A delegation of 40 United Nations ambassadors visited Poland in recent days as part of an initiative led by Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, along with the March of the Living and the American Zionist Movement. After Monday's events at the United Nations in commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, dozens of UN ambassadors from all over the world traveled to Poland, which included a tour of the Majdanek death camp, the Jewish Museum in Warsaw, and holding a joint memorial ceremony. For some of the ambassadors, it was their first visit to Poland and first time they were exposed to the story of the Holocaust, which proved an emotional and powerful experience.
Ambassador Danon said that "the delegation can now fulfill the will of the Holocaust survivors and its victims and tell their stories so they will never be forgotten. The ambassadors are exposed to the flames of hatred that Jews have experienced in the past and understand the importance of fighting in the United Nations and in their country against the waves of modern day Antisemitism."
Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, Volodymyr Yelchenko, said: "It is very important for me to be in Poland because I read a lot about these terrible events, but have never been here. I think it's also important for everyone to come and see with their own eyes so they can pass on the story of the Holocaust."
Panama's ambassador to the United Nations, Melitón Alejandro Arrocha Ruíz, said: "The visit allowed us to see first-hand a piece of history that we must never repeat."
The ambassadors arrived in Israel on Thursday for a five-day visit, during which they will meet on Sunday with the president and prime minister in Jerusalem and then tour Israel's northern border. The tour in the north will include a visit to one of Hezbollah's terror tunnels and will be open to the media