Ambassador of Belarus E.Vorobyev participates in the ceremony of presenting the Medal and the Certificate of Honor to the Righteous Among the Nations

On May 25, 2022 at the Yad Vashem Memorial Complex in Jerusalem, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the State of Israel, Evgeny Vorobyev, took part in the solemn ceremony of presenting the medal and the Certificate of Honor to the Righteous Among the Nations. 

Back in 2019, this honorary title was posthumously awarded to Kondratiy and Anna Lakotko from Belarus. During the years of the Nazi occupation, they sheltered six Jews – Kalman and Shimon Kotser, Yitzhak and Gitl Aron, Shmuel and Reizl Engel. 

The awards were presented to Pantelei Lakotko, the son of the Righteous. 

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador of Belarus noted that despite the incredible suffering and colossal losses of the Belarusian people during the Nazi occupation, Belarusians always found a way to show a human compassion and offer a helping hand. The family of Lakotko along with hundreds of already known and probably thousands of still unknown Belarusians who saved Jews are a great example of nobility and fearlessness even under a death threat. Their heroism will forever remain in the memory of the Belarusian and Jewish peoples. 

Kondratiy and Anna Lakotko took their rightful place among almost seven hundred Righteous from Belarus. Their names, carved on a stone slab, are now immortalized in the Garden of the Righteous Among the Nations, located on the territory of the Yad Vashem Memorial Complex. 

The ceremony was attended by the Chair of the Board and members of Yad Vashem, representatives of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, descendants of the rescued Jews with their relatives and friends. 

The event was held on the eve of the 30th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Belarus and the State of Israel.
 

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