Reema Lokesh – Mumbai
On the 9th of March 2015, Hungary took over the chairmanship of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which is rotated annually on voluntary basis. Dr Norbert Revai-Bere, consul general of Hungary in Mumbai said, some members of his family were victims of the Holocaust. He also expressed gratitude to India as India did give refuge to people from Hungary. He further added that, as the country that chairs IHRA this year they plan to conduct a series of activities to remember the Holocaust as an incident to remind the world to live in peace and harmony and to respect humanity above all.
It is that day in the year when Israel comes to a stand still as a siren goes out as a mark of respect and solidarity on the Holocaust Remembrance day. On this day, Holocaust memorial services take place across the world as a mark of respect for the victims of the Holocaust and Mumbai was no exception. The Mumbai Jews, the Consul General of Israel along with the German, Hungarian, Polish and Turkish Consul Generals stood united to remember a time in history when hatred took over humanity. The occasion took place at the Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue a heritage structure in Mumbai. It witnessed the presence of the Consulate Generals of Germany, Poland, Hungary, Turkey, Canada and Israel. Solomon F Sopher, president of the Synagogue, gave a meaningful talk on humanity, peace and solidarity, “It is a time of sorrow for all of us in Germany and we feel though we look into the future we must always remember the past.” said K Bormann, consul, Federation of the Republic of Germany, in Mumbai. Supporting his views Sumit Mullick, additional chief secretary and chief protocol officer, government of Maharashtra, felt that such occasions remind you of the wrongs that happened in the past and how it should never be repeated anywhere in the world. Gul Kriplani, national president of the Federation of Indo- Israel Chambers of Commerce said it’s a solemn day and also a reminder of an unfortunate time in history.