Official Ceremony Marking the 66th Anniversary of the Allied Victory over Nazi Germany

11 May 2011

Veterans at the ceremony

Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev speaks during the ceremony

From Left: Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak; Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Avner Shalev; Chairman of the Organization of Partisans, Underground Fighters and Ghetto Rebels in Israel, Baruch Shub; Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Sofa Landver

From Left: Minister of Defense, Ehud Barak; Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Avner Shalev; Chairman of the Organization of Partisans, Underground Fighters and Ghetto Rebels in Israel, Baruch Shub; Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Sofa Landver, who spoke during the ceremony

Captain Vadim Kornblitt (Second from left), grandson of a veteran of the Red Army, during the ceremony

Representatives from Association of Survivors from Latvia and Estonia in Israel lay a wreath during the ceremony

Representatives of the Kazakhstani Embassy in Israel lay a wreath during the ceremony

Minister of Defense Ehud Barak greets a veteran

Lighting of the memorial torch

On Wednesday, May 11, 2011, Yad Vashem held the official ceremony marking the 66th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. The ceremony took place with the participation of Ehud Barak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver.

Hundreds of Jewish World War II veterans of the Allied armies, the majority from the former Soviet Union, attended the ceremony, along with Jewish partisans, wounded soldiers from the war against the Nazis, underground fighters, volunteers from the Yishuv who fought in the British forces and veterans of the Jewish Brigade, as well as Ambassadors and military attachés.

The event took place at the Memorial to the Jewish Soldiers and Partisans.

Ehud Barak, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense spoke during the ceremony, as well as Sofa Landver, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate and Captain Vadim Kornblitt, grandson of a veteran of the Red Army.

Wreaths were laid by representatives of the Government of Israel, the Knesset, IDF, ambassadors and military attaches of the Allied countries, as well as representatives of fighter and partisan organizations. IDF Chief Cantor Lt. Col. Shai Abramson and the Israeli Police Orchestra, conducted by Inspector Eitan Sobol, participated in the event. The event was moderated by Menachem Perry.