The International Holocaust Remembrance Day was marked yesterday, with ceremonies across the world commemorating the victims of heinous crimes committed by Nazi Germany during world war two, including the brutal murder of six million Jews. According to a report that was published by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, some 212,000 Holocaust survivors live today in Israel, compared to the 221,000 that were recorded last year. According to the report, by 2025, some 102,000 Holocaust Survivors are expected to be among the living; while by 2030 the number will decrease to some 53,000. The report is based on data collected by the Holocaust Survivors Rights Authority at Israel’s Ministry of Finance, and predictions were calculated while taking into account changes in life span expected in the next two decades.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem, the Israeli government’s weekly cabinet meeting was held in attendance of three Holocaust survivors, whom survived Nazi concentration camps, after which they immigrated to the newly established Jewish state. During the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu underscored the significance of the state of Israel, which in contrast to the terrible helplessness of the Jewish people in exile, provides its citizens with a defensive barrier. “During the Holocaust, the Jewish people were completely helpless. Today the state of the Jews is among the strongest and most advanced in the world. First and foremost, we have restored to our people the strength to resist that we lost in exile. In contrast to the terrible helplessness of our people then, today we strike at those who seek our lives and hurt all those who try to hurt us. At the same time, we do not forget our dead, our enemies and our rescuers,” Netanyahu said.