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Israeli MPs to visit Auschwitz on International Holocaust Memorial Day

PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge 27.01.2014 09:10
60 members of the Knesset will attend a ceremony on Monday at the former Nazi-German death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau to mark International Holocaust Memorial Day.

Birkenau Walk of Death
'Birkenau Walk of Death': photo - wikicommons/folklore777

“Seven decades after millions of members of our nation were cruelly murdered by the Nazis, it is my privilege and responsibility to lead the largest delegation of the Knesset, the parliament of the independent Jewish state, to the valley of death of Auschwitz-Birkenau,” declared coalition chairman Yariv Levin on Sunday.

Levin is leading the delegation after Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein was compelled to cancel his participation owing to the death of his wife.

The Israelis will be joined by MPs from across Europe, as well as Poland's official delegation, with as many as 1000 dignitaries taking part. The US's delegation is being headed by House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

The event was initiated by Jonny Daniels, founder of From the Depths, an educational institute dedicated to promoting knowledge of the Holocaust.

“This event is bigger than all of us,” he told the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

“It's not Israeli, it's not Polish – it's international,” he said.

On Monday evening, delegates will take part in a talk in Krakow entitled “Reflections on Auschwitz: Remembering the past, looking to the future.”

Deputy Speaker of Poland's lower house of parliament Cezary Grabarczyk will open the meeting.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by Soviet troops on 27 January 1944.

About 6 million Jews from across Europe died in the Holocaust.

Over 1 million inmates died at Auschwitz, and about 90 percent of the victims were Jewish. Other victims included ethnic Poles, as well as members of Europe's Roma community and Soviet prisoners of war.

Security

As many as 800 Polish policemen will take part in security operations on Monday and Tuesday, including members of Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW).

Another 100 policemen will be on standby in the Silesian city of Katowice.

Members of the Knesset will be protected by Shin Bet, the Israel Security Agency.

“The issue of security is an absolute priority for Israel,” commented Jerzy Dziewulski, an Israeli-trained security expert, as quoted by the Dziennik Polski newspaper.

“When planning a visit abroad, they set the conditions.”

However, in spite of the large security presence, police say that the event should not cause any significant disruption in Krakow, or in the surrounding Malopolska region.

“We have experience in handling similar events, because Krakow and Malopolska often host important figures,” commented Deputy Inspector Mariusz Ciarka, spokesman for the Malopolska Police. (nh)

Source: PAP/Jerusalem Post

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