A new Yad Vashem exhibit celebrates the contribution of Holocaust survivors to building the State of Israel.
“My Homeland: Holocaust Survivors in Israel” was inaugurated Monday by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert at Yad Vashem, whose organizers noted that the exhibit at the Holocaust Martyr’s and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority was unusually cheerful for the venue.
“The joy and optimism stem from the works of the survivors who assimilated among us and became part of our strength in the most natural manner,” curator Yehudit Schendar told Israel Radio.
“And now, in our 60th year, is the time to celebrate the fact that they have been a creative, inspiring force to
we who today call ourselves Israelis.”
The exhibit, which will run for a year, features displays about Holocaust survivors who made their mark in Israeli activities ranging from the arts to athletics to public service.
Olmert in a speech said Israel has been paying more attention recently to the suffering of Holocaust survivors in a Jewish state that sometimes has been derelict in looking out for Hitler’s victims.
“Sometimes our feelings have grown a little coarse and calloused,” he said. “We forget to talk about what the Holocaust survivors did to make the State of Israel what it is.”
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