|
On October 26, 2007,
in an emotional ceremony in Oviedo, Spain, Yad Vashem was awarded the
Prince of Asturias Award for Concord. Avner Shalev, Yad Vashem
Chairman, addressed the gathering in Hebrew before the Spanish royal
family and a large crowd of dignitaries, including fellow awardees in
other categories: Nobel Prize laureate Al Gore and Israeli author Amos
Oz. In an extraordinarily powerful moment, the Yad Vashem Chairman,
together with a delegation of survivors and Righteous Among the
Nations stood hand-in-hand to the thunderous applause of a standing
ovation in the Campoamor
Theater. At Yad
Vashem’s request, the entire audience remained standing in a full
minute of silence in memory of the six million Jews murdered in the
Holocaust.
Click here for additional information. |
|
On October 25, 2007, Yad Vashem
Chairman Avner Shalev was honored in Paris with the
Légion d’Honneur for his "extraordinary work
on behalf of Holocaust remembrance worldwide." French President
Nicolas Sarkozy personally presented Shalev with the award in a
special ceremony at the Elysee Palace. In a moving and eloquent
speech Sarkozy remarked, "The Legion of Honor I present today is for
you and for Yad Vashem, whose international reputation and importance
is a result of your determined activity, one that is suffused with
passion and inspiration." Upon being presented with the medal of the
Legion of Honor,
Shalev declared, "I accept this
decoration with both humility and pride. It strengthens me and all the
dedicated staff at Yad Vashem in our efforts to meaningfully impart
the universal legacy of the Holocaust, especially to younger
generations."
For more information, click here. |
 |
A powerful exhibit by American
Photographer Norman Gershman, BESA: A Code of Honor - Muslim
Albanians Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust, recently opened
in the foyer of the Yad Vashem Auditorium. Besa, literally “to keep
the promise” is the highest ethical standard in Albania, where providing assistance to others in need is a matter of course, where
protecting your “guests” is imperative. Albania, a country with a
Muslim majority, began the war with about 200 Jews, and ended the war
with hundreds more, including both locals and refugees who made their
way to Albania and were hidden, cared for and protected, by Albanian
families. Sixty-three Albanians have been recognized by Yad Vashem as
Righteous Among the Nations. The piercing photographs by Gershman
touch the viewer in a personal and intense manner speaking clearly of
the sincere and honest approach to life of the Righteous and their
families. The exhibit will be on display in Yad Vashem through
December 31. It will then travel to United Nations Headquarters in New
York to be shown on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January
27, 2008.
Click here to learn more. |
