Eitan Neishlos, President of the Neishlos Foundation & March of the Living ambassador to the Gulf States: “As a grandson of a survivor saved by a Christian family, I have a responsibility to hold the torch of memory and feel a deep duty to bring the lessons and the memory of the Holocaust to all communities and all faiths.”
Ahmed Obaid AlMansoori, Founder of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum in Dubai: “As a Muslim, I cannot standby and allow the memory of the victims, and the voices of the survivors, to fade into history.”
At a unique and historic event to be held on November 9th, at the Crossroads of Civilisations Museum in Dubai, Holocaust Survivor, 91-year-old Eve Kugler will tell the story of her survival and experience during the Holocaust to an audience in the United Arab Emirates.
The event will mark the 84th anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the November Pogrom, when hundreds of synagogues were burned across Germany and thousands of Jewish-owned businesses were damaged or destroyed by Nazi vandals. Approximately 100 Jews were murdered and around 30,000 more were rounded up and sent to concentration camps, marking an ominous turning point in history, and a key juncture in the evolution of the mass genocide of the Jews carried by Nazi Germany during WWII.
The event at the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum, founded by Ahmed Obaid AlMansoori, is the first event of its kind in the Arab & Islamic world. It will stand as the inaugural event of the new March of the Living Chapter in the Gulf with its Ambassador, Eitan Neishlos.
Eve Kugler, who was only 7 years old when the Germans broke into her home on that fateful night, will tell her story for the first time to an audience in the UAE, and will also visit a school where she will meet with Jewish and Muslim children.
Along with the keynote address by Eve Kugler, speakers at the event in Dubai will include: Paul Goldenberg, senior representative of the Miller Center for Community Protection and Resilience at Rutgers University and former member of the US Government Homeland Security Advisory Council; Commissioner Karl Heeren, Chief External and International Relations for Antwerp Police in Belgium; and Jordana Cutler, Director of Public Policy – Israel & the Jewish Diaspora at Meta.
In addition to this special event marking Kristallnacht, the International March of the Living is launching its third interfaith campaign of unity to remember the anti-Jewish pogrom under the title, “Let There Be Light”.
The campaign is aiming to commemorate the past but also to raise awareness about the current atmosphere of intolerance, prejudice and racism that exists in the world today, by participating in a public educational effort that will be joined by people of all faiths and backgrounds.
Dr. Shmuel Rosenman and Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, Chairman and President of the International March of the Living said, “The International March of the Living organization has devoted itself over the past 35 years to Holocaust education and the fight against antisemitism along with all forms of hatred. We strongly believe that the answer to extremism and antisemitism is education.”
Eitan Neishlos, President of the Neishlos Foundation & March of the Living ambassador to the Gulf States, said: “As a grandson of a survivor, who was saved by a Christian family later murdered by the Nazis, I have a responsibility to hold the torch of memory, and feel a deep duty to bring the lessons and the memory of the Holocaust to all communities and all faiths. All humanity must hear the stories and learn the lessons of the Holocaust. I am grateful to the Emirati leadership for their courage and clear voice promoting tolerance.’’
Ahmed Obaid AlMansoori, founder of the Crossroads of Civilizations Museum, declared: “As a Muslim, I cannot standby and allow the memory of the victims, and the voices of the survivors, to fade into history.”