President Isaac Herzog said Thursday during the closing Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony that the Israeli society must learn how to work together in the wake of its past.
The annual ceremony at the Ghetto Fighters' House was the last in a host of events honoring the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. The ceremony has been taking place each year since 1949, with the exception of two years of COVID-19 pandemic.
Herzog said although "there is great value" to the diversity of opinions, we must not forfeit common ground, contours and boundaries we talk about the lessons of the Holocaust.
"Number one: the State of Israel, as diverse as it is, with such an immense diversity of communities and faiths, is the national home of the Jewish People. We shall therefore forever preserve our ability to defend ourselves by ourselves," the president said.
"Number two: the Jewish People and Israeli society must sanctify the value of mutual responsibility and refuse to forgo it, even in times of discord and arguments. The lessons of the past and the challenges of the moment compel us to know how to work together," he added.
"Number three: love of man, because “beloved is man, for he was created in the image of God” (Pirkei Avot 3:14)."
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During the ceremony, six torches were lit by Holocaust survivors
(Photo: Nahum Segal)
The ceremony this year is being held with the theme of “Our Legacy to Future Generations,” preserving the legacy of Holocaust survivors past and present.
During the ceremony, six torches were lit by Holocaust survivors, and six wreaths were laid by the children of Kibbutz Lohamei HaGeta’ot in memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.
Israel was founded in 1948 as a sanctuary for Jews in the wake of the Holocaust. About 165,000 survivors live in Israel, a dwindling population that is widely honored but struggling with poverty.
Associated Press contributed to this report