4 April Ceremony honoring Righteous Among the Nations (the late) Piotr Komarnicki and Jan and Apolonia Omarnicki from Poland; (the late) Zofia Swierczynska from Poland; (the late) Jozef and Anna Karasek from the Czech Republic; and (the late) Punczuk Francizek from Yugoslavia. Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Prof. Szewach Weiss awarded the certificates and medals to family members of the rescuers. Attending the ceremony were a representative from the Polish Embassy, the Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro in Israel, the Czech Consul, and some 150 people from Israel and overseas.

11 April Ceremony honoring Righteous Among the Nations (the late) Major Karl Plagge from Germany, who rescued Jews as an officer serving in the German Wehrmacht, and employed primarily Jewish labor in his military vehicle repair shop. The certificate and medal were awarded by the Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev to the President of the University of Darmstadt, the town where Plagge was born, since he has no surviving relatives. The ceremony was attended by the German Ambassador to Israel, and some 150 people, including Holocaust survivors from Vilna who were rescued by Plagge.

13 April Event at Yad Vashem honoring Righteous Among the Nations and their families living in Israel, organized by Bank Leumi. The event was held in the presence of Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski and attended by some 50 Righteous Among the Nations and their spouses.

4 May Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day opening ceremony in Warsaw Ghetto Square, in the presence of Israel’s President and Prime Minister, Knesset Speaker, Chief Rabbis, Ministers, State Comptroller, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Members of the Diplomatic Corpts, Holocaust survivors from Israel and abroad, and Righteous Among the Nations.

5 May Wreath-laying ceremony for Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day in Warsaw Ghetto Square, attended by the President of Israel, Speaker of the Knesset, President of the Supreme Court, Chairman of the Jewish Agency, IDF Chief of Staff, Chief of Police, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mayor of Jerusalem, public officials, members of survivors’ and veterans’ organizations, pupils and delegations from all over the country. Other Remembrance Day events and ceremonies at Yad Vashem included: “Unto Every Person There is a Name” – the recitation of names of Holocaust victims in the Hall of Remembrance; a concert with the Israeli Opera entitled, “Letter to Warsaw”; a memorial ceremony for Veterans of the French Jewish Underground; and a ceremony for youth movements in the Valley of the Communities, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education’s Information Center, Youth and Social Administration, and Youth Movement Council.

9 May VE Day Ceremony marking the Allied victory over Nazi Germany held at the Monument to the Jewish Soldiers and Partisans, in the presence of Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz MK, Minister of Immigrant Absorption and Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni MK, and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev, along with 1,400 participants, including IDF representatives, some 1,000 WWII veterans (mostly immigrants from the FSU), representatives of the Demobilized Soldiers’ Union, representatives of the Allies, ambassadors and military attaches from Allied nations, 150 soldiers, 400 pupils, and 350 participants from the “Generation to Generation” Gathering of Holocaust survivors and their families.

9 May State Event marking the Allied Victory over Nazi Germany held at the Armored Corps Memorial Complex at Latrun, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, IDF Chief of Staff, Natan Sharansky, and representatives of the Jewish Fighters. Among the approximately 8,200 attendees were veterans, Holocaust survivors, partisans, soldiers, participants from the March of the Living, and youth. Participating artists included Shlomit Aharon and Yevgeny Shapovalov, Boris Yuropov and Ludmilla Edelman, IDF bands, the Israel Police Band conducted by Commander Menashe Lev Ran, and the Youth Movement Choir under the musical direction of Gilad Lerer.

30 May Scholarship Award Ceremony of the International Institute for Holocaust Research in the presence of Yad Vashem’s chief historian Prof. Dan Michman, representatives from the foundations donating the scholarships, scholarship recipients and their families.

1 June Ceremony honoring Righteous Among the Nations (the late) Zofia Wroblewska-Wiewiorowska from Poland, and (the late) Albertus and Margaretha Haverkort from Holland. The certificates and medals were awarded by the Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Prof. Szewach Weiss to the families of the rescuers.

5 June Study evening marking the publication of Guarded by Angels – How my Father and Uncle Survived Hitler and Cheated Stalin by Alan Elsner (published by Yad Vashem and the Holocaust Survivors’ Memoirs Project), with the participation of Professor of History at Royal Holloway, University of London, Prof. David Cesarani, Eugene Elsner, Mark Elsner and the author.

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