The Embassy of Israel and the Embassy of Hungary, in cooperation with the University of Santo Tomas, mounted an exhibition titled “Beyond Duty” dedicated to Holocaust survivors and diplomats recognized as Righteous Among the Nations, with a memorial ceremony for victims of the Holocaust. A screening of the 2016 Academy Award-winning Best Foreign Movie “Son of Saul” was also screened. These consecutive events were held on April 10, 2018 at the fourth floor of the Paredes Building, University of Santo Tomas, Manila.
The exhibition, titled “Beyond Duty,” first debuted in Jerusalem on January 27, 2018 to mark the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It honors Holocaust survivors and the righteous diplomats who risked their lives and the safety of their families to rescue hundreds of Jews.
After the opening of the exhibit, the memorial ceremony was held with a candle-lighting ceremony at 1:30 PM. It was led by the Ambassador of Israel to the Philippines His Excellency Effie Ben Matityau, the Ambassador of Hungary to the Philippines His Excellency József Bencze, UST Vice Rector for Religious Affairs Rev. Fr. Pablo T. Tiong, O.P., UST Director for Public Affairs Assoc. Prof. Giovanna V. Fontanilla, APR, UST College of Education Dean Prof. Allan de Guzman, Ph.D., UST Senior High School Assistant Principal for Curriculum and Instruction Assoc. Prof. Rodrigo Litao, Ph.D., Board Member of the Jewish Association of the Philippines Mr. Lee Blumenthal, Principal Assistant of the Office of Middle East and African Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Maria Christina Cecelia Hernandez, with Mr. Willi Hahn, grandson of a Jewish refugee.
The winner in the Butterfly Art Contest, Ms. Ysabella Perez, was also presented by Ambassador Matityau and the National Information Officer of the United Nations Information Centre Manila, Ms. Teresa Debuque. This contest expands on the Holocaust Museum Houston’s 1996 Butterfly Project, which was intended to commemorate the death of 1.5 million children who were victims of the Holocaust by inviting students from across the globe to express their empathy and hope in the form of a butterfly.
The Butterfly Art Contest and its namesake project drew inspiration from “The Butterfly,” a 1944 poem by Pavel Friedmann that illustrated the conditions of the prisoner camps. The display of butterflies connects new generations of youth to the memory of those who perished in the Holocaust.
“Son of Saul,” an Oscar-winning film by Director László Nemes, was screened following the messages of the Ambassador of Israel and the Ambassador of Hungary. The Hungarian drama film is set in the Auschwitz concentration camp in October 1944. It immerses the audience into the life of Saul Ausländer, a Jewish prisoner forced to assist the Nazis who finds the body of a boy he considers his son.
