Also attending the ceremony were Russian President, Vladimir Putin; Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon; Governor of St. Petersburg, Aleksandr Beglov; President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili, chairperson of the board of trustees for Moscow’s Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Viktor Vekselberg; President of the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), Yuri Kanner; chairperson of the Jewish National Fund, Daniel Atar; mastermind behind the monument, Leonid Litinetsky; leaders of the World War II Veterans Society in Israel, Abraham Greenzide and Emilia Larina as well as foreign ambassadors and other distinguished guests.

Russian President Putin said, “The Leningrad blockade and the Holocaust are beyond any comparison. Documentary facts are appalling. Yet, no document, no story, no diary, no newsreel can ever convey the actual suffering the people went through… I know this directly from my parents: my father fought in the army to defend his hometown, while my mother stayed in the besieged city with a child that died in the winter of 1942 and was buried at the Piskarevsky Memorial Cemetery… among hundreds of thousands of other citizens,” he told. “Here, just like in Russia, people understand the importance of the lessons of World War II and do not let the world forget what national self-interest, disunity, and tolerance of all forms of chauvinism, anti-Semitism, and Russophobia can lead to. Our common duty is to transmit this knowledge to the future generations,” Putin remarked.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau reminded in his address to the Russian President that each of the participants of the event survived a personal tragedy connected to the war and the Holocaust. He said there can be no compromise when fighting against fanatical regimes. “We must stop them. We must clearly understand the threat coming from them. The lessons of the Holocaust have not been forgotten. Today, the Jewish people have a strong state and a strong army. Those who threaten to destroy us will have to face a harsh and decisive response,” the Prime Minister stressed.

“The 150,000 Jews of Leningrad shared the tragic fate of the city. Many took up arms, and approximately 70 thousand perished. More than 1,300 survivors of the siege currently live in Israel. We are grateful to these courageous and heroic individuals, and we are proud that we have a monument today erected in their honor”, said the President of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, Dr. Michael Mirilashvili, who was the first to support the project.

The project was funded by the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC), the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC), Viktor Vekselberg, the Jewish National Fund – Keren Kayemet LeIsrael and the Israeli Keren Hayesod foundation. The installation of the monument was backed by the city governments of St. Petersburg and Jerusalem.

The concept of the Memorial Candle Monument originated from former Member of Knesset Leonid Litinetsky, the World War II Veterans Council and Association of (Leningrad) Blockade Survivors in Israel. The monument was built and installed by two creative teams of artists. The Israeli team was led by architect, Udi Kasif and sculptor, Adam Perets, and the Russian team lead by architects, Anatoly and Lada Chernovs and sculptor, Vladislav Manachinsky.

Erected high atop a hill in the Israeli capital, the Memorial Candle Monument is a towering 8.5-meter brass stele with a cast bronze element representing the candle’s flame. The flame’s movement is made possible by a spiral form illuminated at nighttime to create the special effect of an eternal candle.

On the same day, Jews also light memorial candles since January 27 is the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. We mourn together.

Remembering the past is our responsibility in the present. The Memorial Candle in Jerusalem appeals to our memory, reminding us that the world is still fragile.

EAJC President Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili welcomed the initiators, sponsors, and partners, who made this important project possible: following the special cornerstone laying ceremony held recently in Jerusalem, the opening of the Memorial Candle Monument is expected in January, 2020. In particular, he said:

“The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress consistently opposes historical distortions and promotes the memorialization of Jewish heroes. Therefore, we backed the initiative of the former Knesset member, Leonid Litinetsky, the Council of World War II Veterans, and the Association of the Victims of the Leningrad Siege in Israel to erect a monument dedicated to the heroes of the Leningrad Siege in Jerusalem.

With all my heart, I am grateful to the Jerusalem Municipality and the Government of St. Petersburg for their support and cooperation.

I would like to take this opportunity to once again thank Victor Vekselberg, the Jewish National Fund – Keren Kaymet le Israel, Keren Hayesod, and the Russian Jewish Congress who together with the EAJC support this important project.”

As a symbolic gratitude for the fruitful cooperation, Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili presented models of the future monument to the project participants.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, which opposes historical distortions and promotes the memorialization of Jewish heroes, supported the initiative of the former Knesset member, Leonid Litinetsky, the Council of World War II Veterans and the Association of the Victims of the Leningrad Siege in Israel to erect a monument dedicated to the heroes and victims of the Leningrad Siege in Jerusalem.

EAJC President Dr. Michael Mirilashvili said: “For many years, I lived in St. Petersburg and know firsthand what a deep scar the siege has left in the life of every Leningrad resident. Among the defenders and residents of the besieged city were around 150,000 Jews, tens of thousands of whom perished. Many Jews voluntarily took to arms and joined the ranks of the people’s militia. The Memorial Candle monument in Jerusalem not only appeals to our shared memory but also serves as a reminder that the world remains to be a precarious place. It is up to us to uphold the truth and preserve the memory of the terrible war so that the tragedy of our peoples never repeats.”

Viktor Vekselberg said: “Times erases many things, especially painful memories of past tragedies. This is simply our coping mechanism. But we cannot let ourselves forget about such horrifying past events, as the Siege of Leningrad. Our common task is to remind the present and future generations about the heroism of the people of Leningrad and about the trials people had to endure during those 900 endless days and nights. Daniil Granin, who fought at the Leningrad front, wrote in his “Siege book” about “collecting the rocks of people’s memory” to return the debt of gratitude to the heroic act, the lesson in bravery which the people and defenders of the city taught the world. Today we are making the first step toward memorializing their heroism here in Jerusalem. I am confident that the Memorial Candle monument will be a sign of friendship between Russia and Israel for generations to come.”

As the president of the Russian Jewish Congress, Yuri Kanner, said, “the monument will be unveiled in January, on the day when it simultaneously marks 76 years since Leningrad siege was lifted and 75 years for the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp by the Red Army, in honor of which the United Nations established International Memorial Day Holocaust victims.”