The Embassy of Israel jointly with the Kathmandu University has marked the Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Day. A memorial ceremony was organized on Thursday amidst the presence of the professors, teachers and students of Kathmandu University in Dhulikhel to remember the six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust between 1939 -1945.
Israel marks the Holocaust Remembrance Day one week prior to its Independence Day, which is on May 9 this year.
Speaking during the memorial, Vice Chancellor of Kathmandu University Prof. Dr. Ram K. Shrestha said, "We are here to share norms and abnorms, things we can do and not, with the future generations. The Holocaust, where millions of people were murdered including 6 million Jews in Europe, should not repeat."
Benny Omer, Ambassador of Israel, remarked that, "During World War II (1941-1945) around two-thirds of the Jewish populations of Europe were systematically murdered by Nazi Germany aided by local collaborators.
One of the worst events occurring in the history of mankind, this event was conducted in ghettos or concentration camps where large number of Jews were brought in, forced to work in terrible conditions and murdered in Gas chambers.
This is the first time the Holocaust memorial ceremony was organized outside Kathmandu. This event has been an important milestone in spreading the message of tolerance and fighting against racism and educating the future generation not to repeat such brutality in any form.
The memorial ceremony was followed by a display of an exhibition entitled "Beyond the Duty", which portrays role of diplomats during World War II who acted against their own government instructions to save lives of thousands of Jews, risking their own lives.
The exhibition remains open to public from 2-15 May 2019 during office hours at the Gallery of Kathmandu University premises, Dhulikhel.
