The ambassador and mayor gave Yaldin a certificate of appreciation for his heroism as well as a birthday present.
"I am very excited. I have listened to many stories of many Holocaust survivors in Poland and in Israel and I am always excited. We must listen to such people," the Polish ambassador said in fluent Hebrew.
Yaldin, who is originally from the Polish town of Węgrów, was placed in a forced labor camp after the Germans occupied the city on September 10, 1939. Many Jews from the town were also murdered upon the German occupation, including the community rabbi. After escaping from the concentration labor camp during WWII, Yaldin was sent by Soviet authorities to labor camp in Siberia.
After being release at the end of the War, Yaldin migrated throughout the Soviet Republics in Central Asia until December 1949, when him and his entire family immigrated to Israel.
The town of Węgrów's Jewish community was decimated during the Holocaust, with some 8,000 sent to the Treblinka extermination camp on September 20, 1942, by members of the SS, Polish police and Ukrainian auxiliaries. Jews in hiding were also turned over to Nazi authorities by Polish collaborators.
During the visit, Magierowski spoke of the issue of antisemitism on social media, saying social media is full of antisemitic statements."Unfortunately, my country is not immune to this phenomenon either. Language is a great tool but also dangerous. Language can lead to beautiful things but also to dark events, even to the Holocaust. It is our duty to prevent hatred and racism."
An emotional #YomHashoah2021 ceremony in Kiryat Motzkin & a moving visit to Israel Yaldin, a Holocaust Survivor who has just turned 100 - Mazal Tov!Thank you Mayor Haim Zuri, Dr Lea Ganor @DrGanor and your team from the Mashmaut Center. #NeverForget #NeverAgain #WeRemember pic.twitter.com/8FwvcLFVF1
— שגרירות פולין (@PLinIsrael) April 8, 2021
He added that "The extermination of the Jews of Europe began with contempt. This is how the German Nazis tried to incite hatred against the Jews. Language was the main part of the murderous apparatus that the Nazis operated throughout Europe, with the help of their collaborators."