Author: Dmitry Kiselev
on January 22-23 in Israel held a major international conference on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the red Army’s liberation of the Nazi death camp in Poland Auschwitz or Auschwitz. To Jerusalem to participate in commemorative events there has arrived the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.
Speaking at the forum entitled “Keeping the memory of the Holocaust, fighting anti-Semitism,” Putin reminded about double its 75-year anniversary of the end of the Second world war and the 75th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations — and in this regard has taken an important initiative.
“forgetfulness of the past, disunity in the face of threats can lead to dire consequences. We must have the courage not only to say directly about it, but to do everything to protect and defend the world. Example, in my opinion, can and must set the country, the founder of the United Nations, the five powers, which bear special responsibility for the preservation of civilization. We discussed with some colleagues and, as I understand it, in General, saw positive response to hold a meeting of heads of the States permanent members of the UN Security Council: Russia, China, USA, France and the UK. In any country, anywhere in the world where it will be convenient to colleagues. Russia is ready for such a serious conversation. We intend, without delay, to send an appropriate message to the leaders of the “five”. Such a meeting is in this year I think it is important and symbolic. After all, we are celebrating 75 years of the end of world war II and the founding of the United Nations”, — said the head of the Russian state.
the relevance of the proposed summit of the founding members of the UN confirmed another event in Washington. The international organization, “Bulletin of atomic scientists” has translated arrows of the so-called symbolic doomsday clock that shows the time until midnight, image of nuclear cataclysm on the planet for another 20 SECOnd forward. That is, in these hours, before the nuclear Holocaust left some 100 seconds.
it is Clear that the measurement is arbitrary, but at the same time the last two years, the arrows did not move, transfixed for two minutes until midnight, and now the risk of nuclear Apocalypse has never been closer. Two minutes before the crash, according to this watch, the planet was in 1953 after the test of the hydrogen bomb. In 1991, the arrow moved away from midnight is 17 minutes ago. And now — only 100 seconds before the fight, if these watches were to fight.
In a ceremony of movement the shooter attended, and ex-UN Secretary General ban Ki-moon, and the speaker pointed to the danger of collapse of the international agreements on limitation and control of nuclear weapons and the spread of military nuclear technology. And it’s US tearing the existing agreements and refuse to conclude a new one.
Author: Alexander Khristenko
Even when in Jerusalem gathered nearly forty world leaders, Israel demonstrated its special attitude to the Russian President. Talked about the fact that the countries have in common: a shared destiny, a common grief and the attitude to historical memory. But because “Blue handkerchief” sounds in two languages: Russian and Hebrew.
two steps away from the government quarter, in the heart of Jerusalem, Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu unveiled a monument to the heroes of the siege of Leningrad.
872 days of the blockade. Leningrad — in the ring of German and Finnish troops. Terrible cold — minus 40, the continuing bombings and horrific hunger. Per day per child were given 125 grams of bread, a little bigger than a matchbox. 600 thousand victims of Leningrad.
“the Nazis wanted to destroy the city to the ground. They fired at, burned, starved, not sparing a single person. The suffering and horror was unbearable,” — said Netanyahu.
“No document, none of the stories and diaries, no newsreel can’t tell you what really made people. For me it is not an empty phrase, I know it’s not panelisce, and the stories of their parents. Because the father defended his home town on the front, and mom was in the besieged city with the child, who died in the winter of 1942 and is buried at Piskarevskoye memorial cemetery in St. Petersburg among the hundreds of thousands of other citizens”, — said Vladimir Putin.
Every year Putin lays flowers there, the capsule with the earth Piskarevsky laid in the base of the monument, which is called the “Candle of memory”.
Leningrad died, but never surrendered. Residents of the city fought on the front lines, standing at the bench — made munitions for the front.
“Recently, picking up documents, discovered a fact which shocked me. Over the years of the siege of Leningrad, being here in this position, surrendered to the needs of the front 144 tons of blood. Deprived of food, light, heat, they continued to work in hospitals, the arts, science and education and by sacrificing himself, he saved a great city for future generations. Unconquered Leningrad became a true legend, and the greatness of the power of the spirit and belief in the victory of its inhabitants — the pinnacle of human dignity,” — said Putin.
the Blockade at this point in the hall. Those who live in the city on the Neva river — they are specifically invited to Jerusalem and those who live here.
“a Huge event for Israel. Must have the friendship with great Russia. We are from Russia. We loved Russia, fought for her, defended. And now we come to the homeland of their ancestors,” said veteran Boris Kogan.
And now, 75 years later, sound full of life the voices of the blockade. Not once during the ceremony, the guests eyes were dimmed with tears.
“the Monument is very good, it will remain for centuries. And it can be different. But the way you did today… Thank you,” — said Vladimir Putin.
“Candle of memory” will be lit both day and night. And inside — the sensors, which at the approach of visitors to the Park will include recording leningradskwow metronome warning citizens about the bombing. Almost 9 meters of height, tons of bronze monument will be both physical and semantic dominant of Central Park in Jerusalem. On it — the symbols of the city on the Neva river and Israel, and the inscription in three languages: “Remember the living and the dead death, death”.
In Israel believe it is deeply symbolic that the siege was lifted on 27 January 1944, and in a year the Red Army liberated prisoners of the largest Nazi death camp Auschwitz, where he was killed more than a million people, 960 thousand of them are Jews. The date of the liberation of Auschwitz has become an international Day of remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.
In the hall of the memorial complex “Yad Vashem” — 6 representatives of European Royal houses, including Britain’s Prince Charles, the leaders of dozens of countries. Speaking at the forum, Putin appealed to the documentary evidence of the liberation of Auschwitz by the red Army.
“Read the military reports, the documents, which in detail told, how was organized the camp, acted as the cold-blooded machine of destruction, it is very difficult, unbearable. The red Army, Marshal Konev, the commander of the then military operation to take Selitskogo densely populated industrial district of Germany, used the tactic maximum saving civilians. And, after receiving a report on going on at Auschwitz atrocities, forbidden himself to even look at this camp. He later wrote in his memoirs: there was then no right to lose the mental strength to allow a fair sense of vengeance has not blinded him in the conduct of military operations and would not cause additional suffering and casualties among the civilian population of Germany”, — said Putin.
the room at this moment — the President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier. “A terrible war, which claimed over 50 million lives. That’s what made my country. I stand before you as the President of Germany and feel the huge historical burden of guilt. And yet at the same time my FAMRDA overwhelmed with gratitude for those who survived the Holocaust, we stretch the hand of friendship. I am deeply moved by this spirit of reconciliation”, — said the politician.
the Forum of memory of victims of the Holocaust — an event which is impossible to ignore and just a shame for any leadership, especially European, countries. But the leaders of the Baltic States was not arrived, fearing, apparently, even more of a shame, given their public support for nationalist supporters of the Nazis.
at the Davos Economic forum have extended my stay by the President of Latvia. The leader of Lithuania did the same, canceling the visit to Jerusalem at the last moment. The President of Estonia even go as far as possible to Antarctica. Forum in memory of the victims of the Holocaust defiantly refused to go, and the President of Poland. While in Warsaw created a special Commission, which tracked what Putin says.
“death Factories, concentration camps served not only the Nazis, but also their collaborators in many countries of Europe. In the occupied territories of the Soviet Union, where she handled the bandits, killed the greatest number of Jews. So, in Ukraine killed about 1.4 million Jews. In Lithuania destroyed 220 thousand people. It pay your attention 95% of the prewar Jewish population of this country,” — said Putin.
just these days at the Embassy of Lithuania in tel Aviv rallies. The Israelis are protesting against a bill that frees the Lithuanian people from responsibility for the murder of Jews in the country during the Second world war.
“did They explain this decision by the fact that Lithuania was occupied first by the Soviet Union, then by Germany that they could not on what to influence.
But that’s not true. In Lithuania there were about 22 thousand murderers, and the Germans less than a thousand. The Lithuanians differed cruelty. Even SS officers wrote to Berlin that it was hard for them to look at it. Reached before that from Eastern Europe brought the victims to the Lithuanians”, — Rrasskazal Arie Ben Ari Grodzensky, head of the Association of Lithuanian Jews of Israel.
Men and women, the elderly and infants — of the 6 million killed in the Holocaust in “Yad Vashem” found the names of 4 million 800 thousand. Scarce gathered the crumbs of information in the black folder. On the shelves deliberately left an empty place — do not lose hope to find unknown names.
the Museum of memory — excerpts from the Nuremberg trial. In the death camps Treblinka, Sobibor, the Germans had no shortage of volunteers from the local Lithuanians, Ukrainians.
President Zelensky in Jerusalem, and in the end came, but to participate in the forum at the last minute refused, allegedly to give space to the veterans. In Israel, many this act was regarded as an insult.
If Zelensky on the forum, he probably would have had to answer far more uncomfortable questions: why, in Kiev held a torchlight procession in honor of the Ukrainian nationalists, supporters of Hitler, and why the names of Bandera and Shukhevych responsible for the murder of thousands of Jews, Russians and poles in Ukraine called streets and avenues?
“Sore subject you touch. Maybe 12% of extremists in the country dictated the will of the overwhelming power, intimidated, where that shot was captured. As a result, we got a situation where we changed the textbooks, changed the monuments”, — said Vadim Rabinovich, co-Chairman of party “Oppositional platform For life.”
“At a time when there is rewriting of history, are the attempts of rehabilitation of collaborators are different, rears its head neo-fascism. To remember the tragedy, people who have experienced a severe blockade, then, to remember the past as it really was. Israel and Russia — the two countries who call a spade a spade openly,” — said Alexander Boroda, President of the Federation of Jewish communities of Russia.
But the Vice-President of the United States, Mike Pence, even in tacosday of the Soviet army and their role have never once said the words. Chose not to go into details.
“When the soldiers opened the gates of Auschwitz on 27 January 1945, they found 7 thousand half-naked tortured prisoners. Who would have imagined that 75 years after the Holocaust, Jews are again afraid to walk the streets of Europe wearing something with Jewish symbols? Who could imagine that the synagogue will be attacked again, and the cemetery is to break down and even defiled almost regularly,” said Pence.
Putin called on all States who stood at the origins of the UN, will rally today, when the world’s growing anti-Semitism, and some forces have deliberately pander to xenophobic chauvinism.
“forgetfulness of the past, disunity in the face of threats can lead to dire consequences. In 1945, an end to the barbaric plans put before the entire Soviet people. He defended their homeland and liberated from Nazism in Europe. We paid for it at this price, who never dreamed of before in the worst nightmares for any one nation — 27 million dead. We will never forget,” said the Russian head of state.
Remembers and Israel. As in Russia, Victory Day is celebrated on 9 may, the country’s national holiday. In Netanya, the memorial dedicated to the heroism of soldiers of the red Army, and in Jerusalem now – the “Candle of memory” that will not be extinguished day or night.
Text: “News of the week”