Photo credit: kremlin.ru
Russian president Vladimir Putin opened the monument to the victims of the Leningrad siege in Jerusalem. He cut a symbolic ribbon together with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, January 23, during his visit to Israel, RIA Novosti reported.
The monument was installed in one of the parks of the city center. A nine-meter column made of brass is crowned with a cast part of bronze, which symbolizes the flame of a candle. A text about the Leningrad siege in Russian, English and Hebrew is written on the plate at the foot of the column. The design of the monument was created in collaboration with St. Petersburg and Israeli architects.
The project cost exceeded two million dollars. Money for the construction of the monument was collected through voluntary donations around the world. A significant part of the funds was transferred from Russia.
The monument weighs more than twelve tons; it has become one of the largest Israeli memorials.
A capsule with soil from the Piskaryov cemetery in St. Petersburg, where a lot of siege victims rest, was previously laid at the foundation of the monument.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is commemorated on January 27. The Israeli authorities invited several dozen delegations from different countries. In total, the largest in the history of Israel forum will be attended by presidents, heads of government, speakers of parliaments and monarchs of almost fifty states.
Russkiy Mir
