Yad Vashem says the announcement by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he and others in his delegation will give up their seats so that Holocaust survivors can attend a ceremony at Yad Vashem to mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, is “puzzling” as they have complied with requests.
“This morning, the Ukrainian president announced his withdrawal, claiming that he is transferring to a Holocaust survivor,” the memorial center says in a statement.
“It was explained to the president that we have assented to survivors who approached us in recent days…. Therefore, his decision is puzzling, and it is a pity to take such a step in an event entitled ‘Remember the Holocaust to fight anti-Semitism.'”
Army Radio reported last week that only 30 of some 800 seats at the Fifth World Holocaust Forum were reserved for survivors of the Jewish genocide, causing consternation among some uninvited survivors and their families.
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