The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean-Damascene Bizimana has reiterated Rwanda’s solidarity in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. He made the remarks during the 77th commemoration of the Holocaust in Rwanda in a remembrance day that was among others attended by Israeli ambassador to Rwanda, Ron Adam, the Archbishop of Kigali, Cardinal Antoine Kambanda and the UN Residence Coordinator Fode Ndiaye. Since November 1, 2005, the United Nations General Assembly has dedicated January 27 as the day of remembrance of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp by the allied forces in 1945. It is also the international day dedicated to the memory of the Holocaust victims. “On behalf of the government of Rwanda, I express to the Holocaust survivors, their families and friends my deep solidarity and empathy in the memory of the victims,” he said. “The Rwandan Government is by your side to remember this horrible event and pay respect with you in memory of the victims and ensure that never again becomes a reality of all times”. He added that the world owes a great assignment to the younger generations of the world, which is education that would ensure the same tragedies do not get a place in global society again. “These young people should know about the past so that they can do everything possible to fight against the perpetration of other genocides and to join hands in fighting denial of past genocides,” he added. This is important, he added, because the history often shows that without day-to-day attention, tragedies of the Holocaust’s magnitude are capable of reoccurring anywhere in the world. Bizimana shared the same sentiments with Cardinal Kambanda who also rooted for more investment in education to make sure the next generations inherit a fraternal world. “We should teach young people to learn from differences that are realities established by the creator to complete one another and have diversity which implies strength, he said,” he noted. Over six million lives (a third of the Jewish population) were exterminated during Holocaust that took place between 1939 and 1945. During his speech, Ambassador Adam shared his mother’s testimony who was 11 years old during the horrendous tragedy. When Holocaust started, Eva Frankel (Ambassador Adams mother) was in Hungary, and boarded a train at 9 years old with his brother of 11 years of age and the family to Switzerland where Jews were free, but Adolf Eichmann ordered the train to be taken to the concentration camp in Bergen Beslen, Germany. After paying some money, Eichmann allowed them to leave to Switzerland where they were free, and in 1945, they boarded a boat to Israel, but were again captured by the British army, were imprisoned again. But After some time, Eva started her classes at Hebrew University in Jerusalem where she met Rons father and they started a new life in the promised land. His mother died four years ago. Various presentations during the ceremony often draw parallels between the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and the Holocaust. Rwanda and Israel have collaborated to promote peace, unity and reconciliation as they share the same history. These include exchange programmes where Holocaust history institutes sends Rwandans to visit Holocaust museums around the world. There are also students and teachers exchange programmes and a partnership between Rwandan and Jewish associations in different countries which fight for the memory of the Holocaust and the Genocide of the Tutsi.
