The Embassy of Israel in the Philippines partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) for the annual commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The partnership seeks to honor the theme of “Recognizing the Extraordinary Courage of Victims and Survivors of the Holocaust.”
The United Nations General Assembly designated every January 27th as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Holocaust was the darkest day in history where 6 million Jews were murdered, which was one-third of the Jewish population.
Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss shared in his message that the Holocaust was an unprecedented genocide where Nazi Germany planned to annihilate the entire Jewish people just because they were Jewish.
“Last year, I spoke at this very ceremony about the growing voices of denial of the Holocaust and increasing antisemitism. I ended my speech by saying that unfortunately, these forces of evil are not history, and that at this very day, we are witnessing them again,” Ambassador Fluss said while remembering the October 7 massacre where more than 1,200 Israelis were murdered by Hamas terrorists. On that day, more than 240 were kidnapped by Hamas as hostages to Gaza, and to date, 136 are still held in captivity.
“We must teach, learn, educate, and say – never again to Holocaust, to antisemitism, to racism, and to genocide,” Ambassador Fluss added.
The Israeli Ambassador thanked VP and Secretary of DepEd Sara Duterte and her DepEd team for leading the Holocaust commemorative event and making January 27th a formal day of Holocaust remembrance in all DepEd schools and facilities in the Philippines.
Ambassador Fluss expressed the importance of teaching the story of the Holocaust in the Philippines, especially the Open-Door Policy of former president Manuel Quezon which saved the lives of approximately 1,300 Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi regime in 1939. Pres. Quezon saved not only those individuals but also their future families.
The remembrance event featured a photo exhibit and highlighted the lighting of 6 candles representing the 6 million Jews who perished during the Holocaust. The candles were lit by VP Sara Duterte, Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator Mr. Guztavo Gonzalez, DFA-Office of the Middle East and African Affairs Asec. Mardomel Celo Melicor, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Jewish Community President Mr. Salito Malca.
The ceremony was held on the 24th of January at Kalantiaw Elementary School in Quezon City.
