The embassies of Israel and Germany together with the Office of the United Nations Resident Coordinator will commemorate the victims of the Holocaust virtually on 27 January2021.
As guest of honor Hon. Johnston Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Republic of Rwanda will represent the Government of Rwanda at the virtual ceremony. Freddy Mutanguha, Executive Director of Aegis Trust, will lead us through the event.
After an initial prayer by Rabbi Haim Bar Sella, H. E. Dr. Ron Adam, Ambassador of the State of Israel to Rwanda, and H. E. Dr. Thomas Kurz, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany, will give their opening remarks.
The invited keynote speakers are His Eminence Dr. Antoine Cardinal Kambanda and Prof. Dr. Dina Porat, Chief Historian of Yad Vashem. Further elements of the ceremony include a video screening of Elie Wiesel, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Peace, who was 15 when the Nazis deported him, along with his family, from their home in Transylvania to Auschwitz, and remarks by the UN Resident Coordinator for Rwanda Dr. Fodé Ndiaye.
The commemoration ceremony may be observed via the following link https://youtu.be/e4p1aSRUHIE via YOUTUBE on 27 January2021 from 3:00pm to 4:15pm.Info on keynote speakers
His Eminence Dr. Antoine Cardinal Kambanda has been Archbishop of Kigali since January 2019. He had been Bishop of Kibungo from 2013 to 2018. Pope Francis raised him to the rank of cardinal on 28 November 2020, making him the first cardinal from Rwanda.
Prof. Dr. Dina Poratis Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish History at the Department of Jewish History, Head of the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry, and holds the Alfred P. Slaner Chair for the Study of Contemporary Anti-Semitism and Racism at Tel Aviv University. Since 2011 she has served as Chief Historian of Yad Vashem.(End)