Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara have visited the Shoes on the Danube Bank memorial in Budapest dedicated to Jews who were shot during the Holocaust and thrown into the river.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara at the memorial Photo: Haim Zac/GPO
The Prime Minister placed a stone that he had brought with him from Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem and MK Yisrael Eichler read a chapter from the Book of Psalms.
Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “This place tragically, yet sharply, expresses the change in the fate of the Jews. Here is where thousands of Jews – including children – were cast into the river. I have brought a stone from Mt. Herzl – Herzl, who led t the revival of Israel, having been born in this city – in the State of Israel, in memory of the victims here. It symbolizes the revival of Israel and our total commitment that such a disaster should never befall us again.
This is the truest and deepest significance of the State of Israel. I am proud and moved to stand here and say this, out of the deeply-held conviction that characterizes us all, citizens of the State of Israel, children of the Jewish People.”
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Hungarian Jewish leaders. He expressed his gratitude for their warm welcome and reaffirmed that Jews everywhere have the right to live in safety and security. The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the historic contributions of Hungarian Jewry to Israel and Zionism. He expressed his belief that this visit strengthens the close ties between Israel and Hungarian Jews and noted the Hungarian government’s commitment to a thriving Jewish life in Hungary.
