Philanthropist honours Holocaust survivors at home of Israeli president

A Jewish Israeli philanthropist addressed guests at the home of Israel’s president during a week of Yom HaShoah commemorations.

Eitan Neishlos, founder and chairman of the Neishlos Foundation and grandson of a Holocaust survivor, spoke on Monday at the residence of Isaac and Michael Herzog as part of the first Zikaron BaSalon (Shoah commemorative social gatherings at private homes) event marking Holocaust Remembrance Day.

As part of the evening, the album “Third Soundtrack,” commemorating the stories of Holocaust survivors through songs created by some of Israel’s top performers, was announced.

President Herzog and his wife Michal said: “It is a great honour to host Holocaust survivors and Zikaron BaSalon today. The songs of our lives are our soundtrack, and we enrich the younger generation by remembering through words and music. The album symbolises transgenerational continuity and the responsibility and commitment to preserve the memory of the Holocaust.”

Neishlos, born in Israel, brought up in South Africa, and later a Jewish community leader whilst living in Australia, was pivotal in both the production and promotion of the album.

He said: “’Third Soundtrack’ is an initiative that addresses the most critical point of Holocaust remembrance, connecting future generations – who will not get to hear first-person Holocaust testimonies – to the personal stories, collective memory and shared future.”

Adi Altschuler, founder of Zikaron BaSalon said: “I am thrilled to take part in this special album. It will enable us to transmit the memory of the Holocaust to the next generation. The album combines personal stories of survivors with diverse and vibrant contemporary Israeli art and creativity.”

The Neishlos Foundation was established to take responsibility on behalf of the third generation of Holocaust survivors and was founded in memory of Eitan Neishlos’s grandmother.

Recently, as reported by Jewish News, it successfully teamed up with International March of the Living, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation, and the Auschwitz Memorial, to raise EUR 500,000 (£438,000) from donors to save 8,000 pairs of children’s shoes at Auschwitz from disintegrating over time.