President Reuven Rivlin opened the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Day, Sunday evening, by recalling a holiday blessing during the Holocaust when a rabbi recited a prayer thanking Heaven for allowing Jews to reach that season and said the same holds true now. He added, "The people of Israel live."
“Holocaust remembrance and the lessons to be learned are founded on three central pillars: We shall always undertake our own defense; the shared common Jewish destiny; and beloved is man for he was created in God’s image."
Rivlin said while the Holocaust was unique to the Jews, it's message must be universal. He closed by saying, “We have returned to our land, and from here we shall never get lost.”