New Zealand on Monday marked Holocaust Remembrance Day with an inspiring ceremony attended by members of the country’s Jewish community and high-profile officials.
The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand - the nation's leading organization in Holocaust education and remembrance - hosted the ceremony, attended by hundreds of people, including emissaries from World Bnei Akiva (the biggest Zionist youth movement in the world).
Memorial prayer held in Maori language at New Zealand Holocaust Remembrance event
(Video: The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand)
“We must hear the stories of survivors of the Auschwitz extermination camp,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern who spoke at the event. “We must have their story heard".
Holocaust survivor Bob Narev, who has been made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services in preserving the history of the genocide, also attended the ceremony.
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Bob Narev attends New Zealand's Holocaust Remembrance Day
(Photo: The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand)
He expressed his gratitude to hundreds of Jews and non-Jews who attended the ceremony and shared the collective memory of the Holocaust.
He was especially thankful for a memorial prayer that was held in Maori language, spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand.
"It is exciting to see the mobilization of New Zealanders for Holocaust survivors who live among us and for the commemoration of Holocaust memory," said Elisheva and Noam Vogel from World Bnei Akiva.