It will be “the biggest political event ever in the history of the state,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Chait.
By United with Israel Staff
Over 40 world leaders have confirmed that they will be attending the Fifth World Holocaust Forum to take place at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Remembrance Center in Jerusalem on January 23, according to the center.
“As the world prepares to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the message will be clear that anti-Semitism has no place in our global society,” says Yad Vashem in a statement about the upcoming summit.
The Israeli representation will be headed by President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Foreign leaders in attendance will include German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s Prince Charles, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the presidents of Austria and Italy, the monarchs of Spain, Holland and Iceland, and many other heads of state. The American delegation will seemingly be headed by Vice President Mike Pence, although this has yet to be confirmed.
The event, titled “Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Anti-Semitism,” has been organized by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation in cooperation with Yad Vashem.
It will be “the biggest political event ever in the history of the state,” said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Chait.
In addition to the “select” world leaders who will speak, Holocaust survivor and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Israel Meir Lau will address the gathering. He currently serves as Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv and is a former chief rabbi of the State of Israel.
Heads of delegations are to commemorate victims of the Holocaust by laying wreaths at the base of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Monument in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem.
A worldwide audience will be able to watch the proceedings as they will be broadcast live via satellite and on Yad Vashem’s website and Facebook page. The broadcast will be translated simultaneously to six languages: English, Hebrew, French, German, Russian, and Spanish.
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