A delegation from BVB that included Chief Executive Officer Hans-Joachim Watzke and Director of Sales & Marketing Carsten Cramer attended the cornerstone laying ceremony for the Shoah Heritage Campus in Yad Vashem (Jerusalem) on 2 May 2019. Borussia Dortmund have donated €1m to support the project.

The previous afternoon, the BVB representatives had met with fan club “Borussia Dortmund in "Israel" in Jerusalem. Founded in 2012, the supporters’ club boasts 50 active members and more than 1,000 BVB fans. Fan club members travel together to many BVB games and meet to watch the games in Israel. The supporters put many questions to the management directors. Topics discussed included the sporting situation and fan-specific issues but also the fight against anti-semitism and discrimination. "It’s great that there is such a big and active fan club in Israel,"  said Hans-Joachim Watzke, "I was very keen to get to know the supporters and to exchange views with them." Carsten Cramer added: "It’s always impressive to see the amount of supporters rooting for us outside Dortmund. We are delighted to exchange views with them, it’s always interesting."

"We will continue to ensure that history will not be forgotten in the future."

After the visit of the fan club, the BVB delegation attended the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day ("Yom Hashoah") ceremony at the Yad Vashem remembrance centre. The commemoration included the laying of the cornerstone of the new Shoah Heritage Campus, to be built with financial support of BVB. At the heart of the Campus will be the Shoah Heritage Collections Center, which will serve as the home of thousands of personal effects, artworks and fragments of Jews murdered in the Holocaust. These items are preserved and used to educate; they will give shape to the victims’ identities, ensuring that they will never be forgotten.

"It was a moving and poignant ceremony. I’m very proud that we, Borussia Dortmund, were able to play our part in supporting the building of this special place and in helping to keep the memory alive," Watzke said. "We will continue to ensure that history will not be forgotten in the future and will also continue to organise educational trips for fans, staff, partners and sponsors." Borussia Dortmund have been supporting a number of projects dedicated to fighting antisemitism and racism of all kind since 2008.

At the conclusion of their visit to Israel, Hans-Joachim Watzke and Carsten Cramer laid a wreath in BVB colours in memory of the Holocaust victims at "The Valley of Communities" site.

Photos: Muki Schwartz