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Auschwitz Live Updates: In Israel, a Call to Prevent the ‘Terrible Tragedies of the Past’ Auschwitz Live Updates: In Israel, a Call to Prevent the ‘Terrible Tragedies of the Past’
(about 1 hour later)
President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Vice President Mike Pence and the Prince of Wales joined dozens of Western leaders in Jerusalem on Thursday morning at Yad Vashem, the hillside memorial to the Holocaust, for an extraordinary demonstration of resolve to fight anti-Semitism.President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Vice President Mike Pence and the Prince of Wales joined dozens of Western leaders in Jerusalem on Thursday morning at Yad Vashem, the hillside memorial to the Holocaust, for an extraordinary demonstration of resolve to fight anti-Semitism.
“We certainly all bear responsibility to make sure that the terrible tragedies of the past should never repeat themselves,” Mr. Putin said. “We have to make sure that future generations remember the horrors of the Holocaust.”“We certainly all bear responsibility to make sure that the terrible tragedies of the past should never repeat themselves,” Mr. Putin said. “We have to make sure that future generations remember the horrors of the Holocaust.”
“We have to be vigilant not to miss when the first sprouts of hatred, of chauvinism, of xenophobia and anti-Semitism start to rear their ugly head,” he added.“We have to be vigilant not to miss when the first sprouts of hatred, of chauvinism, of xenophobia and anti-Semitism start to rear their ugly head,” he added.
The afternoon ceremony recalled the Jan. 27, 1945, liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp in occupied Poland where 1.1 million people perished, by Red Army troops. But it drew pointed connections to the resurgence of anti-Semitism across much of Europe and North America.The afternoon ceremony recalled the Jan. 27, 1945, liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazi death camp in occupied Poland where 1.1 million people perished, by Red Army troops. But it drew pointed connections to the resurgence of anti-Semitism across much of Europe and North America.
Prince Charles called the Holocaust’s lessons “searingly relevant to this day.”
“Hatred and intolerance still lurk in the human heart, still tell new lies, still adopt new disguises and still seek new victims,” he said, adding that the language used too often “turns disagreement into dehumanization.”
“Real violence ensues, and acts of unspeakable cruelty are still perpetrated around the world against people for reasons of their religion, their race or their beliefs,” Charles said.
In a proud, if slightly bellicose address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “eternally grateful” to the Allied powers that defeated Hitler, but noted that during Hitler’s rise, “when the Jewish people faced annihilation, the world largely turned its back on us.”In a proud, if slightly bellicose address, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was “eternally grateful” to the Allied powers that defeated Hitler, but noted that during Hitler’s rise, “when the Jewish people faced annihilation, the world largely turned its back on us.”
He called Auschwitz “the ultimate symbol of Jewish powerlessness,” adding, “Today, we have a voice, we have a land, and we have a shield,” the Israeli armed forces.He called Auschwitz “the ultimate symbol of Jewish powerlessness,” adding, “Today, we have a voice, we have a land, and we have a shield,” the Israeli armed forces.
Mr. Netanyahu did not let the opportunity pass to urge world leaders to follow the example of President Trump in confronting Iran.Mr. Netanyahu did not let the opportunity pass to urge world leaders to follow the example of President Trump in confronting Iran.
“The tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world, they threaten the peace and security of everyone in the Middle East and everyone beyond,” he said.“The tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world, they threaten the peace and security of everyone in the Middle East and everyone beyond,” he said.
It is the biggest political gathering in Israel’s history, and the Holy City was teeming with police officers, with some schools canceling classes and the main highway from the airport closed as motorcades streamed through with arriving heads of state.It is the biggest political gathering in Israel’s history, and the Holy City was teeming with police officers, with some schools canceling classes and the main highway from the airport closed as motorcades streamed through with arriving heads of state.
For Mr. Netanyahu, the presence of so many global chieftains — and the opportunity to meet with them in bilateral talks — was an important boon at an opportune time. Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is battling for his political life, awaiting trial on serious corruption charges even as he campaigns for re-election in the third ballot in a year, set to take place on March 2. The previous two elections were inconclusive.For Mr. Netanyahu, the presence of so many global chieftains — and the opportunity to meet with them in bilateral talks — was an important boon at an opportune time. Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, is battling for his political life, awaiting trial on serious corruption charges even as he campaigns for re-election in the third ballot in a year, set to take place on March 2. The previous two elections were inconclusive.
His centrist opponent, Benny Gantz, a former army chief, was holding his own meetings, including a morning session with a bipartisan delegation from the United States Congress that included the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi.His centrist opponent, Benny Gantz, a former army chief, was holding his own meetings, including a morning session with a bipartisan delegation from the United States Congress that included the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi.
After months of hope and suspense in Israel, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia hinted soon after his arrival that the painful saga of a young Israeli woman imprisoned in Russia might be coming to an end, telling her mother, “Everything will be fine.”After months of hope and suspense in Israel, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia hinted soon after his arrival that the painful saga of a young Israeli woman imprisoned in Russia might be coming to an end, telling her mother, “Everything will be fine.”
The Israeli-American citizen, Naama Issachar, 26, was sentenced last year to a long prison term in Russia after the authorities found a few grams of marijuana in her luggage as she waited at a Moscow airport to board a connecting flight home.The Israeli-American citizen, Naama Issachar, 26, was sentenced last year to a long prison term in Russia after the authorities found a few grams of marijuana in her luggage as she waited at a Moscow airport to board a connecting flight home.
Ms. Issachar’s mother, Yaffa Issachar, joined Mr. Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for part of a breakfast meeting in Jerusalem. She had spent months in Russia dealing with lawyers and the authorities and leading an emotional public campaign for her daughter’s release, winning the hearts of many Israelis.Ms. Issachar’s mother, Yaffa Issachar, joined Mr. Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel for part of a breakfast meeting in Jerusalem. She had spent months in Russia dealing with lawyers and the authorities and leading an emotional public campaign for her daughter’s release, winning the hearts of many Israelis.
Ms. Issachar and the two leaders, along with Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, emerged from the meeting on Thursday smiling.Ms. Issachar and the two leaders, along with Sara Netanyahu, the prime minister’s wife, emerged from the meeting on Thursday smiling.
“I have just met with Naama’s mother,” Mr. Putin said, speaking in Russian. “It’s clear to me that Naama comes from a very good and decent family.”“I have just met with Naama’s mother,” Mr. Putin said, speaking in Russian. “It’s clear to me that Naama comes from a very good and decent family.”
“The mother is very worried, and I see this,” he added. “I told her, and I would like to repeat it, that everything will be fine.”“The mother is very worried, and I see this,” he added. “I told her, and I would like to repeat it, that everything will be fine.”
He said that Ms. Issachar would meet later Thursday with the person responsible for maintaining human rights in Russia.He said that Ms. Issachar would meet later Thursday with the person responsible for maintaining human rights in Russia.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived in Israel before dawn on Thursday and quickly stirred up dust, announcing that he would not attend the Yad Vashem commemoration.President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine arrived in Israel before dawn on Thursday and quickly stirred up dust, announcing that he would not attend the Yad Vashem commemoration.
He asked that his delegation’s few seats be given instead to Holocaust survivors, following the lead of several Israeli government ministers who had done so after learning that only a few dozen survivors would be among the nearly 800 guests at the ceremony.He asked that his delegation’s few seats be given instead to Holocaust survivors, following the lead of several Israeli government ministers who had done so after learning that only a few dozen survivors would be among the nearly 800 guests at the ceremony.
“These people deserve these honors most of all,” Mr. Zelensky, Ukraine’s first Jewish president, said on Twitter. He headed instead to the Western Wall for a private visit.“These people deserve these honors most of all,” Mr. Zelensky, Ukraine’s first Jewish president, said on Twitter. He headed instead to the Western Wall for a private visit.
But officials at Yad Vashem said that it was far too late to arrange to bring frail survivors to the ceremony, and called Mr. Zelensky’s decision regrettable.But officials at Yad Vashem said that it was far too late to arrange to bring frail survivors to the ceremony, and called Mr. Zelensky’s decision regrettable.
“It is a shame he decided to take such a step at an event under the banner of the memory of the Holocaust and fighting anti-Semitism,” the officials said in a statement.“It is a shame he decided to take such a step at an event under the banner of the memory of the Holocaust and fighting anti-Semitism,” the officials said in a statement.
The pomp and circumstance surrounding the Jerusalem gathering at a time when 45,000 survivors of the Holocaust live below the poverty line in Israel has drawn growing anger. Some protesters picketed outside Yad Vashem with signs calling it unseemly that such a somber event had been turned into a “celebration.”The pomp and circumstance surrounding the Jerusalem gathering at a time when 45,000 survivors of the Holocaust live below the poverty line in Israel has drawn growing anger. Some protesters picketed outside Yad Vashem with signs calling it unseemly that such a somber event had been turned into a “celebration.”
The roads around Jerusalem were heavily fortified Thursday afternoon with police and security forces. Adults and children lined the streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the many motorcades snaking through the city.The roads around Jerusalem were heavily fortified Thursday afternoon with police and security forces. Adults and children lined the streets, hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the many motorcades snaking through the city.
The surge in hotel reservations by visiting dignitaries had led to at least one unexpected lodging scenario: Vice President Mike Pence is staying in the same hotel as Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker who led the impeachment effort against President Trump.The surge in hotel reservations by visiting dignitaries had led to at least one unexpected lodging scenario: Vice President Mike Pence is staying in the same hotel as Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic House speaker who led the impeachment effort against President Trump.
Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, arrived in Israel on Air Force Two on Thursday morning. It was not his first official visit to commemorate the camp’s liberation: Last winter, he visited the concentration camp, alongside President Andrzej Duda of Poland.Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, arrived in Israel on Air Force Two on Thursday morning. It was not his first official visit to commemorate the camp’s liberation: Last winter, he visited the concentration camp, alongside President Andrzej Duda of Poland.
“We just felt waves of emotion,” Mr. Pence said about his time there.“We just felt waves of emotion,” Mr. Pence said about his time there.
Later Thursday, Mr. Pence was scheduled to visit the Western Wall and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the new, and hotly contested, location of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.Later Thursday, Mr. Pence was scheduled to visit the Western Wall and meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel at the new, and hotly contested, location of the United States Embassy in Jerusalem.
Not even an event as solemn as one centered on Holocaust remembrance could escape its share of high-level schmoozing.Not even an event as solemn as one centered on Holocaust remembrance could escape its share of high-level schmoozing.
At Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust, world leaders delayed the beginning of the program by engaging in a lengthy round of hellos, good-jobs and handshakes before they took their seats.At Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust, world leaders delayed the beginning of the program by engaging in a lengthy round of hellos, good-jobs and handshakes before they took their seats.
For his part, Mr. Netanyahu flitted from leader to leader, offering praise and smiles.For his part, Mr. Netanyahu flitted from leader to leader, offering praise and smiles.
“That was a great speech last night,” he told King Felipe VI of Spain before moving on. As he greeted other dignitaries with laughs and half-hugs, Mr. Netanyahu huddled with President Emmanuel Macron of France before the two turned away from a wall of cameras, apparently to speak privately.“That was a great speech last night,” he told King Felipe VI of Spain before moving on. As he greeted other dignitaries with laughs and half-hugs, Mr. Netanyahu huddled with President Emmanuel Macron of France before the two turned away from a wall of cameras, apparently to speak privately.
Vice President Mike Pence was less discreet about their interaction as he appeared to broach political matters back home.Vice President Mike Pence was less discreet about their interaction as he appeared to broach political matters back home.
“We’re contending,” Mr. Pence told Mr. Netanyahu. “He’s unstoppable. Like somebody else I know,” the vice president added, an unmistakable nod to the impeachment battle that President Trump was waging at home.“We’re contending,” Mr. Pence told Mr. Netanyahu. “He’s unstoppable. Like somebody else I know,” the vice president added, an unmistakable nod to the impeachment battle that President Trump was waging at home.
Just before the program started, Prince Charles entered, bypassing the Pences completely before greeting other leaders and taking his seat.Just before the program started, Prince Charles entered, bypassing the Pences completely before greeting other leaders and taking his seat.
Later, Mr. Pence spoke of his trip to the concentration camp, remarking on the scale of human suffering.Later, Mr. Pence spoke of his trip to the concentration camp, remarking on the scale of human suffering.
“One cannot walk the grounds of Auschwitz without being moved beyond words,” he said. “One cannot see the piles of shoes, the lone boxcar on the rail, the gate to the camp, and the grainy photographs of men, women, and children being sent to their deaths without asking: ‘How could they?’”“One cannot walk the grounds of Auschwitz without being moved beyond words,” he said. “One cannot see the piles of shoes, the lone boxcar on the rail, the gate to the camp, and the grainy photographs of men, women, and children being sent to their deaths without asking: ‘How could they?’”
As he called for a global effort to combat the “rising tide of vile anti-Semitism fueling hate” around the world, Mr. Pence also tucked in a pointed reference to the United States’ recent conflicts with Iran, which he called “the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy.”As he called for a global effort to combat the “rising tide of vile anti-Semitism fueling hate” around the world, Mr. Pence also tucked in a pointed reference to the United States’ recent conflicts with Iran, which he called “the one government in the world that denies the Holocaust as a matter of state policy.”
When Piotr Cywinski took over as the director of Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland more than a decade ago, every day he would meet a survivor. Their stories were invariably wrenching, often surprising and always stirring.When Piotr Cywinski took over as the director of Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland more than a decade ago, every day he would meet a survivor. Their stories were invariably wrenching, often surprising and always stirring.
But as the years have passed, he said, those encounters have grown scarce.But as the years have passed, he said, those encounters have grown scarce.
“We barely meet with survivors now in our daily educational work,” he said.“We barely meet with survivors now in our daily educational work,” he said.
So the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp seemed like a chance — perhaps the last one — to bring together as many as they could to mark the occasion.So the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp seemed like a chance — perhaps the last one — to bring together as many as they could to mark the occasion.
On Monday, when the liberation will be observed by a solemn ceremony, some 200 survivors will make their way back to the camp.On Monday, when the liberation will be observed by a solemn ceremony, some 200 survivors will make their way back to the camp.
While the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, will speak — given that the German death camp was in occupied Poland — Mr. Cywinski said, they had sought to keep the event as free from politics as possible.While the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, will speak — given that the German death camp was in occupied Poland — Mr. Cywinski said, they had sought to keep the event as free from politics as possible.
Mr. Duda had been invited to the Jerusalem gathering but declined to attend over what he saw as a snub: He was not given a slot to speak, though the Russian president was.
“This place is too sacred to allow it to be used in an opportunistic way,” Mr. Cywinski said. “And politics, by its nature, is opportunistic.”“This place is too sacred to allow it to be used in an opportunistic way,” Mr. Cywinski said. “And politics, by its nature, is opportunistic.”
Instead, the focus will be on survivors and their stories. The philanthropist Ronald S. Lauder, who is also to speak at the event, said that was as it should be.Instead, the focus will be on survivors and their stories. The philanthropist Ronald S. Lauder, who is also to speak at the event, said that was as it should be.
“Almost half the survivors have died in the last five years,” Mr. Lauder noted in an interview. He has been involved in conservation efforts at Auschwitz for more than three decades.“Almost half the survivors have died in the last five years,” Mr. Lauder noted in an interview. He has been involved in conservation efforts at Auschwitz for more than three decades.
A prominent Muslim cleric from Saudi Arabia was to visit Auschwitz on Thursday as part of a joint delegation between the Mecca-based Muslim World League and the American Jewish Committee.A prominent Muslim cleric from Saudi Arabia was to visit Auschwitz on Thursday as part of a joint delegation between the Mecca-based Muslim World League and the American Jewish Committee.
The cleric, Mohammad al-Issa, served as the Saudi justice minister before being named to lead the league by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler. He has since become the most public face of Prince Mohammed’s efforts to rebrand Saudi Arabia as an Islamic society open to other religions through his meetings with Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders around the world.The cleric, Mohammad al-Issa, served as the Saudi justice minister before being named to lead the league by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler. He has since become the most public face of Prince Mohammed’s efforts to rebrand Saudi Arabia as an Islamic society open to other religions through his meetings with Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders around the world.
In a statement, the American Jewish Committee hailed Dr. al-Issa’s visit at the head of a delegation including Muslims from 28 countries as “the most senior Islamic leadership delegation to ever visit Auschwitz or any Nazi German death camp.”In a statement, the American Jewish Committee hailed Dr. al-Issa’s visit at the head of a delegation including Muslims from 28 countries as “the most senior Islamic leadership delegation to ever visit Auschwitz or any Nazi German death camp.”
“I believe that by paying my respects to the victims of Auschwitz, I will encourage Muslims and non-Muslims to embrace mutual respect, understanding and diversity,” Dr. al-Issa was quoted as saying by the committee statement during the signing last April of an agreement between it and his organization.“I believe that by paying my respects to the victims of Auschwitz, I will encourage Muslims and non-Muslims to embrace mutual respect, understanding and diversity,” Dr. al-Issa was quoted as saying by the committee statement during the signing last April of an agreement between it and his organization.
After visiting Auschwitz on Thursday, the joint delegation will see a Jewish history museum and a synagogue in Warsaw on Friday before an interfaith dinner to observe the start of the Jewish Sabbath.After visiting Auschwitz on Thursday, the joint delegation will see a Jewish history museum and a synagogue in Warsaw on Friday before an interfaith dinner to observe the start of the Jewish Sabbath.
“By educating people on the horrors of history, we can plant the seeds for a future where Jews, Muslims and all other groups can live free of fear,” Davis Harris, chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, said in the statement.“By educating people on the horrors of history, we can plant the seeds for a future where Jews, Muslims and all other groups can live free of fear,” Davis Harris, chief executive of the American Jewish Committee, said in the statement.
Ben Hubbard and Marc Santora contributed reporting. President Andrzej Duda of Poland stayed away from the Jerusalem event after he was refused a speaking slot at the ceremony at Yad Vashem, though President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia was given one as the leader of one of the Allied powers that liberated Europe and the world from Nazi tyranny.
The backdrop to the dispute: A monthslong bitter conflict between Poland and Russia over apportioning blame for the outbreak of World War II and the Holocaust.
Still, Mr. Duda got to have at least part of his say in an entry printed in a commemorative album of statements from world leaders invited to the World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem.
“On this day,” he wrote, “we commemorate the victims of the greatest crime in the history of humanity, committed by the Nazi Third Reich against Jews, citizens of Poland and other countries of occupied Europe.”
Despite the efforts of Israel and Yad Vashem to stay out of the Russian-Polish dispute, echoes of it were evident in the leaders’ written statements.
Mr. Putin has sought to portray Russia as having saved the world from Nazism and Poland as a perpetrator rather than a victim, claiming the Polish ambassador to Berlin had lauded Hitler’s effort to rid Europe of Jews.
Mr. Duda argues that the Soviet Union’s 1939 pact with Germany paved the way to war.
“It began on Sept. 1, 1939, with the assault of Nazi Germany on independent Poland, which was preceded by the conclusion of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact,” Mr. Duda wrote in the album. “The Polish state was destroyed, my people were deprived of their freedom and sovereignty. Both these dates come as a shocking memento for us, the contemporaries.”
Mr. Duda concluded: “We will always uphold the truth about the tragedy that struck our country and its people those days. Hail to all Holocaust victims, may their memory live forever!”
Mr. Putin, in his entry, paid tribute “to the courage of the heroic Soviet soldiers and officers, our allies and Resistance fighters who risked their lives to save the world from the ‘brown plague’. Unfortunately, nowadays, several states openly promote hateful ideas of racism and anti-Semitism and hold neo-Nazi rallies.”
Alluding to the present-day battle over narratives, he continued, “Attempts are made to distort the truth about the Second World War and rehabilitate the aggressors and their accomplices. Monuments to the warriors-liberators are desecrated and destroyed.”
Yad Vashem’s chairman, Avner Shalev, said in an interview this week that the Jerusalem forum was “not a stage for fights,” and that debates over the events of World War II should be “between scholars and not between political leaders.”
The Palestinians were not invited to the Holocaust commemoration, but they were not merely watching from the sidelines. Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, arranged several bilateral meetings with world leaders and prominent figures who have come to Jerusalem.
Mr. Abbas met with President Emmanuel Macron of France in Ramallah, on the West Bank, last Wednesday, is expected to talk on Thursday with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Bethlehem.
Prince Charles is also scheduled to meet with the Palestinian leader at Mr. Abbas’s palace in Bethlehem on Friday, after visiting the Church of Nativity in Manger Square.
Still, those meetings paled next to what some critics of Mr. Abbas said was the embarrassment of so many leaders visiting Israel.
Amer Hamdan, 38, a lawyer and activist in Nablus, said the spectacle amounted to “an implicit recognition that Jerusalem is the de facto capital of Israel” and “a catastrophic failure of Palestinian diplomacy.”
From Gaza, Hamas issued a statement calling on world leaders to “remember that millions of Palestinians” were living in “Israeli apartheid ghettos,” just hundreds of yards from where the Holocaust-related events were taking place.
Ben Hubbard, Marc Santora and Mohammed Najib contributed reporting.