Silicon Valley Executives Host Holocaust Remembrance Events

"Silicon Valley also has a responsibility to harness the power of technology and the community to promote values of morality and justice,” said ICON CEO Yasmin Lukatz.

Yasmin Lukatz (photo credit: ICON)
Yasmin Lukatz
(photo credit: ICON)
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Silicon Valley executives held Holocaust remembrance events on Monday as part of the Zikaron BaSalon (“Memories in the Living Room” in Hebrew) project. YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, WhatsApp founder Jan Koum, Houzz founder Adi Tatarko and ICON’s founder and CEO Yasmin Lukatz, hosted friends, colleagues, youth, and other members of the community in their homes for intimate discussions with Holocaust survivors.
At each event, attendees listened to a Holocaust survivor’s story, followed by an artistic performance and a discussion among attendees. The new initiative was brought to Silicon Valley by Yasmin Lukatz, ICON’s founder and CEO, in partnership with the Israeli-American Council (IAC), in order to leverage the influence of America’s leading technology hub to promote tolerance through Holocaust remembrance.
Translated from Hebrew as “Memories in the Living Room,” Zikaron BaSalon is a community project that shares first-hand stories of the Holocaust from a survivor in the living room of a home, providing a powerful discussion in an intimate setting. 
“While creating and exporting innovation worldwide, Silicon Valley also has a responsibility to harness the power of technology and the community to promote values of morality and justice,” said Lukatz, who founded the ICON non-profit in order to create a community to harness and support Israeli technology and innovation in Silicon Valley. “While the number of Holocaust survivors diminishes each year, and we see an alarming increase in antisemitism around the world, I'm proud of our many partners, founders and top executives who have chosen to join us and raise awareness.”