Prince of Asturias Award for Concord Presented to Yad Vashem on 26/10/2007

• To download transcript of the speech, click here

• To view Shalev’s speech, click here

• To view the Yad Vashem segment of the awards ceremony, click here
   

The audience enthusiastically receives the Yad Vashem delegation during the awards ceremony (taken from the Prince of Asturias Foundation)

Avner Shalev speaks during the ceremony. (taken from the Prince of Asturias Foundation)

On, Friday, October 26, 2007, Yad Vashem received the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, from Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe. Yad Vashem was chosen from among 47 nominees from 28 countries. Yad Vashem's nomination was proposed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and supported by eminent public figures from around the world. The award ceremony took place at the Campoamor Theatre in Oviedo, Spain in the presence of the Spanish Royal Family. Shalev spoke at the ceremony, along with Letters awardee author Amos Oz, and International Cooperation awardee, Nobel Prize Laureate Al Gore.

Holocaust survivors and Righteous Among the Nations accompanied Shalev on the stage to accept the Award. They were enthusiastically received by the audience, who then stood for a moment of silence, to show their respect to the memory of those who perished during the Holocaust.

Friday’s award to Yad Vashem in Oviedo has gained extensive media coverage and praise throughout Europe and the Spanish-speaking world.

The Prince of Asturias Award is presented in 8 categories. The Award for Concord is bestowed upon the person, persons or institution whose work has made an exemplary and outstanding contribution to mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence amongst men, to the struggle against injustice or ignorance, to the defence of freedom, or whose work has widened the horizons of knowledge or has been outstanding in protecting and preserving mankind's heritage. Information about the Prince of Asturias Foundation and Awards is available here.

Avner Shalev Presented with Legion of Honor in special Elysee ceremony on 25/10/2007

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (right) awards Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev (left) with the Legion of Honor at the Elysee Palace, today, October 25, 2007.

On Thursday, October 25, 2007, the Chairman of Yad Vashem, Avner Shalev, received the Légion d’Honneur from President Nicolas Sarkozy of France. The letter notifying Shalev of the award stated: “This prestigious distinction is presented to you for your extraordinary work on behalf of Holocaust remembrance worldwide. This is a reward for a man of peace, tolerance and sincerity, the person who has turned Yad Vashem into a place of renown, of mutual exchange for younger generations of all backgrounds and cultures.” The decoration was presented at a special ceremony hosted by President Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace at 12:00 noon.

Avner Shalev was appointed Chairman of Yad Vashem in 1993. From the beginning of his tenure, Shalev has striven to redefine Holocaust remembrance and education, introducing a far-reaching multiyear redevelopment plan. This has included opening an International School for Holocaust Studies, enlarging Yad Vashem’s archives and research facilities, and building a new Museum Complex. He is Chief Curator of the new Holocaust History Museum that opened in March 2005.