(Wednesday, 15 January 2020) 46 heads of states, members of royalty, presidents, prime ministers and parliamentary leaders from Europe, North America and Australia will attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, entitled “Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism” (please find below the list of confirmed leaders of nations and heads of delegations).

The Fifth World Holocaust Forum, organized by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation, in cooperation with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, will take place on 23 January 2020 at Warsaw Ghetto Square in Yad Vashem, Jerusalem. Marking the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Forum will begin at 13:30.

“This is an unprecedented and historic event, the highest-level meeting ever held in Israel and on the issue of antisemitism,” Dr. Kantor, initiator of the event, said.  “We must use this event as a crucial and defining moment to build a global coalition of leaders who will send a strong and united message that antisemitism, in all of its forms, will not be tolerated and those who perpetrate it will be met with zero tolerance.”

Forum Program:

The event will open at 13:30 with an address by President of the State of Israel

At 10:30 on the morning of the Forum, a press conference will take place with Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev and President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation Dr Moshe Kantor at the at the Yad Vashem Press Center (International School for Holocaust Studies Building).

Access to the press center is permitted only to journalists who are pre-registered and confirmed. For any questions please contact the Press Center Coordinators.  The press conference will be broadcast live on the Government Press Office Facebook page.

State of Israel H.E. Mr. Reuven “Ruvi” Rivlin. Additional speakers include: Prime Minister of the State of Israel H.E. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President of the United States of America H.E. Mr. Michael R. Pence (awaiting official confirmation), President of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of France H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, The Prince of Wales HRH Prince Charles, and President of Germany H.E. Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Holocaust survivor and Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council Rabbi Israel Meir Lau as well as Forum organizers – President of the World Holocaust Forum Foundation  Dr. Moshe Kantor and Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev – will also speak at the event. Interspersed throughout the proceedings will be several short video clips and musical interludes performed by an international orchestra, conducted by world-renowned conductor Vladimir Spivakov and accompanied by an international choir.

At approximately 15:10, the Memorial Ceremony segment will begin. Holocaust survivors Rose Moskowitz from the United States and Colette Avital, Chairperson of the Center Organization of Holocaust Survivors in Israel will light a memorial torch, after which heads of delegations will commemorate the victims of the Holocaust by laying wreaths at the foot of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Monument in Warsaw Ghetto Square at Yad Vashem. Cantor Shai Abramson will recite the El Maleh Rahamim memorial prayer, followed by Holocaust survivor Naftali Deutsch who will say Kaddish, the mourner’s prayer. The ceremony will conclude with a moment of silence and Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah.

The World Holocaust Forum will be broadcast live via satellite feed worldwide and via Yad Vashem’s website and Facebook page. The broadcast will be translated simultaneously to six languages – English, Hebrew, French, German, Russian and Spanish.

Confirmed Leaders of Nations and Heads of Delegations at the Fifth World Holocaust Forum

(As of 15 January 2020)

1. President of Albania H.E. Mr. Ilir Meta
2. President of Armenia H.E. Mr. Armen Sarkissian
3. Governor-General of Australia The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
4. Federal President of Austria H.E. Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen
5. Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus H.E. Mr. Vladimir Andreichenko
6. King of Belgium His Majesty King Phillipe
7. Chairman of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina H.E. Mr. Željko Komšić
8. President of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Rumen Radev
9. Governor-General of Canada the Right Honourable Ms. Julie Payette
10. President of Croatia H.E. Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
11. President of Cyprus H.E. Mr. Nicos Anastasiades
12. Prime Minister of the Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Andrej Babiš
13. Prime Minister of Denmark H.E. Ms. Mette Frederiksen
14. President of European Council H.E. Mr. Charles Michel
15. President of the European Commission H.E. Ms. Ursula von der Leyen
16. President of the European Parliament H.E. Mr. David Sassoli
17. President of Finland H.E. Mr. Sauli Niinistö
18. President of France H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron
19. President of Georgia H.E. Ms. Salome Zourabichvili
20. President of Germany H.E. Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
21. President of the Hellenic Republic H.E. Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos
22. Representative of the Holy See His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch
23. President of Hungary H.E. Mr. János Áder
24. President of Iceland H.E. Mr. Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson
25. President of Italy H.E. Mr. Sergio Mattarella
26. Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia H.E. Ms. Ināra Mūrniece
27. President of Lithuania H.E. Mr. Gitanas Nauseda
28. Grand Duke of Luxembourg HRH Henri
29. President of Moldova H.E. Mr. Igor Dodon
30. Minister of State of Monaco H.E. Mr. Serge Telle
31. President of Montenegro H.E. Mr. Milo Đjukanović
32. King of the Netherlands His Royal Majesty Willem-Alexander
33. President of North Macedonia H.E. Prof. Dr. Stevo Pendarovski
34. Crown Prince of Norway HRH Crown Prince Haakon
35. President of Portugal H.E. Prof. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
36. President of Romania H.E. Mr. Klaus Iohannis
37. President of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin
38. President of Serbia H.E. Mr. Aleksandar Vučić
39. President of Slovakia H.E. Ms. Zuzana Čaputová
40. President of Slovenia H.E. Mr. Borut Pahor
41. King of Spain His Majesty King Felipe VI
42. Prime Minister of Sweden H.E. Mr. Stefan Löfven
43. President of Ukraine H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy
44. The Prince of Wales HRH Prince Charles, United Kingdom
45. Vice President of the United States of America H.E. Mr. Michael R. Pence*
46. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi*

*Awaiting official confirmation