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THE FIFTH WORLD HOLOCAUST FORUM: World Leaders will Gather in Jerusalem to Commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz and International Holocaust Remembrance Day
World Holocaust Forum Foundation President Dr. Moshe Kantor:
“This event will provide a unique opportunity for world leaders to stand up and declare ‘enough’ to antisemitism”
(Wednesday, 14 August 2019, Jerusalem) – Heads of State from Europe, North American and Australia have been invited to attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, taking place on 23 January 2020, at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
The event, titled “Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism,” is being organized by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, headed by Dr. Moshe Kantor, in cooperation with Yad Vashem, under the auspices of the President of the State of Israel, H.E. Mr. Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin.
As the world prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the message will be clear that antisemitism has no place in our global society.
The President of France, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of Germany, H.E. Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of Italy, H.E. Mr. Sergio Mattarella and President of Austria, H.E. Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen are among the leaders who have so far confirmed their attendance of this historic event.
Founded in 2005 by Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the European Jewish Congress, the World Holocaust Forum Foundation is an international organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust and its important lessons for all of humanity, including fighting rising antisemitism. Past World Holocaust Forum events have taken place at Auschwitz, Babi Yar and Terezin, in cooperation with Yad Vashem, with the highest-level political and diplomatic representation.
The event takes place against the background of the rise in hateful and violent expressions of antisemitism, especially in Europe. Given this alarming situation, efforts to educate about the dangers of antisemitism, racism and xenophobia and foster Holocaust commemoration and research have made this event more crucial and relevant than ever.
“This conference takes place at a very important historical moment – seventy-five years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and with the voices of Holocaust denial and antisemitism once again rising,” President of the State of Israel Reuven "Ruvi" Rivlin said. “We will never support those who falsify the truth or those who try to ensure the Holocaust is forgotten. Not individuals and not organizations; not leaders of political parties and not heads of states.”
“I invited world leaders to join us at this sacred moment of memory and commitment, and I am delighted by the number of responses, that is growing every day. We will make every effort to ensure that the event will be meaningful and will leave a real mark on the struggle against antisemitism and for the education of the next generation.”
“This event is especially important because as the Holocaust recedes further into the past, some of its memory is being forgotten and its lessons are no longer being learned,” World Holocaust Forum Foundation President Dr. Moshe Kantor said. “’Never Again’ is an action plan, one that we must reclaim as a call to protect the future while remembering the past.”
“This event will provide a unique opportunity for world leaders to stand up and declare 'enough' to antisemitism, intolerance and racism and stop the hate. The World Holocaust Forum Foundation is uniquely positioned to be able to provide an opportunity for our leaders to turn the knowledge and awareness of the Holocaust into action in a collaborative effort to eradicate antisemitism and all other forms of hatred.”
"The Holocaust, aimed at the total annihilation of all Jews everywhere, and the eradication of their civilization, was fueled by extreme racist antisemitism," Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev said. "In the aftermath of the Second World War, the international community enacted universal principles and instituted international organizations with the express purpose of averting future crimes against humanity. The ways in which antisemitism has persisted and proliferated over recent years must be identified, studied and understood. We must all be alert to antisemitism's current manifestations and remain resolute in combatting it where it appears. It is the responsibility of all humanity, and especially the leaders that will gather here at Yad Vashem, to work to fight antisemitism, racism and xenophobia."
Additional information and details regarding the World Holocaust Forum will be forthcoming.
About Yad Vashem
Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, was established in 1953. Located on Jerusalem's Mount of Remembrance, it is dedicated to Holocaust commemoration, documentation, research and education. Since its inception, Yad Vashem has dedicated itself to perpetuating the memory of the Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, and to passing on the legacy of the survivors. Its state-of-the-art museums, world-class research and education centers, and expansive archives and libraries provide an unparalleled venue for inter-generational learning and contemplation, reflected also in its comprehensive online resources utilized by millions of people around the globe. Drawing on the memories of the past, Yad Vashem seeks to meaningfully impart the legacy of the Shoah for generations to come.
Photo From left: Chairman of Yad Vashem Avner Shalev, President of The State of Israel Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin, World Holocaust Forum Foundation President Dr. Moshe Kantor and Special Advisor to Yad Vashem Chairman Arie Zuckerman. (Credit: the President’s office)
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The Carmel Program: The Directorate of Defense Research and Development at the Ministry of Defense Reveals the Technology that will be Used in the Combat Vehicle of the Future
The combat vehicle of the future will be upgraded with artificial intelligence, autonomous and automatic capabilities. It will be compact, agile, effective, survivable, maintainable and affordable and will be operated by only two combat soldiers. Three defense industries (Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, and Rafael), have reached the final phase of development. Today upon the completion of a month of trials, three major technological concepts have been presented, among others. These advanced platforms will be integrated into the IDF’s current and future armored vehicles - both manned and autonomous.
Today (04.08.19), the Directorate of Defense Research and Development (DDR&D), in the Israel Ministry of Defense, and the Office of the Head of the Armored Corps in the IDF, completed a demo event to reveal the platforms developed within the framework of the Carmel Program. The program does not produce a new vehicle, but rather a breakthrough vision for combat, based on advanced technology. The program focuses on autonomous and automatic maneuvering, artificial intelligence and more. The event was held in the presence of the Ministry of Defense Director General, IDF Deputy Chief of General Staff, Commander of the Ground Forces, Head of the Directorate of Defense Research and Development in IMOD, and senior officials from the IDF and defense establishment.
The Carmel Program was launched three years ago as a multi-year program for the development of advanced technology to upgrade the IDF’s combat vehicles – producing an agile, effective, innovative, compact, easy-to-maneuver vehicle with relatively low costs. The purpose of the program was to develop the technology necessary for the “combat field of the future,” maintaining operational superiority via technological superiority.
During the first phase of the Carmel Program, a significant challenge was presented to the three major defense industries in Israel: to prove the feasibility of an AFV that is operated by only two combat soldiers, with a closed hatch. Following a lengthy evaluation process, the Ministry of Defense selected three Israeli defense industries to continue the development program: Rafael, IAI, and Elbit Systems.
Each industry was asked to develop its own technological concept, that would transform and upgrade the interior part of the IDF’s combat vehicles to an advanced cockpit (much like a fighter jet’s cockpit). The challenge: proving the feasibility of two soldiers conducting closed hatch operations and integrating technological capabilities that would enhance mission efficiency for the IDF’s maneuver forces. The advanced cockpit integrates autonomous capabilities (maneuvering, detecting targets, defense, etc.). In addition, the combat soldier enjoys multi-sensor fusion and 360-degree surround vision, high connectivity, and situational awareness. Ultimately, the soldiers are only required to make decisions that the mechanism cannot (yet) make by itself.
The industries took the challenge head on, employing experts in the field and introducing advanced technological infrastructure in the process. Each industry tested its solution throughout a period of a week, within a series of complex operational scenarios. A team of experts from the DDR&D evaluated the three concepts in accordance with predetermined criteria. The technological platforms proposed for the future AFV, employ a combination of advanced sensors, VR and AR mechanisms, AI technology to process information, and more.
Elbit Systems: Elbit Systems developed a technological concept for combat soldiers in the future AFV, operated by the Iron Vision “See-Through” Helmet Mounted Display (HMD). This is based on the technology that the industry developed for the F-35 fighter jet. The concept is underpinned by applying autonomous capabilities and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to accelerate decision making and facilitate target engagement with dramatically increased rapidity and accuracy. Using a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) a crew of two combat soldiers operates the AFV under closed hatches, further enhancing capabilities and survivability. The AFV successfully demonstrated its capacity to function as an independent high fire-power strike cell, as a networked station for multi-spectral sensing and information fusion, as well as a base platform for operating additional unmanned systems.
Rafael: RAFAEL’s solution for the future combat fighting vehicle enables two crew members to perform their mission, in a fully protected closed hatch vehicle, with a breakthrough transparent cockpit design, enabling 360 degree situational awareness, using augmented reality for real-time battlefield information and data. This includes targets, Blue Forces, and other Points Of Interest (POI’s), as well as an autonomous mission support system, for autonomous mission planning, driving, and simultaneous operation of all vehicle weapon systems, all based on combat artificial intelligence capabilities.
IAI: IAI presented a platform based on the company’s family of autonomous systems and robotic tools, which are currently in wide operational use in Israel and around the world. The Carmel platform proposed by IAI, combines a panoramic display, individual control screens, and a control stick similar to a gaming console or “Xbox Joystick”. The autonomous capabilities in the combat vehicle are operated by a central, autonomous system, which integrates the various components in the platform and assists the human operator in processing information, focusing on critical threats, and making effective real-time decisions. The platform is based on AI technology to detect threats, enabling effective target engagement and weapon system management as well as autonomous driving in various terrains.
In addition to the aforementioned platforms, the DDR&D led a program to develop technological solutions that were not presented in the demo today. These platforms integrate the following capabilities: hybrid propulsion, cyber defense, active camouflage, multi-task radar, a system to identify troops, and more. The platforms that have reached an advanced stage in the development process, are already being integrated in the AFVs that the IMOD Tank and APC Directorate is developing and producing today.
The Carmel Program is based on breakthrough and innovative technologies on a global scale and the platforms developed by Israeli industries are garnering international interest. The technological capabilities tested in the Carmel Program have never before, been integrated into combat systems. The Carmel Program at the Ministry of Defense places the State of Israel at the forefront of the worldwide effort to develop advanced combat vehicles. This is made possible by the creativity and innovative capabilities of Israel’s defense industries. The results of the Carmel Program will serve as the technological and engineering infrastructure of both the manned and autonomous defense and combat tools of the future.
Photo Ministry of Defense Spokesperson’s Office
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This year's closing ceremony for the Holocaust Memorial Day will mark the 70th anniversary of the foundation of 'Kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta'ot' and the Ghetto Fighters' House – The world's first Holocaust Museum and the first one built by Holocaust survivors. Nathan Goshen will perform at the ceremony in front of the Commander of the Northern Command, Major General Amir Baram and many others.
Thursday, 2.5.2019 | 19:30 | Ghetto Fighters' House
Free Entrance
The Holocaust Memorial Day at the Ghetto Fighters' House will take place at the Museum's open Amphitheatre and will mark the 70th anniversary of the Museum and Kibbutz' founding.
During the Holocaust Memorial Day, Thursday 2.5, the Ghetto Fighters' House museum and the children's memorial museum "Yad LaYeled" will be open free of charge to the general public.
Shlomo Richard Almog
Born in Tunisia. In November 1942, the Germans and Italians invaded North Africa where many Jews were subsequently sent to forced-labor camps.
Avery Fisher
In 1944, with Germany's final invasion of Slovenia, the family had to separate and Avery was concealed behind a fake identity and hidden with a Catholic family. Avery will light the torch in memory of his aunt Gizi Fleishman, who headed the "Labor Group" which operated in secret against the Slovakian government, to stop the Slovakian Jews "deportation of death" to Poland. However, in 1944 Gizi Fleishman and most of the Slovakian Jews were sent to the Auschwitz's gas chambers. Today, Avery lives in Kfar Masaryk.
Wolf & Shlomo Galperin
The leaders of the "131 Kovno Children" group, gave hope to 131 children who began their difficult journey in the Kovno ghetto, which ended for those who succeeded in surviving the war, in the Birkenau camp. Thanks to Wolf's leadership, the children of the Kovno ghetto received his authority. Together with his brother Shlomo, the "131 children from the Kovno ghetto" formed, of whom 40 were saved. 25 of them succeeded in immigrating to Israel. Wolf lives in Sderot and Shlomo lives in the north of the country.
Esther Cohen
She was born in 1926 in Hungary to a family of nine. Upon the German invasion in 1944, Esther was sent to a labor camp. Her father and older brother were sent to a forced labor camp and she never saw them again. The mother and the three sisters were sent to Auschwitz, while Esther rolled from camp to camp. Six weeks before the end of the war, she was sent to the death camp at Mauthausen. Esther was saved, she returned to her home and found that her sisters had survived, but both parents and the older brother had perished. Esther immigrated to Israel in 1950 to Kibbutz Matzuva, married and has two sons, three granddaughters, and a great-grandchild.
Shimon Almog Huter
An orphan with no family or memories of them, without a clear past and with a thrilling survival story, filled with turbulence in Europe and in Israel. Shimon does not remember how and at what age he was brought to the Catholic family in the town of Zabrze, Poland, which hid him until the end of the war. After his appearance in the program "Lost Identity" with the late Manny Pe'er, a researcher on behalf of the program went to Poland to search for his birth certificate, which was found in the hospital near Zabrze, but could not find any information about his family. Shimon lives in Kibbutz Evron, he proud to be a father and a grandfather in the land of Israel.
Prof. Yoram Harpaz
Son of Holocaust survivors – the late Tzipora and Uzi Harpaz. A former journalist, writer, and educator. He devoted one of his books to the children of the second generation of Holocaust survivors, "Ma'ayan Children." Uzi and Tzipora managed to survive and immigrate to Israel. They met at 'Kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta'ot' and were among its founders.
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On Thursday evening, June 13th, Debate for Peace celebrated a year of impressive achievements with a reception at the home of the Cultural Attache of the US Embassy, Elizabeth Fritschle. Dozens of students and teachers from the program were joined by diplomats and civil society leaders for an evening dedicated to youth empowerment, intercultural communication, and peace-building.
In tribute to the youth empowerment theme, the evening was student-led, with Michael Backlund, Neven Atawna, and Tal Zaidman introducing the speakers. After opening remarks from CAO Fritschle and Debate for Peace director Steven Aiello, four speakers were called up to present from the Empathy Storytelling project. Eliran Ben Yair, Sharehan Alwakily, Amit Weinstock, and Eman Otman each presented their Jewish or Palestinian partner’s story in passionate monologues. After all four had spoken, the floor was opened for questions from the audience.
Following the storytelling session, Eiman Darawshi, an English instructor and Model UN coordinator from Iksal high school, spoke about the impact that she has seen from Model UN on her students. She noted, in particular, her students who had been able to travel abroad, Shada Darawshi to Yale University for an MUN conference there, and Eman Otman to the Netherlands with the storytelling project.
An abbreviated Youth Moot Court simulation was then held, showcasing a project in which several Debate for Peace students participated. The moot court is one of several youth empowerment projects run by Avi Omer’s Social Excellent Forum, a close partner of Debate for Peace.
Following the presentations, Debate for Peace members were called up to receive awards for hard work and outstanding performance throughout the year. The students who received awards were Alon Mor, Amit Weinstock, Aviv Hanuka, Eliran Ben Yair, Eman Otman, Hannah Zohn, Mihal Mizrahi, Sharehan Alwakily; and Yafa Nassar. In addition to Jewish and Palestinian students visiting one another’s homes, some of the projects they worked on this year included organizing iftaar (breakfast meal) for hospitalized children from Gaza; presenting in their schools about what they’ve learned through Debate for Peace programming; presenting in Jewish schools about the perspective of Arab students as minorities in Israel, and a forum for Jewish and Arab students to meet, first discussing social topics online, and then meeting in person.
Steven Aiello, Director of Debate for Peace, told Diplomacy that “this program is changing lives and building future leaders. This year we engaged over 1,000 students and led six delegations abroad, and we couldn’t have done it without the continued support of the US Embassy in Israel!” He added his gratitude for Silvia Golan and the Diplomacy news portal www.diplomacy.co.il for providing coverage of Debate for Peace conferences and delegations throughout the year.
Photos by David Azagury US Embassy ( more pics at https://www.facebook.com/diplomacy.israel )
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Seven Debate for Peace students recently returned from the Netherlands, where they participated in the Robert Bosch Stiftung supported project “Your Story, My Story: Creating Empathy through Shared Storytelling”. As part of the project, Jewish and Palestinian youth were paired up and learned one another’s family’s stories of having been displaced from their homes, villages and countries. The project was a collaboration between Debate for Peace, and the Netherlands-based WE organization.
After interviewing one another and their families, the students traveled to the Netherlands to present the stories and their experiences with Dutch youth, educators, and activists. The group included Ahmed (from Mazra village), Eliran (Petah Tiqva), Aviv (Netanya), Sharehan (Be’er Mashish), Eman (Iksal), Roni (Kibbutz Mefalsim), Duna (Maker) and Amit (Petah Tiqva). Their ancestral stories included leaving Libya, Morocco, Iraq, and Syria, legal battles with the government, homes destroyed, being shot at, and years living as itinerant refugees.
The delegation first spoke at the International School of Amsterdam, meeting with several groups of high school students. From there they traveled to Rotterdam, where they presented their stories and participated in a full day MUN simulation at the Rotterdam International Secondary School. After visiting Dordrecht, the delegation traveled to the Hague, where they met with the Number Five foundation to learn about their work on social cohesion and bottom-up problem-solving approaches.
After returning to Amsterdam, the delegation met members of the Mo&Moos group, which facilitates a Jewish-Muslim young professionals network in the Netherlands. Mo&Moos hosted a dinner where members of both groups could meet each other. On their final day, the students visited the Anne Frank House, where they went on a guided tour and had a short discussion about the history of the Frank family. They then presented their stories a final time, for staff and guests of the Anne Frank House. After a very moving presentation and Q & A session, the delegation returned to Israel.
It is believed that this is the first project in which Jews and Palestinians told one another’s stories of diaspora. The project was supported by a grant from the Robert Bosch Stiftung, through Ashoka and Changemaker XChange, as a collaboration between the Netherlands-based WE organization, and Debate for Peace, a US Embassy supported member of the Interfaith Encounter Association.
Photo: Debate for Peace
