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Israeli Air Force pilots saluted the bravery of the six million victims of the Holocaust and pledged to be the shield of the Jewish People in Israel.
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09/01
Israel Defense Forces |
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| By Ellis Shuman September 4, 2003 |
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Three Israeli Air Force F-15 fighter planes, piloted by offspring of Holocaust survivors, flew over the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp today as part of a salute to the victims' bravery and a pledge to be the "shield of the Jewish People in Israel." Representatives at the camp's museum said the show of military might was "inappropriate."
The Israel Air Force planes departed for Poland on August 28 to participate in events marking the 85th anniversary of the Polish Air Force. Several air forces from the around world participated in the event. The Israel Air Force took part in the main event staged at the Polish air base in Radom, during which the three F-15s passed over the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
During the flyover, the head of the IAF team Brig.-Gen. Amir Eshel announced, over the pilots' communication system and broadcasted simultaneously on the ground, "We Air Force pilots flying in the sky above the camp of horror, created from the ashes of six million victims, carry their silent cries, salute their bravery and promise to be the shield of the Jewish people in Israel."
The planes, emblazoned with the Star of David, flew above the camp along the railway tracks which led to the crematoria before peeling away. They were accompanied by two Polish MiG-29 jets.
"[The pilots] will fly over the camp for about a second to honor the ashes of their fathers and grandfathers," said Israel Ambassador to Poland Shevach Weiss. "This will be a very emotional moment for them. They will probably be crying in the planes."
In addition to the flyover, some 200 Israeli soldiers were due to take part at a ceremony in the camp, during which the names of victims who arrived at Auschwitz exactly 60 years ago, on September 4, 1943, were to be recited.
The flyover was staged with the full cooperation of the Polish authorities, a spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said. "It's a joint Israeli-Polish initiative and for a noble cause," spokesman Jonathan Peled said. "We share a tragic history, and obviously it's being done in full cooperation."
Museum representatives said they were not consulted. In a statement, the museum said it "deplores the demonstration of Israeli military might in this place."
"It's a cemetery, a place of silence and concentration," said museum spokesman Jaroslaw Mensfelt.
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