Katz to Putin: Grateful that Red Army liberated my mother from Auschwitz

Foreign Minister Israel Katz greets Russian President Vladimir Putin on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport, tells him his family’s personal story of the liberation of Auschwitz and talks of the close ties between Jerusalem and Moscow.

“I am pleased to welcome you to the State of Israel for an event that symbolizes most of all the special relationship between our two nations. Your visit to Israel will contribute to strengthening the friendship between Russia and Israel and will deepen our relations,” Katz says.

“On a personal note, thanks to the Red Army my mother — who was in Auschwitz — survived, immigrated to Israel and started a family. Thank you.” Katz adds.

The Fifth World Holocaust Forum is taking place at Yad Vashem in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.