IDF Chief Speaks at Holocaust Memorial Site in Berlin. Photo: Frank Ossenbrink

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During his visit, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi spoke about the Holocaust, the  importance of a strong IDF and reiterated that the IDF is not an army that seeks to wage war.

"The wails of our Jewish brethren, who were marched onto train cars, humiliated, beaten and killed, rise from the silent steel plates that rest on this platform. At this moment, and forever more, their echoing cry is the injunction of Israel's obligation, and mine, as the current head of her army; our obligation to always remember and never forget the worst atrocities in the history of mankind, our obligation to never take the threats of those who would harm us lightly, our obligation to ensure our security ourselves, and never let anyone else control the future of Israel," said the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi a short while ago at a memorial ceremony that took place in Platform 17 in the Grünewald Train Station, in honor of the six million Jews and victims that perished in the Holocaust.

Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi, who delivered his speech mostly in Hebrew, also said,"the nation of Israel has risen and has been revived in its land and the nation stands by its independence and its security. The Israel Defense Forces, the shield of the Jewish nation is not an army that seeks to wage war - rather it is an army of defense. We do not look for battle, but nonetheless, if war is forced upon us we do everything necessary to enable the citizens of Israel to live in their homes securely. No one should test our strength or resolve."

In his speech, the IDF Chief of the General Staff also mentioned his visit together with the German Chief of the General Staff to Villa Wanssee, the place where the decision was made to implement the "Final Solution", the decision to exterminate the Jews of Europe." There is deep historical and symbolic significance in the joint visit by the Israeli and German Chiefs of Staff to the place where such an unimaginable decision was made. This visit also expresses the strong and fruitful relationship between the German Army and the Israel Defense Forces. This relationship embodies the totality of the victory over Hitler's Nazi regime."

Members of the Jewish community in Berlin also participated in the ceremony, and the local cantor chanted the Kadish and El Male Rachamin prayers. The ceremony ended with a moment of silence and a rendition of the Israeli National Anthem, Hatikvah ("The Hope").

General Wolfgang Scheniderhan, commander of the German Bundeswehr also spoke during the ceremony: "The ties between our two countries and specifically between the German military and the IDF rose out of the unique history and expresses the German understanding and commitment of the challenge we face. The fact that the IDF Chief of the General Staff and the German Chief of the General Staff are standing here together, shoulder to shoulder, is a testimony to that. The responsibility for the holocaust is part of today's German identity."

During his visit to the Villa Wannsee with his German counterpart, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi wrote in the site's guest book, "In these beautiful halls, a cruel and hateful history was written. In this very place, in January 1942, the decision was made to implement the 'Final Solution', the plan to exterminate the Jews of Europe. I stand here as the commander of the Israel Defense Forces, a large, strong, technologically advanced army. The IDF is the defensive force of the Jewish nation, which has withstood many hardships and yet prevailed. I am deeply moved to be the representative of the six million innocent Jews that were murdered burned and buried alive. I am proud to be here and bear witness to the rebirth of the Jewish people in our homeland, to our state and to our strong nation, which continues to grow and strengthen."
 
The Chief of the General Staff also wrote, "The calls for the destruction of the State of Israel by terror organizations, authoritarian regimes, and other anti-Semitic voices, continue even in this day and age. The moral imperative for the world to take a stand and act against this hatred is clear as is the need for a strong IDF. We must all act together to ensure we can promise, "Never Again". We will never let another Holocaust occur, we will defend ourselves and we will be prepared for every challenge, we will deal with every enemy and adversary who wishes us harm.  
This is what we have sworn—to remember and never to forget."

For the full speech click here