Frydenberg tearful at Yad Vashem

AN emotional Josh Frydenberg wiped away tears as he walked through Yad Vashem, the world’s most respected Holocaust museum, with Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Dan Tehan on Sunday night (Australian time).

Frydenberg, the most senior Jewish member of federal Parliament, said the Holocaust was not just a crime against the Jewish people, but a crime against humanity.

“When General Eisenhower liberated the camps and saw the sites of the death and destruction by Nazi forces, he said there would come a time when the people of the world would not believe what had occurred,” Frydenberg said.

“It’s up to good people around the world to say, ‘never again’.”

Frydenberg said that, like thousands of Jewish Australians, he has had family who died in the Holocaust and some who survived.

“When you see the faces of the victims of the Holocaust, you can not help but be moved and to just be amazed that the German people, people who produced the likes of Bach and Mozart, could reach such depravity and such a low point in the story of the human people.”

His comments were echoed by Tehan.

“We saw today again a reminder of the darkest part of the human soul,” Tehan said.

“Six million people killed in factories that were set up as factories to kill people.

“1.5 million children died. This is something the world can never forget – and we have to make sure that we never forget.”

While Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull won’t arrive until later on Monday (Australian time), he is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on defence industry cooperation between the Australian and Israeli defence departments and, while in Israel, he will establish an annual Bilateral Strategic Defence Dialogue.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten landed in Israel overnight and said that he will be attending the celebration and commemoration “to pay tribute to the men of the first Anzac in the first world war and in deed all of the men and women who served in the Middle Eastern theatre of operations”.

Shorten will travel to the Aida Refugee Camp, which is located 2km north of Bethlehem, on Monday and then he will meet with senior figures in the Palestinian Authority, Israeli government and Israeli opposition.

JOSHUA LEVI