President Yitzhak Herzog will pay his first state visit to Ukraine next Tuesday, at the invitation of President Vladimir Zlansky - on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the massacre of Avi Yar.
As part of the visit, Herzog will attend an official and international ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the Babi Yar massacre, and the inauguration of a World Memorial Center, attended by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zlansky and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
The delegation will also be joined by Minister Zeev Elkin, in charge of dialogue with Ukraine, and other Knesset members.
As part of the event, a series of state events will be held in Kiev, in the presence of the President of Ukraine, the President of Germany and in cooperation with the Holocaust Remembrance Center in Avi Yar.
Ahead of the event, Herzog said: "It is imperative to reiterate the horrific event and learn its lesson. The Holocaust Remembrance Center in Babi Yar is an important site in the presence of the painful memory, and in a statement that we must declare together: 'Never again'. The only way to build present and future "And crimes against humanity will not find their place, it is only in the study of the past that includes the Holocaust of the Jewish people and its persecution, in the examination and Haggadah to your son and daughter.
Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Center for Holocaust Remembrance at Avi Yar, congratulated President Herzog on representing Israel at the event, and said: "I am proud that President Herzog is leading the Israeli delegation to the historic event.
Babi Yar is an important symbol for millions of Jews and Israelis, for the Ukrainian people and for all of humanity.
Our thanks are due to the President of Ukraine, Zlansky, for his great commitment to history and raising awareness of the terrible massacre, and especially for his support for the Holocaust Remembrance Center in Avi Yar.
"The presence of the level at the memorial service shows the importance of raising the issue and studying the Holocaust comprehensively, including the lesser-known stories from Eastern Europe, known as 'Holocaust by bullets.'
Sharansky also referred to the anti-Semitism law passed in the Ukrainian parliament last week: "Ukraine's decision to pass a law on anti-Semitism is a major contributor to the global struggle against hatred and discrimination against Jews around the world. Of this long-standing hatred. "
President Herzog will take off for Ukraine on Tuesday morning, October 5.
There he will open his visit by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Afterwards, he will proceed to a reception ceremony at the Presidential Palace, and will be received by the Honor Guard.
Later he will meet with the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zlansky.
In the evening, the President of Ukraine will host the President of the State for a state dinner.
On the second day of the visit, President Herzog will address the Ukrainian parliament.
Later in the day, he will attend an event with the Jewish community, and will also meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who will also attend a ceremony at Babi Yar.
Herzog will speak at the official commemoration ceremony at the Avi Yar Holocaust Remembrance Center in Kiev.
The center is currently being set up to commemorate the story of 2.5 million Eastern European Jews, 1.5 million of them from Ukraine alone, who were murdered and buried in mass graves near their homes.
In the past year, a number of memorial monuments have been erected in Babi Yar, as part of the construction of an innovative and large-scale museum complex on every area of Babi Yar.
The establishment of the center is accompanied by public figures and leaders from around the world, headed by Natan Sharansky, who serves as chairman of the center's board.
