Ms. Lesley Weiss, Chair of the U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad, delivered a powerful speech. Her presence dignified of the ceremony and our efforts to preserve our heritage. Mr. Norman Thatcher Scharpf, Deputy Chief of Mission for the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava, spoke in both English and Slovak, stressing that we should never forget the victims of the Holocaust.

Mr. Boris Hanuščak, the Mayor of Bardejov, acknowledged the atrocities of the Holocaust and that it must not happen again. Prior to the memorial’s dedication, he accepted responsibility, on behalf of the town of Bardejov, for the maintenance of the memorial.

The Righteous of Bardejov—those individuals from Bardejov and vicinity who risked their lives and provided assistance for the survival and protection of Jews and Jewish places—were acknowledged. Their names are inscribed on one of the memorial’s five History Tablets. The ceremony concluded with El Maleh Rachamim and the Kaddish, the Jewish prayers for the dead, followed by Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem.