Leaders gather for Auschwitz forum
JERUSALEM: Dozens of world leaders convened in Jerusalem yesterday to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, amid a backdrop of rising anti-Semitism in Europe and the United States.
However, the president of Poland, where the Nazi concentration camp was built during World War II, is staying away due to rankling disputes with both Russia and Israel. Israel has hailed the World Holocaust Forum as the biggest international gathering in its history. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Vice President Mike Pence are among the attendees.
Poland will host its own event at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum on Jan 27. More than one million people, most of them Jews, were killed at the AuschwitzBirkenau camp. Six million Jews died in the Holocaust.
Speeches at the Jerusalem event are likely to focus on the horrors of the Holocaust as well as a more recent rise in anti-Semitism rhetoric and attacks worldwide.
A global survey by the US-based Anti-Defamation League in November found that global anti-Semitic attitudes had risen, and significantly so in Eastern and Central Europe, where many people think Jews talk too much about the Holocaust.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin addressed this at a reception he hosted on Wednesday for the leaders. “I hope and pray ... that the leaders will stand united in the fight against racism, antiSemitism and extremism, in defending democracy and democratic values,” he said.
In Jerusalem, the high-profile guest list includes French President Emmanuel Macron, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and UK’s Prince Charles. Polish President Andrzej Duda turned down an invitation expressing dissatisfaction that Russia, France, Britain, the US and Germany representatives will speak, while Poland was told it would not be allowed to.
Organisers said only the four World War II allies, and Germany, would address the gathering. Polish leaders have also been angered by Putin’s comments suggesting Poland shared responsibility for the war.