The world must prevent the recurrence of "another Holocaust," the German and Israeli ambassadors said at a Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Hanoi on March 29.
| Musicians perform at the Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Hanoi on March 29. Photo: Phuong Anh/The Hanoi Times |
The commemoration is aimed at ensuring that the Holocaust is not forgotten as it is part of the history of the German and Jewish people, said Guido Hildner, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Vietnam.
The German Ambassador said the world could not allow similar events to happen in the future and called on all governments and people to remain vigilant, pray, and never forget the Holocaust.
Ambassador of Israel to Vietnam Yaron Mayer said that because of the Holocaust, many Israeli people did not have the chance to meet their grandparents.
He warned that another Holocaust could happen and called for joint efforts to prevent similar events.
The Israeli Ambassador recommended that people stay connected to history, remind future generations of the danger of hatred, and build a world of friendship and brotherhood.
Betty Eppel, a Holocaust survivor of French origin, born in 1935, spoke at the ceremony. Her family lived in the north of France.
In 1942, they tried to flee France, but her mother and two-year-old brother were arrested by the German Gestapo.
They were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where they died. Seven-year-old Betty and her father and five-year-old brother struggled to reach the south of France.
Betty and her surviving brother were protected and hidden by a Christian couple on a small farm until the end of World War II.
| Betty Eppel, the survivor of the Holocaust, shares her life story at the event on March 29. Photo: Phuong Anh/The Hanoi Times |
Betty settled in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1964, married, and had two children.
Now 88 years old, Betty said she felt fortunate to have survived the war and told her life story.
Betty said the Holocaust was the culmination of the discrimination the Jewish people had suffered for thousands of years.
She believes it is important to tell the stories of the Jews to the next generations because she is one of the last witnesses of those days.
She recommended that people talk about it again and that the education of the younger generations is important, especially when the surviving witnesses of the event are passing away.
At the ceremony, six students from the Experimental School of Education Science lit candles to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust.
"Never again and learn the lesson of peace" was the message of the Holocaust Remembrance Day held in Hanoi on March 29.
"The Holocaust is one of the worst crimes against humanity ever committed," said Vietnam Peace Committee Standing Vice Chairman Tran Dac Loi.
"As a nation that has also endured and suffered wars, Vietnam shares the pain of the Jewish people and values peace and friendship with other nations," he said.
"Remembering the past deepens our understanding of peace and harmony and prevents similar tragedies."
