(Joint press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the President’s Residence and the ‘Eva's Stories’ project)

President Reuven Rivlin, together with the dozens of world leaders who accepted his invitation to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in Israel, will today participate in a digital campaign led by ‘Eva's Stories.’​ The project tells the true story of Eva Heyman, a young Jewish girl who was killed at the death camp four months before its liberation and is renowned for having garnered an unprecedented level of international exposure. The participating leaders will send a message to the ‘Eva Stories’ account, where they will vow ‘never again’ to today's generation of children. Amongst the world leaders who accepted President Rivlin's invitation, and who are set to participate in the campaign, are Russian President Vladimir Putin, and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

‘Eva's Stories,’ created by Israeli entrepreneur Mati Kochavi and his daughter Maya, went live on Instagram on last year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, and has since captured the world's attention. The content brings Eva, a Hungarian Jew who perished at Auschwitz, back to life. The project documents the events Eva experienced during the course of the war, from her quiet childhood, through the Nazi occupation, to her tragic death in the gas chambers, all from the would-be perspective of a young girl sharing her story on Instagram. Hundreds of millions of followers spanning over 50 countries have watched her stories.

In commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, world leaders will harness the wide exposure of the project to spread the message of the importance of fighting antisemitism and perpetuating the memory of the Holocaust. The leaders will send "Eva" messages on both Instagram and Twitter.

Beyond Putin and Steinmeier, an array of world leaders accepted the invitation of the President and Israeli embassies' petitions abroad: Argentinian President Alberto Fernández; President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen; Montenegrin President  Milo Đukanović; Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić; Portuguese President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa; Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš; Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades; Bulgarian President Rumen Radev; Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven; Moldovan President Igor Dodon; President of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Željko Komšić; N. Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski; and Albanian President, Ilir Meta.