Prince Charles to make first official Israel visit for Holocaust Memorial Day
Heir to the throne will attend commemoration for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and will also meet Israeli and Palestinian presidents
It’s official – Prince Charles will travel to Israel next month in the second Royal visit in two years, Clarence House said on Wednesday.
Both the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will attend events related to the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, joining other world leaders such as the presidents of Russia and France.
Charles will travel to Israel to meet both Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, then on to the West Bank to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, after attending the World Holocaust Forum at Yad Vashem on 23 January at Rivlin’s invitation.
Meanwhile, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January, the Duchess will attend commemorations in Poland at the site of the former death camp, meeting survivors.
Confirmation this week followed a period of intense speculation, when officials tight-lipped despite clearly brimming with excitement.
Britain’s new Ambassador to Israel Neil Wigan had already joked that his tenure would be deemed a failure if he did not secure a second Royal visit, after the popularity of Prince William’s visit last year.
Reacting to the news this week, Wigan said he was “delighted” that Charles accepted Rivlin’s invitation, adding: “Prince Charles has visited Israel twice in the past, and I am pleased that this time he will get to see a bit more of Israel.”
Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the World Holocaust Forum, said: “It is a great honour for us that Prince Charles will be attending the Fifth World Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem in January,”
“Prince Charles is a figure of strong moral authority and has long been recognised as a leading voice against intolerance, hate and antisemitism.”
“That Prince Charles has chosen to attend our unprecedented conference on Holocaust remembrance and against antisemitism on his first official visit to Israel speaks volumes.”
The heir to the throne visited Jerusalem in 2016 and 1995, to attend the funerals of President Shimon and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin respectively, but this visit will be his first programme of engagements in Israel or the Palestinian territories.
Royal observers say it is no surprise that Charles and Camilla accepted the official invite to represent the UK next month, given their record on Holocaust commemoration and education.
In 2015, Charles marked 70 years since the camp’s liberation in London, in 2016 Camilla visited the Holocaust Survivors Centre in London, and in 2017 Charles became patron of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, hosting a reception at St James’s Palace for survivors.
Later that year the couple visited the Jewish Museum in Vienna and in 2018 Charles attended a reception to mark the 80th anniversary of the Kindertransport, where he met members of the Association of Jewish Refugees.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
