A ceremony was held in memory of Alexander Pechersky, the leader of the Sobibor Uprising
The ceremony was held on October 16, 2012 at Amigour's Derech Hashalom sheltered housing facility in Tel Avi. Over 200 people attended including Ministers Yuli Edelstein and Sofa Landver, Amigour Chairman Arieh Abir, officials of the Russian Embassy in Israel, public figures, residents of the sheltered home and Amigour personnel.
Two of the most important people at the ceremony were themselves Sobibor survivors: 101 year-old Simcha Bialovitz, and Amigour resident 90 year-old Semion Rosenfeld.
The guest of honor was Natalia Ladichenko, Alexander Pechersky's granddaughter.
The event drew extensive media coverage, with over 10 television networks primarily from Russia and Israel, reporting on the ceremony. There was excitement throughout the event, and the speakers displayed great emotion.
Time and again, the importance of commemorating the Sobibor Uprising was reiterated. Fittingly, an empty seat was reserved in the front row for Alexander Pechersky, among those who fought the Nazis.
Amigour resident Semion Rosenfeld, one of the last survivors of Sobibor, stressed that the uprising succeeded and not only led to inmates escaping but also the destruction of the camp, and to the cessation of the process of extermination there.
Natalia's granddaughter's address was particularly moving. She thanked Amigour and those present on behalf of the family, and said that "a person lives on inside us as long is their memory is alive," and that Amigour's work revives and maintains her grandfather's memory.
The ceremony ended with the laying of a wreath by representatives of the government, Amigour, the survivors and the family, and with the singing of Hatikvah.
