Israel built a monument in honor of the Red Army (photo)
The press office of the Office of the Prime Minister of Israel announced the completion of an international competition to design a national monument in honor of the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany and in honor of the hundreds of thousands of Jews who fought in the Red Army. As previously reported, this monument will be erected on the coast of the city of Netanya.
"The design of the monument personifies history the Jewish people from ancient times to the liberation of the Jews who survived the Holocaust from concentration camps. Three prominent Russian masters won the competition: Salavat Shcherbakov, Mikhail Naroditsky and Vasily Perfilyev. The monument is designed in the form of a path, starting with a dark labyrinth, in which there are crossroads that signify the main tragic moments in the history of the Jewish people: from the exodus from Egypt to the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple to the Holocaust. At the end of the labyrinth there is an exit to a bright, open space with a view of the sea, in the center of which the white wings of a pigeon soaring into the sky are a symbol of peace and goodness, ”the official press release says.
The Office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the media a file showing how the monument will look like.
For the first time, Benyamin Netanyahu announced the intention to erect a monument in honor of the victory of the Red Army over Nazi Germany in February 2010 of the year, during a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He invited Putin to visit Israel and take part in the laying of this monument. It is known that on the eve of a meeting with Putin (already after negotiations with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev), the idea of installing such a monument was discussed by Netanyahu with the Russian senator, Chairman of the WCPR, Boris Spiegel.
During the visit of Netanyahu to Moscow, which took place in the year of the 65 anniversary celebration of the victory over Nazi Germany, the statement of the Israeli Prime Minister about the intention to erect a monument to Israel in Israel sounded unexpectedly. Commenting on this decision in an interview with NEWSru.co.il, the coalition chairman Zeev Elkin then said: "Support for this initiative shows Israel’s understanding of the enormous role of the Soviet army in defeating fascism and saving the Jews of Eastern Europe. It's not a secret that many Israelis, including politicians still believe that the Americans won the war ... I think that Netanyahu once again demonstrated that he is able to quickly perceive new ideas and made a statement about the imminent opening of the monument to the Soviet soldier-liberation to the hotel, which, incidentally, was a complete surprise to his closest associates. The benefits of such an initiative are obvious. "
Determining the place where the monument will be erected took some time. During a visit to Moscow, it was said about the possibility of installing a monument in Jerusalem, but already then, surrounded by Netanyahu, it was noted that this option was the most problematic. In the end, it was decided to install a monument in Netanya.
Last October, Netanyahu appointed a special commission to evaluate the design projects for the monument, which included representatives of the governments of Israel and Russia. The Israeli side was represented by a government secretary, the general director of the prime minister’s office, the head of the national outreach headquarters, the mayor of Netanya, two representatives of the Higher Education Committee, the chairman of the Core Fund (“Keren ha-Yesod”), the deputy director of the Foreign Ministry. On the Russian side - the Russian ambassador to Israel and the representative of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
The erection of the monument is funded by the Basic Fund from donations from Jews around the world. “Keren Hayesod” connected the Jewish communities of the world, including the Jews of Russia, to the project, thereby making the monument a tribute to the heroes of the Red Army not only on behalf of the State of Israel, but also on world Jewry.
Information