The new ambassador of Israel in Bucharest, Lior Ben Dor, said on Monday that his grandfather is a survivor of the Holocaust, having been taken, during the Second World War, from Buhusi, his hometown, to a labor camp forced.

The diplomat was present at the opening reception of the „Elie Wiesel” Study Tour, organized at the German Embassy.

„For many of us Israelis and Jews, the Holocaust is part of our personal history, so let me share the fact that my parents and grandparents were born in Romania. I know that my grandfather was a Holocaust survivor. He lived in Buhuşi, near Bacau, and one day he was taken to a forced labor camp. Somehow, he survived. When I grew up, I did some calculations and found out something strange and beautiful at the same time: the grandfather returned home, where he had a wife and a small child, in September, 1944. Exactly ten months later, my mother was born. So I can say that it is because of my grandfather’s survival spirit that I stand before you and represent the State of Israel – which that time did not exist in Romania,” he said.

Lior Ben Dor confessed that he is happy to be in our country, „a very good friend of Israel”.

He told that his wife’s father, born in Argentina, was part of a family decimated by the Holocaust.

„Her father was sent there (to Argentina – ed.n) from Poland at the age of 15. The rest of the remaining family died in the Holocaust,” he said.

The German ambassador in Bucharest, Peer Gebauer, emphasized that education regarding the history of the Holocaust is today more important than ever.

„We live in times where we encounter fake news on a daily basis, and often it is about anti-Semitic stereotypes, about questioning the Holocaust, about neglecting the Holocaust, about conspiracy theories that often put the Jews at the center, make them targets of the discourse of hate, of hate crimes. This is why we must be more active than ever, more vigilant than ever and we must make sure that the past is not forgotten so that the horrors of the past are not repeated,” he pointed out.

Peer Gebauer warned those selected in the program that they will not have an „easy journey”.

„You will visit places where the horrors of the Holocaust took place, you will be confronted with terrible memories, with stories through which you will be transported through difficult moments,” said the ambassador, adding that this will be a life-changing journey them and those with whom they will share the experience.

In turn, the US chargé d’affaires in Bucharest, Michael Dickerson, emphasized that Romania has taken an important step and mentioned in this regard the inclusion of the study of the history of the Holocaust in the school curriculum.

The „Elie Wiesel” Study Tour is in its seventh edition and 15 participants, master’s or doctoral students, aged between 20 and 27, were selected for this program.

The tour is sponsored by the US Embassy in Romania, the Polish Institute in Bucharest, the German Embassy in Bucharest, the Israeli Embassy in Romania and is implemented by the American Councils for International Education.

AGERPRES