Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Centre in Jerusalem on Thursday, laying a wreath at the memorial in memory of the Holocaust victims. Prime Minister Modi was accompanied by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan as he visited the Holocaust Memorial and Museum which perpetuates and documents the Holocaust.
The visit included a tour of the Book of Names - a monumental installation containing the names of 4.8 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust - and a memorial ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance. Prime Minister Modi also signed the Yad Vashem guest book.
This is PM Modi's second visit to Yad Vashem, having also visited the memorial in July 2017 during his last visit to the country. "Honouring the memory of victims of the Holocaust and renewing our shared commitment to uphold peace and human dignity. PM Narendra Modi visited Yad Vasham, the World Holocaust Remembrance Centre.
This was the second visit of PM to Yad Vashem. PM laid a wreath and paid homage to the victims of the Holocaust. PM also visited the poignant Book of Names Hall, a powerful tribute preserving the memory of millions who perished during the holocaust," Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), posted on X.
"The memorial stands as a solemn reminder of the brutality of the past and our collective resolve to stand against injustice and create a better world," he added. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had also accompanied PM Modi the last time he had toured the memorial in 2017.
"I am deeply moved by my visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum. It is as much a poignant reminder of the unspeakable evil inflicted generations ago as it is a symbol of the endurance and fortitude of the Jewish people. As we deal with conflict, intolerance, hatred and terror in our time, Yad Vashem serves as a mirror to society around the world.
May we not forget the injustices of the past and its devastating toll on humanity and remembering the past. We may empower our children to make compassionate, just and righteous choices for their future," PM Modi had written in the Yad Vashem Guest Book on July 3, 2017.
PM Modi is currently on a two-day State Visit to Israel. He was accorded a grand welcome by Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. He later addressed a Special Plenary of the Knesset in Jerusalem - the first such address by an Indian Prime Minister at the Israeli parliament.