Mr. Avner Shalev, Chairman of Yad Vashem,
Distinguished Guests,
Head of the Opposition, MK Netanyahu,
Prof. Eli Wiesel and Mrs. Wiesel,
Minister of Education, Prof. Yuli Tamir,
Chairman of the Council of Yad Vashem, my friend Tommy Lapid,
Chairman of the Jewish Agency, Mr. Ze’ev Bielski,
And last, but certainly not least, Miri and Sheldon,

I am delighted to thank you, on behalf of the people of Israel and the Government of Israel, for another very significant and important donation to something which is not only a lesson in history, but a very important preparation for what we yet have at present, and may have to deal with in the future.

Learning about the Holocaust is not learning of remote history – of what happened to the Jewish people.  On these very days, we hear voices which echo those which started straight across the world in the ‘30s.

And one of the main efforts that were made after the end of the Second World War by many people across the world was to understand how so many people could hear what was said, but did nothing.  How could the world hear the incitement by the Nazi Regime in Germany, and somehow keep on living as if it was not real.

These very days, we hear similar voices.  It is the first time that a leader of a very big and important nation openly and publicly declares that the aim of his nation is to wipe the existence of the State of Israel off the map – the existence of a country which is a member of the United Nations.  And this nation continues to be a legitimate member of the United Nations, and leaders of many countries in the world receive the leader that speaks publicly, officially and openly about the liquidation of the State of Israel, and they hardly do anything.

Not only is he saying these things, but, as we all know, he is making enormous efforts to possess of non-conventional weapons, with delivery systems that may implement –  that have the capacity of implementing that which he foresees for the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

Therefore, it is not only history that we have to learn, but also how to derive the necessary conclusions in order to be able to cope with what we have to deal with at the present time and in the near future.

And I’m not surprised that Miri and Sheldon are making this very dramatic gift to Yad Vashem.  Over the last couple of decades, almost everywhere I went in Europe and in America, and even in the Far East, I found the footsteps of Miri and Sheldon.  In every place, they left their mark, and everywhere they are fighting for these basic, fundamental principles of human decency and of justice for the Jewish people.

They do not hesitate to use the power that they possess, the influence that they have accumulated, the friends that they have made over the years for one major purpose, and this the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

And on behalf of the Government of Israel and the people of Israel, I want to thank you.  I want to thank you because what you are doing is very significant, it is very helpful.  With such commitments that you have, with that degree of determination and generosity, we can pool all the forces of people of conscience, Jews and non-Jews alike across the world, to better the chances, not only for the sake of learning history, but also for guaranteeing the future of our people against all those who are threatening our lives.

Thank you very much.