24 April 2003
The central theme for this year’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day is:
Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust - Sixty Years Since the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The Official Opening Ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day will take place on Monday, 28 April 2003, at 20:00, at the Warsaw Ghetto Square, Yad Vashem, Har Hazikaron, Jerusalem.
The President of the State of Israel, Moshe Katsav, and the Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon will participate in the ceremony. Avner Shalev, Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, will kindle the Memorial Torch, and Prof. Israel Gutman will speak on behalf of the survivors.
The six torchlighters are Holocaust survivors living in Israel who participated in Jewish resistance movements during the Holocaust. First torch: Hela Schüpper-Rufeisen; second torch: Ephraim Agmon; third torch: Denise Siekierski; forth torch: Edith Drori; fifth torch: Reuven Dafni; sixth torch: David (Yorek) Plonski
The official memorial service will take place during the ceremony. The Rishon Lezion Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Amar, will recite Psalms. The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yonah Metzger, will recite Kaddish. El Maleh Rahamim will be recited by Cantor Asher Hainowitz.
Also taking part in the ceremony will be singer Boaz Davidoff, the IDF Educational and Youth Corps’ Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Menachem Nebenhaus, and the Ankor choir, conducted by Dafna Ben-Yonatan. Master of Ceremonies will be Gilad Adin. Texts will be read by Dalia Shimko and Itzik Weingarten.
The ceremony will be broadcast live on Channels 1, 2, and 10; on cable channels 23 and 33; and simultaneously by radio on Kol Israel and Galei Tzahal.
Following the ceremony there will be a symposium in the auditorium at Yad Vashem entitled “Hero and Anti-Hero: What Constituted Jewish Heroism During the Holocaust?” Panel participants will be Prof. Chana Yablonka, Brig. (Res.) Shlomo Yanai, Dr. Mor Altshuler, and journalist Dov Elboim. The symposium is open to the public.
Events on Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day, Tuesday, 29 April 2003
10:00 Siren
10:02 Wreath-laying ceremony, with the participation of Israel’s President,
Prime Minister, Speaker of the Knesset, President of the Supreme Court,
Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Chief of General Staff, Chief of
Police, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mayor of Jerusalem, public figures,
Representatives of survivor organizations, school children, and delegations
From throughout the country
8:30 - 15:00 Meetings with survivors, multimedia activities, guided tours and
creative workshops and more for over a thousand students
- International School for Holocaust Studies
10:30- 12:30 “Unto Every Person There is a Name” - recitation of names of Holocaust victims by members of the public in the Hall of Remembrance and the Knesset, under the auspices of the Speaker of the Knesset, MK Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin. From 9:00 until sunset, recitation of names at Beit Wolyn, a branch of the International School for Holocaust Studies (10 Corazin Street, Givatayim)
11:00 - 15:30 Screening of Movies - Auditorium
13:00 Main Memorial Ceremony - Hall of Remembrance
15:30 Memorial Ceremony for Hungarian Jews who perished in the
Holocaust
- Memorial to the Jewish Soldiers and Hall of Remembrance
16:00 Memorial Ceremony for former members of the Jewish
Resistance in France - Auditorium
17:30 Ceremony for youth movements in the presence of hundreds of youth - in conjunction with the Israel Information Center, the Youth and Social Administration and the Youth Movement Council of the Ministry of Education. The program includes singer Uri Banai and The Youth Movement Choir conducted by Gilad Lerer. Student Tzlil Zinger will perform a piece on a violin that survived the Holocaust that belonged to a youth partisan. Presenters are Liat Achiron and Guy Arieli. The ceremony will be aired live on Israel Channel One - Valley of the Communities
MEDIA ARRANGEMENTS
Entrance to the Opening Ceremony on Monday, 28 April 2003 for Journalists
Please note: Due to security restrictions, a special minibus for journalists will depart from Mt. Herzl at 18:15 ONLY - there will be no further departures for journalists. Journalists arriving after 18:15 will only be able to reach the ceremony by way of buses available to the public. Private vehicles will not be allowed to enter Yad Vashem.
ENTRANCE WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED WITH A VALID GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD
(GPO cards will be checked upon boarding the minibus, in the Mt. Hertzl parking lot)
No firearms permitted!
It is recommended to dress warmly.
Entrance to the Wreath-Laying Ceremony for Journalists, in the Presence of the Prime Minister, Tuesday 29 April 2003 at 10:00 a.m.
Journalists will be permitted to enter the site by buses available to the public at the Mt. Herzl parking lot from 07:30.
Private vehicles will not be admitted to Yad Vashem.
ENTRANCE WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED WITH A VALID GOVERNMENT PRESS OFFICE CARD.
There will be no entry to the ceremony after 9:30 a.m.
From 10:30 entry will be permitted to all events at Yad Vashem - by way of transportation from Mt. Herzl, throughout the day until 20:00.
