The Israeli Embassy in Portugal, headed by Ambassador Dor Shapira, together with the German Embassy in Portugal, held an official ceremony last week commemorating International Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day. Leading local dignitaries, including the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo De Sousa Portugal’s Ministers of Education and Foreign Affairs, respectively, members of the Portuguese Parliament and diplomats, were in attendance.
As part of the event, Israeli actress and singer Hani Nahmias and singer Eyal Haviv performed an original production in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is a tribute to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of victims of the Nazi regime, through songs and personal stories from the concentration camps.
This was the first time the Israeli and German Embassies in Lisbon collaborated to hold an event in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. The Lisbon Municipality and the Jewish community in Portugal also participated in organizing the event.
Dor Shapira, Israeli Ambassador to Portugal, said, “As a second-generation Holocaust survivor, for whom the terrible stories and horrors are a constant presence in our lives, I view Holocaust commemoration as a mission. We must remember the six million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. The cooperation of the German embassy and government institutions in Portugal is an important milestone in the international commemoration of the Holocaust. Remembering means ensuring a better future and making certain that these atrocities will not reoccur.”