Peres: apathy cost millions of lives

Holocaust ceremony to be centered on survivors, who memorialize victims.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
holocaust painting 311 (photo credit: AP)
holocaust painting 311
(photo credit: AP)
PresidentShimon Peres addressed the Irianian threat in his speech at theHolocaust Memorial Day ceremony at Yad Vashem on Sunday, stressing thatthe world can not display the apathy that cost so many their lives inthe past.
"It is our right and duty to demand of the world'snations to not repeat their indifference, which has cost millions ofhuman lives, including theirs. The United Nations must be attentive toannihilation threats coming from one of its members, against anothermember state," said Peres.
The central Holocaust RemembranceDay ceremony at Yad Vashem began Sunday evening at 8 p.m. and wasbroadcasted live on Israeli television. The central theme for thisyear’s Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day will be the Voiceof the Survivors – those who, according to a museum press release,“honor the victims and strive to safeguard their memory.”
PresidentShimon Peres and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are slated to speakat the ceremony. Chief Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, himself a Holocaustsurvivor, will light the Memorial Torch. Hana Weiss will represent thesurvivors.
During the ceremony, Holocaust survivors will light six torches. Firsttorch: Eliezer Ayalon; second torch: Leo Luster; third torch: SaraIsraeli; fourth torch: Hannah Gofrit, fifth torch: Baruch Shub; sixthtorch: Jakob Zim.  During the ceremony, short videos of thetorchlighters’ testimonies - produced and directed by Shlomo Hazan -will be shown. 
Participants in the ceremony include musician Gali Atari and the AnkorChoir under the direction of Dafna Ben Yohanan, as well as the IDFParatroopers’ Honor Guard. Lior Ashkenazi will recite a piece.
   
The ceremony will be broadcast live on television on Channels 1, 2, 10and 33, and channel 9 in Russian, and by radio on Kol Israel and GaleiZahal.  It will last about one hour and a quarter.