Holocaust survivor Mogadi (Esther) Ungar ascends stage with her family to sing the national anthem ‘Hatikva,’ asks to rise while singing the anthem.
A moving moment was recorded on Thursday in the Knesset at the conclusion of the “Every Person Has a Name” ceremony, when Holocaust survivor Mogadi (Esther) Ungar took to the stage with her family to sing the national anthem “Hatikva.”
At the beginning of the song, Ungar requested to stand, despite her age and the physical difficulty involved. Her family helped her up and she stood along the song of the anthem.
Ungar was born in Hungary, and at the age of 16 was sent to the Auschwitz death camp, where all her family perished. In 1943, she moved to Israel and was among the founders of the Nir Galim community.
The ceremony, which took place for the 36th year consecutive, was held under the title, “From the Depths – The Pain of Liberation and Growth,” marking the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.
During the course of the ceremony, the names of Holocaust victims were read aloud, and memorial candles were lit by Holocaust survivors. The events of Holocaust Remembrance Day in the Knesset began at 08:00 a.m. with the lighting of memorial candles at the Knesset’s main entrance, dubbed the “MKs’ entrance.” Knesset Speaker MK Amir Ohana opened the ceremonies.
Ohana said: “This year, I wish to raise the memory of the Jewish children, more than a million of whom perished in the Holocaust. Lea Deutsch was born in Zagreb, Croatia, and from the age of 5 she performed in the theater. She was so talented that she became known as the ‘Croatian Shirley Temple.’ When Nazi Germany took control of Croatia, she was forbidden to perform in the theater.”
“It is told that she would sit on a bench in front of the theater where she performed, wearing her yellow star and crying over the childhood she had stolen from her and the dream she had been robbed of as an actress. At the age of 16, after unsuccessful attempts to escape, she was sent to Auschwitz – and from there she never returned.”
