Today Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, published an announcement marking Holocaust Remembrance Day:

Service members of the IDF, commanders and warriors,

"Eighty years have passed since the sounds of war were silenced, since the survivors stood on the bleeding soil of Europe, and the cries of our dead brothers and sisters still echo in their ears."

"On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we stand united, we carry the memory of the six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazi oppressor and we pledge to remember and never forget," he continued.

"We will remember the stories of terror and destruction, the faces and the names – lives that were cut short. Let us not forget the children who were cruelly torn from their families, the mother's arms stretched out in vain, and the steps that led to the unknown. We will remember the women and men who were led in the death cars, those who walked hand in hand until they took their last breath, and those who whispered a prayer and hoped for a final miracle," Zamir added.

"We will also engrave in our hearts the heroism of the Jewish fighters, the ghetto fighters, who, while surrounded by ashes and destruction, chose to raise their heads and fight back. We will continue to talk about the brave partisans; We will cherish with pride the strong desire to build and be built. We will continue to tell the story of the revival of the Jewish people in its land," he promised.

"Even today, our struggle for our freedom and security is not over. For more than eighteen months we have been at war with a cruel enemy that aspires to destroy us, but we are no longer a nation without an army to defend us. We are no longer at the mercy of others. We have an independent state and an army, with soldiers and commanders who are ready to fight and win. This is a determined war for our right to live freely in our country. We will also continue to fight for those who perished in the Holocaust, for those whose identities and communities were erased or who remained only in memory. For those who hoped for freedom but did not gain it."

"Soldiers and commanders of the IDF, out of the inferno arose exemplary figures, pillars of the Jewish state. Out of the great abyss, they built us a national home. We, their successors, stand firm on the guard of our land. We have a duty to live up to our mission and to provide every citizen of the State of Israel with protection and security, while at the same time preserving the memory of the Holocaust as a testimony and heritage for future generations. May their memory be blessed,"

Photo:  Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir   Courtesy of the IDF