A special memorial service held in the Forest of the Martyrs near Eshtaul, in the Judean Hills, the birthplace of Samson, today marked Israel’s observance of the ninth anniversary of the revolt in the Warsaw Ghetto.
Members of the Government and Knesset, Zionist leaders and veteran Ghetto fighters took part in the services which was arranged by the Jewish National Fund. In a message to the assembly, Premier David Ben Gurion declared that “the only memorial suitable to the memory of exterminated European Jewry is the State of Israel which is the realization of the dreams of generations and which serves as a haven for every Jew in the world desiring a free and independent Jewish life.”
The Jewish National Fund, a cause close to the hearts of millions of Jews for decades, had undertaken the Forest of Martyrs project, Premier Ben Gurion added, and said: “The Forest of the Martyrs is a symbol of the martyrs in which their hope will flourish, the hope which supported them in their lives and gave them strength to stand to the last moment. In this forest we will honor their dear and tragic memory.”
Dr. A. Granot, head of the J.N.F., described the forest as the symbol of those who were unable to reach “the safe shores of the homeland.” The Ghetto fighters issued a proclamation calling on Jews throughout the world to participate in the planting of the forest.
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