Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili received the highest award from the Friends of Zion Heritage Center for establishing a joint Israel-Georgia culture office and for the fight against anti-Semitism in Georgia.

If one ever asks why not simply forget the tragedy of the #Holocaust, the answer is simple: Remembrance is vital. It is only when humans remember that we can all prevent a repetition of things past, of things intolerable, of things unacceptable. #UnitedinMemory75 pic.twitter.com/3WWcAA3Ciw

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) January 21, 2020

Zion Heritage Center hosted the Georgian Embassy’s Presidential Ceremony.

The Georgian President accepted the award and addressed the event attendants.

 “These ceremonies are a necessity. ​Remembrance is vital. Only if humans remember can we all prevent the repetition of the past. Memory is what distinguishes humans from animals, and gives us the ability to acknowledge past crimes.

“We can never be confident enough that intolerance will not prevail once again.”

“We Georgians can be proud that there was never any distinction made in Georgia on the basis of religion. We always totally accepted this integral part of Georgia that was the Jewish community.”

“The inexistence of antisemitism cannot be in itself a cause of pride, just as one cannot pride oneself of not being a criminal. But Georgians can be proud of something else, of the quality of bonds that have existed between Georgians and Jews, between Georgians and Georgians,” Salome Zurabishvili stressed.

The inexistence of #antisemitism cannot be in itself a cause of pride, just as one cannot pride oneself of not being a criminal. But Georgians can be proud of something else, of the quality of bonds that have existed between Georgians and Jews, between Georgians and Georgians. pic.twitter.com/BS2cfGqLeC

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) January 21, 2020