Martyrdom & Resistance, September/October 1998

ID Transcript mare2501a_01 "(DlII¥lf OCT 1 9 1998 Vol. 25 - No. 1 ISSN 0892-1571 September^ctober 1998 - Elul-Tishri 5759 Fourteenth Annual Yad Vashem Dinner on Nov. 22 Honorees: Joseph Bukiet; Joseph and Vicky Safra Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Israel and looking to the approaching century, the American and International Societies for Yad Vashem has set its fourteenth annual dinner for Sunday, November 22, at the New York Hilton. The honorees eminently reflect the themes of the dinner. They are Joseph J. Bukiet and Joseph Y. and Vicky Safra. Mr. Bukiet of Clifton, N.J., heads Bukiet Building & Management Co. A native of Proszowice, Poland, he survived the Cracow Ghetto, and Auschwitz- Birke- nau and the coal mines of Yavishowitz, Cravinkel, Aspenfeld, and Theresienstadt. A leader in the Jewish community in the international and local settings, Joseph Bukiet has been in the forefront of remembrance causes. He is Vice Chairman of the American and International Societies for Yad Vashem and chaired the opening of the Valley of the Destroyed Communities. He is a member of the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education, formed to develop a curriculum on the Holocaust. Locally, he is past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic and is honorary chairman and founder of the Holocaust Resource Center of Clifton-Passaic. He is an active member of the New Cracow Friendship Society. ""MOST OF MY WORLD PERISHED"" He speaks to many student, synagogue, an<\ church groups each year. ""Most of my world perished,"" he has often said, ""...my family, friends, and neighbors, children and the old. I believe I was spared for a purpose — to relate the story of the Holocaust. If I can teach just one person that prejudice is evil, and that it can be directed against anyone, then I feel that I have succeeded."" Residing in Sao Paulo, Brazil, the Safras have extended their involvement in Jewish concerns across the globe. The Safra Foundation has enhanced the cultural, educational, and religious life in Israel and other countries. In Brazil he has been honored with the Me- dalha da Ordem do Merito Cultural, conferred by the President of Brazil, in recognition of the cultural opportunities Mr. Safra has provided to his country. (Continued on page 8) *<:■:•:■$<;■;•:':><■ Vicky and JosephY. Safra Joseph J. Bukiet Accord Between Swiss Banks and Survivors ""The last chapter of the Holocaust"" may be coming to its closing pages. The narrative of the Nazi plunder of bank accounts, other assets, and cultural resources realized a resounding headline in August with an agreement between Swiss banks and Holocaust survivors. Faced with lawsuits, Switzerland's leading banks agreed to pay $1.25 billion to survivors and their heirs. Details have not been fully worked out between claimants and UBS, recently formed by the merger of Union Bank of Switzerland and Swiss Bank, and Credit Suisse. First reports from Geneva reported a citizenry ""relieved, but sour."" Newspaper stories frequently referred to the accord as ""blackmail."" Said Minister for the Economy Pascal Couchepin, ""Many people have the feeling that it was not the search for truth, but more a search for money. We were not accustomed to this kind of exploration in our history."" The accord was hailed by the chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate, Avner Shalev, ""as an agreement with historic ramifications because it indicates a deep change in the attitude of various elements in Europe to the Holocaust."" * 1*1 The International Society for Yad Vashem and Martyrdom and Resistance extends their best wishes for a Healthy, Prosperous and Peaceful New Year "