Memoria [EN] No. 26 (11/2019) | Page 7

The schedule of anniversary events:

• welcome address by the President of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Duda

• MAIN ADDRESSES - Auschwitz Survivors

• address of a representative of the "Pillars of Remembrance"

• word of thanks by the director of the Memorial Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński

• ecumenical prayers

Then, a delegation of Survivors, accompanied by heads of state delegations, will walk towards the monument located between the ruins of gas chambers and crematoria II and III. Candles will commemorate all victims of the Auschwitz camp.

Auschwitz Survivors will be the most important guests of the event commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. We expect that on January 27, 2020, about 200 of them will come to the Memorial from all over the world. A delegation of approximately 120 Auschwitz and Holocaust Survivors from the United States, Canada, Israel, Australia, and several European countries will be able to take part in the main commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz thanks to the support of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation from New York City under the Leadership of Ronald S. Lauder. More and more former prisoners from Poland are now confirming their presence.

"Most of the knowledge of post-war generations about Auschwitz came from Survivors' testimonies. It was also them who established the Auschwitz Memorial after the war and wrote down the history that became the foundation of our memory and remembrance. On January 27, 2020, 75 years after Auschwitz, a large group of Survivors - thanks to Ronald Lauder and other donors - will commemorate the anniversary of liberation with us. January 27 is the most important date for this place: its importance is shared by all former prisoners, both from Poland and from around the world," said Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, the director of the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum.

– powiedział dr Piotr M. A. Cywiński.

– Dla zbliżającej się 75. rocznicy wyzwolenia Auschwitz najważniejsza jest obecność ocalałych w tym straszliwym miejscu. Oni są bezpośrednim łącznikiem, świadkami tej przerażającej zbrodni. Dlatego jestem gotów zrobić wszystko, aby przyjechali oni na rocznicę. Świat powinien ich zobaczyć, świat powinien ich usłyszeć, świat powinien pamiętać – powiedział Ronald S. Lauder.

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