|
|
The State of Israel was established in the wake of the tragedy of the Holocaust, and made a commitment never to forget the crimes perpetrated against the Jewish people by the Nazis and their collaborators. Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, was established by a special law that was passed in the Knesset in 1953. The law stipulates Yad Vashem's duties as commemorating the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust, preserving the rich heritage of the thousands of Jewish communities that were destroyed, paying tribute to the heroic stand of the fighters and the ghetto inmates, and honoring the Righteous Among the Nations who risked their lives to save Jews. Therefore, Yad Vashem undertook to collect all Holocaust-related documentary and visual material, to gather the names of Holocaust victims and memorialize them, to teach about the Holocaust, and to encourage research and publications. In tribute to its many achievements, Yad Vashem was awarded this year's prestigious Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement - A Unique Contribution to Society and to the State.
Situated on Har Hazikaron (the Mount of Remembrance), west of Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem covers 45 acres, and includes a Historical Museum, an Art Museum with a collection of art from the Holocaust period and works inspired by the events of the Holocaust, the Hall of Names, where the names of millions of Holocaust victims are gathered and preserved, the world's most comprehensive Holocaust archive and library, and the International School for Holocaust Studies, where every year, tens of thousands of IDF soldiers, pupils and educators from Israel and abroad participate in educational programs. There are also many unique monuments and memorials - the Hall of Remembrance, the Children's Memorial, the Valley of the Communities, the Avenue and Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, and the Memorial to the Deportees.
Each year on 27 Nissan, Yad Vashem holds the State opening ceremony of Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, public figures, the Diplomatic Corps, Holocaust survivors, soldiers and young people. The next day, there are several official ceremonies, including the wreath-laying in the presence of the President and the Prime Minister, the main memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance, the public recitation of the names of Holocaust victims: "Unto Every Person There Is A Name", and the ceremony for youth movements. In addition, the International School for Holocaust Studies holds a wide range of educational activities with the participation of school children, students and Holocaust survivors.
In 2004, the new Museum Complex will open in Yad Vashem - a modern, up-to-date complex comprising the Holocaust History Museum, the Holocaust Art Museum, the new Hall of Names, an Exhibition Pavilion, a Visual Center, a Learning Center and a synagogue.
Yad Vashem
The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority
