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Yad Vashem is a shining light of memory, schol­ar­ship and com­mem­or­a­tion, honouring the victims of the Shoah. Its purpose, through the unique­ness of the Shoah, is to affirm the innate dignity, humanity and equal rights of all people, and to serve as a universal warning of the calam­it­ies that may follow when there is any departure from this principle.

Pre­serving the impec­cable repu­ta­tion and renown of Yad Vashem is of vital interest to the entire Jewish people, and to the whole of humanity. Those who have led Yad Vashem in the past have been torch-bearers of the institution’s values. Their dis­tin­guished lives and careers have enhanced the admir­a­tion and respect that Yad Vashem has earned from people of all back­grounds.

In our view, Mr Effi Eitam does not fulfil these exacting require­ments. He has stated publicly that Israel must “expel most of the Arabs of Judea and Samaria,” that Arab lawmakers “will have to be evicted from the political system,” and that “Israel’s Arabs” are “a fifth column” and “an asso­ci­ation of first-degree traitors.” He has never retracted these comments.

The rhetoric of demon­isa­tion and exclusion of entire com­munit­ies defined by their ethnicity, and of ethnic cleansing, was precisely where the Shoah began. A prac­ti­tion­er of such rhetoric cannot lead an insti­tu­tion that is dedicated to warning of its dangers, without dis­cred­it­ing that institution’s core message and bringing it into disrepute.

We urge the gov­ern­ment of Israel not to proceed with the appoint­ment of Mr Eitam as Chairman of Yad Vashem. Main­tain­ing the integrity and cred­ib­il­ity of the insti­tu­tion is of far more lasting import­ance than Israel’s internal politics. Israel is blessed with many dis­tin­guished citizens who have dedicated their lives and careers to upholding the sanctity and dignity of all human life, regard­less of race or religion. In our view, this is the calibre of person who should be chosen to lead Yad Vashem.

Contact
Peter Wertheim | Co-CEO
ph: 02 8353 8505 | m: 0408 160 904 | fax 02 9361 588
e: [email protected]| www.ecaj.org.au