Poland in US

The evening was opened by the German Consul General David Gill, welcoming all the gathered guests, especially the victims of the Holocaust, who arrived especially for this ceremony.  In his speech, Consul Gill mentioned the immensity of the atrocity of the Holocaust and appealed to future generations to never forget what happened and not allow any similar atrocities to occur in the future. Consul Gill expressed his joy at rebuilding good relations between the communities of Poland, Germany, France and the Jews, which were brutally destroyed by the Third Reich. He also quoted the importance of cooperation within the Weimar Triangle, which was established in August 1991 by the then Foreign Ministers of Poland, Germany and France, and which aimed to overcome the divisions of Europe by integrating Poland into European structures.

The speech was also delivered by the Consul of the Republic of Poland Kamil Henne, who mentioned that Poland has always been a home for Jews, who had guaranteed in Poland immunity and many privileges, starting from the 13th century. Consul Henne reminded that during the 20th World War about 6 million Jews were murdered, almost half of whom were Polish citizens. He also reminded of the heroic deeds of Witold Pilecki and Jan Karski, who did not hesitate to risk their own lives to tell the world the truth about the Holocaust and of the fact that Poles are the most numerous group of the Righteous Among the Nations in Yad Vashem. The Consul emphasized that: "it is necessary to pass on the historical truth to future generations so that the Holocaust and the horrifying times of World War II will never happen again".

The French Consul General Anne-Claire Legendre also spoke at the event, calling for help in the fight against anti-Semitism and stressing that only joint action can contribute to this goal. She also recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron took part in the celebrations of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in Paris, and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe in the Auschwitz-Birkenau liberation ceremony.

Then AJC Director David Harris spoke through the video footage recorded at the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. Harris stressed that such ceremonies should be organized much more often in order to constantly remind the truth about the Holocaust. Harris pointed out that "all racial, religious, ethnic, and national communities must be involved in building a world that ensures that there will be no future Auschwitz.

The participants of the event could also watch a movie entitled Liberators and Survivors: The First Moments, prepared by the Yad Vashem Institute, and listen to memories of the writer and poet Elly Gross, a Romanian Jewish woman who was imprisoned in the camps in Auschitz-Birkenau and Salzwedel, a Holocaust survivor.

The evening was honored by the performances of a young Jewish a-capella band Pizmon from Columbia University, which presented ecumenical-Jewish songs.