Modi visits Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem

Soon after his arrival here in the first-ever visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel, Narendra Modi, accompanied by his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday visited Yad Vashem, Israel's official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

Modi visited three halls, including the Hall of Names, which has about 4.6 million names of Holocaust victims in boxes stored on shelves, according to the Indian External Affairs Ministry.

The Hall of Remembrance has the names of 22 infamous concentration camps engraved on the floor. It has an Eternal Flame, and a stone crypt that contains ashes of Holocaust victims. Modi rekindled the eternal fire and laid a wreath at the stone.

The children's memorial remembers the 1.5 million Jewish children who were among the six million victims of the holocaust. Their names are called out continuously.

"I am deeply moved by my visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial museum. It is as much a poignant reminder of the unspeakable evil inflicted generations ago as it is a symbol of the endurance and fortitude of the Jewish people.

"As we deal with conflict, intolerance, hatred and terror in our time, Yad Vashem serves as a mirror to societies around the world. May we not forget the injustices of the past and its devastating toll on humanity. And remembering the past, may we empower our children to make compassionate, just and righteous choices for their future," Modi wrote in the Visitors' Book there.

--IANS

ab/vd