live with simultaneous translation into English, French, Spanish, German, Hebrew and Russian via its websites in their respective languages. Additionally, Yad Vashem will offer simultaneous translation in Arabic available on the Yad Vashem YouTube Channel in Arabic. The live feed will be accessible via Facebook (only live in English and Hebrew).
The State Opening Ceremony will also be broadcast live on Israeli television – Channels 11, 12, 13 and 9 as well as by Walla, N-12 and Y-Net, and via radio – Galei Tzahal and KAN Radio – and will last approximately 90 minutes.
Yad Vashem Online
Yad Vashem has created special mini-sites dedicated to Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, containing information about the events and ceremonies taking place throughout the day. Also included in the mini-sites are relevant educational materials and a new online exhibition entitled, “Deportation of the Jews during the Holocaust – Stories of the Last Deportees, June 1944-April 1945.” In keeping with the policy of the "Final Solution," during World War II the Germans and their collaborators uprooted millions of Jews from their homes and deported them to their deaths. This meticulously organized operation was an event of historic significance, obliterating Jewish communities throughout German-occupied territories that had existed for centuries. Vast numbers of Jews were sent straight to the extermination sites, while many others were first taken to ghettos and transit camps. Thus, the cattle – or railway – car, the principal mode of Nazi deportation, became one of the most iconic symbols of the Holocaust. Originally a symbol of progress, globalization and human technological prowess during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the railway car warped into the emblem of the backsliding of human values into the abyss of wholesale mass murder on an unprecedented scale.
"Generations Light the Way"
Yad Vashem, Tzohar, "Zikaron BaSalon" and "Our Six Million" ("Shem VeNer") invite the public on the eve of Holocaust Remembance Day to take part in the "Generations Light the Way" initiative by lighting six memorial candles in memory of the six million victims of the Shoah and reciting the traditional mourner's prayer "El Maleh Rahamim" and/or the poem "Nizkor – Let us Remember" by Holocaust survivor Abba Kovner.
Join together with family, friends or neighbors in this new tradition of remembrance and pass the memory on from generation to generation.
Special Activities on the Mount of Remembrance
On Thursday 28 April, after the traditional wreath-laying ceremony in the morning, the public is invited to participate in a range of activities around the Yad Vashem campus, including the reading of Holocaust victims' names in the Hall of Remembrance, and exclusive "Behind-the-Scenes" presentations by a range of Yad Vashem experts.
For those interested in learning about the history of the Holocaust, Yad Vashem will be offering two English-language tours of the Holocaust History Museum on Holocaust Remembrance Day Thursday, 28 April 2022. The first tour will take place in at 1:15 pm Israel time. The second tour will be offered virtually for the international audience and will take place at 7pm EST. For more information contact Yad Vashem at www.yadvashem.org.
Ongoing Campaigns
Yad Vashem continues to call on the public to fill out Pages of Testimony to commemorate the names of Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Volunteers are available to help Holocaust survivors submit Pages of Testimony. Yad Vashem is also continuing its nationwide Gathering the Fragments campaign in an effort to rescue more Holocaust-related documents, artifacts, photographs and artworks, and interview, document and record video testimonies of survivors. For more information on all of these ongoing commemorative projects: +972-2-6443888 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For more information on all of Yad Vashem's Holocaust Remembrance Day activities: www.yadvashem.org
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, was established in 1953. Located in Jerusalem, it is dedicated to Holocaust commemoration, documentation, research and education.
www.yadvashem.org
The Wreath-Laying Ceremony on Thursday, 28 April 2022 will start promptly at 10:00 immediately following the siren.
The Yad Vashem Campus will be accessible to the public from 10:30 via free shuttle services departing from the Mt. Herzl Parking Lot until the hour of 20:00.
Holocaust Remembrance Day Schedule 28 April
10:00 Siren
10:02 Wreath-laying ceremony with the participation of Israel’s Deputy President, Prime Minister, Speaker of the Knesset, President of the Supreme Court, representatives of survivor and fighter organizations and delegations from throughout the country—Warsaw Ghetto Square
11:00–12:45 “Unto Every Person There is a Name” Recitation of Holocaust victims’ names by members of the public—Hall of Remembrance (a similar event will take place in the Knesset in the presence of the Speaker of the Knesset)
11:00-13:45 "Behind-the-Scenes" Throughout Holocaust Remembrance Day, special online lectures and behind-the-scenes tours will be open to the public. The gatherings will be in Hebrew and are free of charge. For the full listing and times please check the Yad Vashem website in the section on Behind-the-Scenes (available only in Hebrew).
13:15 Guided tour of the Holocaust History Museum focusing on this year's Central Theme: Deportations. For more information and to register: 02-6443802
13:00 Main memorial ceremony—Hall of Remembrance
17:30 Ceremony for youth movements in the presence of the Minister of Education Dr. Yifat Shasha Bitton, and hundreds of participants of the various national youth movements. Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan will deliver remarks along with Holocaust survivor Chava Yotzker from Budapest, Hungary. Holocaust survivor Nachum Rotenberg, born 1928 in Lodz, Poland will light the Memorial Torch. Neta Rot will emcee the ceremony. The ceremony is conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Education’s Youth and Social Administration and the Youth Movement Council — Valley of the Communities. Admission by personal invitation only
Remarks on Behalf of the Survivors
Moshe Meron :Moshe Herzog (later Meron) was born in 1935 in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, the eldest son of Tibor-Tuvia Herzog and Erzsebet-Miriam (née Menzel). His younger brother Shlomo was born three years later. Moshe's family lived with his maternal grandparents on the outskirts of Budapest, supported by their building supplies store.
In March 1944, the German Army entered Hungary. In April, the Jews were required to don a yellow star, and in May the deportations of Hungarian Jews to Auschwitz began. In November 1944, all the Jews in Moshe's neighborhood were ordered to gather in one building. Miriam, whose husband had been drafted into the Hungarian forced labor battalions, understood the threat. She removed the yellow badges from their clothes and, under the cover of darkness, the three boarded a tram. They traveled to the sewing shop she was supposed to report at for forced labor, but found it deserted. The next day, still without their yellow stars, they passed through the checkpoints on the Danube Bridge and reached Tibor's camp, which was located in a paper factory. During that freezing night, they used paper as blankets. Moshe's grandparents were deported the next day, never to return.
Tibor managed to provide his family with protective passports that required them to live at a certain address in Budapest. Without knowing they would never see him again, Miriam and the two children went to the building, whose occupants were protected by Vatican City passports. There they lived with another 20 people in a three-room apartment in the "Little Ghetto" ("International Ghetto"), which had been established in the city. The ghetto housed approximately 15,000 Jews who held documents provided by embassies of neutral countries.
A week later, the Jews in Moshe's building were forced to march to a nearby square. On the way, a German officer separated the able-bodied from their loved ones. Miriam held tight to her terrified sons, even when threatened with a weapon. In the park, fascist Arrow Cross men rounded the Jews up on the pretext of checking documents. Hundreds stood waiting their turn. Learning from their experience, Miriam retreated to the last row with her children. There, she bribed a policeman with her gold necklace to escort them back to their building, which was now empty. The rest of the Jews in the square were shot, and their bodies thrown into the Danube.
Until the end of the war, Moshe, Miriam and Shlomo lived in fear and starvation. Miriam cooked for the rest of the ghetto residents in exchange for food. Tibor was taken to the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he died.
After the war, the family lived in European DP camps, and in 1949 they immigrated to Israel. Moshe joined Kibbutz Shamir, and began to grow cotton. He later earned a doctorate in Agricultural Science and initiated three startups. He continues his research until today. Moshe and Tova have four children and eleven grandchildren.
Beni Harel :Behor Dadosh (later Beni Harel) was born in 1936 in Tripoli, Libya to Yosef and Rachel Dadosh. He had a younger brother and sister, Moshe and Wassina. His father was a trader and his mother a housewife.
In February 1941, the Germans entered Tripoli to reinforce the Italian army and lead the war. During the British bombing, the townspeople hid beneath the city wall. Yosef told Rachel not to flee there, lest she be persecuted by their Arab neighbors. Jewish men were rounded up and sent to forced labor camps in the desert, including Jado. Men who hid and were discovered were thrown from the rooftops. Yosef was also captured, but managed to escape.
One Friday evening in April 1941, during Shabbat candle-lighting, the family home was bombed. Beni's brother and sister were killed; he and his mother were injured. They were evacuated in a donkey cart to the village of Amrus outside Tripoli, and hidden from the Germans in a goat pen. Beni's grandfather Moshe and grandmother Masuda sent his maternal aunt Leah (Laura), to help them, and she managed to move them to the village of Zawia, where they were housed in a stable.
During one of the bombings, the stable was hit. Rachel burned to death before Beni's eyes. Leah was hit in the neck. His grandfather, an observant Jew, wished to give his daughter Rachel a Jewish burial in Tripoli, but no bodies were allowed to be brought in to the city. The grandfather rented a fancy carriage and drove to Zawia. There he dressed his dead daughter in a shroud with a wedding dress over the top. They rode to Tripoli with Beni's grandmother holding her daughter's body on one side and five-year-old Beni holding her body on the other, weeping bitterly. Thus, her body was smuggled to Tripoli and buried in a Jewish burial ground.
Beni stayed at his grandparent's house in Tripoli. Meanwhile, the Germans continued to search for Yosef. They arrived at the house, put a gun to the grandmother's head and threatened to kill her if she did not betray her son-in-law. They also threatened Beni. So, the next time they came looking for Yosef, Beni's grandmother hid Beni in a rolled-up mat. "She told me not to cry, not to breathe, not to cough," he said. They used this method every time the Germans came.
With the German surrender in Tripoli in January 1943 and the return of the British Army, Yosef returned to the city. Beni's grandfather wanted to take care of his grandson, the only son who had survived his eldest daughter. He married Yosef to 16-year-old Leah. The couple had 13 children.
In 1949, after the Arab riots against Jews living in Libya, the family immigrated to Israel and settled in Jerusalem. Beni worked in porterage, and then in construction. He helped build the Jerusalem's Israel Museum, Knesset, President's Residence, International Convention Center and the Hebrew University campus in Givat Ram. He was the gabbai (beadle) of a synagogue for thirty years, and initiated the construction of a hall in the synagogue named after his mother and aunt, Rachel and Leah. Beni and Jacqueline have four children and 15 grandchildren.
- Details
- Written by Spokesperson of the President's Office
Wednesday, 26 January 2022 / 24 Shevat 5782
First Lady Michal Herzog: “The fact that we are leading this Zikaron BaSalon event together, with the First Lady of Germany, shows more than anything else that there is hope and that together we can bring a better future.”
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, First Lady of Israel Michal Herzog and First Lady of Germany Elke Büdenbender hosted Holocaust survivor Charles Siegman this evening for a virtual “Zikaron BaSalon” (Remembrance in the Living Room). Joining the live event broadcast on President Isaac Herzog’s Facebook page were representatives of the Jewish Student Union Germany and Haifa University’s Holocaust Studies program. Also joining the event were Germany’s ambassador in Israel, Dr. Susanne Wasum-Rainer; the wife of Israel’s ambassador in Germany, Ms. Laura Kam; and second-generation Holocaust survivor and activist Leah Schenirer.
Mrs. Herzog opened the event by saying: “The fact that we are leading this Zikaron BaSalon event together, with the First Lady of Germany, shows more than anything else that there is hope and that together we can bring a better future. Such an important initiative puts an emphasis on remembering and not letting the stories of the past be forgotten, but rather keeping the memories alive.”
Mrs. Büdenbender, wife of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, joined the event from Berlin and said: “We need to keep up the memory, we need to keep the stories of the Holocaust survivors and the stories of all the victims alive. We must never forget.”
Holocaust survivor Charles Siegman then shared his personal testimony from the Holocaust, accompanied by his wife Gita Siegman. Mr. Siegman was born in the Netherlands in 1935, the youngest of five children. During the war, his parents decided to separate their children to try to protect them. His parents and two eldest brothers were murdered in Auschwitz in 1943. Mr. Siegman and two siblings were deported to Westerbork and then Theresienstadt.
Charles Siegman: “For many survivors, their war experiences presented a challenge to their faith. Where was God? Why did He allow this to happen? But the question should be: Where was civilized man? The Nazis were determined to destroy not only the Jewish people but Judaism itself. Abandoning my faith would have meant giving the Nazis a victory.”
Mr. Siegman added: “It is essential that the world remembers the Holocaust. This is urgent as the survivors will not be with us much longer to bear witness. It is frightening to know that there are people who deny that the Holocaust ever happened. I am witness today. I urge you to take the role of being a witness about the Shoah in the years to come. After the war, antisemites went underground for a while, but now there is a widespread public resurgence of antisemitism, which spills over into anti-Israel propaganda and hate.”
The First Ladies then held an open conversation with Mr. Siegman and opened the discussion up to questions from the students.
“Zikaron BaSalon” is an Israeli tradition of informal, intimate gatherings on Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah. The initiative aims to transform discourse from one of survival to one of tikkun olam—the Jewish principle of repairing the world. Over the coming week, hundreds of Zikaron BaSalon events will take place all around the world, including in Bahrain, Britain, China, India, and Germany, where diplomats, students, and young people will hear Holocaust survivors’ testimonies.
Photos: Yuval Cohen Ahronov
