The Embassies of Israel and Germany in Manila partnered to commemorate the International Holocaust Remembrance Day through Zikaron BaSalon where participants gather in a living room to hear the story of a Holocaust survivor.

Irene Shashar, 86 years old, joined via Zoom from Israel and recalled the nightmare she went through at the age of 5.

“I stand here today in front of you to tell you, Hitler did not win,” Shashar proudly said.

After the Nazis invaded Poland, Jews were persecuted. Irene, along with her parents, had to move to the ghetto. All Jews were ordered to move there and suffer terrible conditions, torture, and hunger. Irene spent most of her childhood hiding in different places with her beloved doll named Laleczka. She stayed quiet while hiding in cabinets where she hadn't seen the daylight.

Shashar's father was killed by the Nazis in the ghetto. She and her mother managed to escape soon after through the sewer. They then moved to Paris after the war but Shahar was orphaned as a teenager and moved to live with extended family in Peru. After graduation in New York, she made aliyah to Israel and established her life. She considers having 2 children and 7 amazing grandchildren as a victory against the Nazi regime.

“I thank Irene for her moving testimony. Irene's message is clear – our job is to pass this testimony on, because there aren't many of them left to tell their story,” Ambassador Ilan Fluss said.

“It is our collective and personal responsibility to make sure that there is no place that is not safe for Jews to be in. Especially in today's reality, that anti-Semitism is alarming and Jews feel unsafe to be identified as Jews again,” he added. Ambassador Fluss also remembered the atrocities of Hamas on 7 October which brought back the nightmare of the Holocaust.

Ambassador Fluss thanked German Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr. Andreas Pfaffernoschke, for partnering with the Israeli Embassy to continue the annual Holocaust Remembrance Day commemoration.

The Holocaust was an unprecedented genocide, perpetrated by Nazi Germany. Six million Jews – one third of the Jewish population – were murdered just because they were Jewish.

The event was held on 13 February at the residence of the German Ambassador and was attended by the diplomatic community, Jewish community, and some local government officials.