Yad Vashem chairman meets Pope Leo XIV
Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican this week to discuss strengthening cooperation on Holocaust remembrance, documentation, and education.
Photo: The Vatican
The meeting focused on the shared responsibility to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and confront rising antisemitism. Dayan highlighted the value of documentation contained in the Vatican archives for advancing Holocaust research and deepening knowledge about Jewish victims and survivors. He also invited the Pope to visit Yad Vashem in Jerusalem.
“This was a warm and highly constructive meeting,” Dayan said. “His Holiness underscored the importance he places on preserving the memory of the Holocaust and reaffirmed his commitment to advancing our shared goals. We also addressed the alarming rise in antisemitism worldwide and the urgent need for coordinated, decisive action to confront it.”
Among possible areas of collaboration discussed were educational initiatives, public commemoration projects, and joint efforts to counter Holocaust distortion. The meeting builds on Dayan’s 2022 visit to the Vatican, where he met with Pope Francis. The past three Popes — including Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis — have all visited Yad Vashem, reflecting the Catholic Church’s longstanding engagement with Holocaust remembrance.
During the meeting, Dayan presented Pope Leo XIV with a reproduction of “Where Art Thou?” by Belgian-Jewish artist Carol Deutsch, who was murdered in the Holocaust. The artwork, part of a series created in 1941 for the artist’s daughter, references a biblical passage that Pope Francis quoted during his 2014 visit to Yad Vashem. The gift included an inscription from that speech as a sign of shared remembrance and respect.
