A ceremony marking International Holocaust Remembrance Day was held at the Bilkent Concert Hall on Tuesday, January 27.
The program began with a photo exhibition by Jewish-Turkish photographer Alberto Modiano, “The Symbols of the Holocaust,” and then continued with opening remarks by Rector Abdullah Atalar and Assoc. Prof. Umut Uzer from İstanbul Technical University.
Prof. Atalar spoke about the significance of the date, noting that on January 27, 1945, the prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp were liberated, and 10 years ago the United Nations designated this particular day to commemorate all Holocaust victims. “It is very important,” he declared, “that January 27 should be a day for everyone to take note of and realize that living together without discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin, religion, color, political ideas or sexual preference will make the world a more peaceful and tolerant place in which to live.”
After a musical performance by the Bilkent Trio, three speakers addressed the audience: Ertan Tezgör, head of the Turkish delegation to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance; İshak İbrahimzade, head of the Jewish community in Turkey; and Cemil Çiçek, speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey.
Mr. Çiçek paid tribute to those who perished in the Holocaust, saying, “I respectfully remember the millions of Jews and all people who lost their lives during this abhorrent war. It is my heartfelt wish that these sufferings will never be repeated again, and that future generations will draw lessons from this painful example.”
The ceremony ended with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Deputy Undersecretary Levent Murat Burhan, Chief Rabbi of Turkey Rav İsak Haleva, Mr. Tezgör and Prof. Atalar lighting candles in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.
Holocaust Remembrance Day was designated by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on November 1, 2005. As one of the signatory states to the resolution, Turkey has been marking the remembrance day for the past five years.