In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, Silicon Valley executives will host Holocaust remembrance events as part of the Zikaron BaSalon (Memories in the Living Room) project.
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, WhatsApp founder Jan Koum, Houzz founder Adi Tatarko and ICON’s founder and CEO Yasmin Lukatz, will host their friends, colleagues, youths, and other members of the community in their homes for intimate discussions with Holocaust survivors.
At each event, attendees will listen to a Holocaust survivor’s story, followed by an artistic performance and a discussion among attendees.
The new initiative was brought to Silicon Valley by Yasmin Lukatz, ICON’s founder and CEO, in partnership with the Israeli-American Council (IAC), in order to leverage the influence of America’s leading technology hub to promote tolerance through Holocaust remembrance.
Zikaron BaSalon is a community project that shares first-hand stories of the Holocaust from a survivor in the living room of a home, providing a powerful discussion in an intimate setting.
“While creating and exporting innovation worldwide, Silicon Valley also has a responsibility to harness the power of technology and the community to promote values of morality and justice,” said Lukatz, who founded the ICON non-profit in order to create a community to harness and support Israeli technology and innovation in Silicon Valley.
“While the number of Holocaust survivors diminishes each year, and we see an alarming increase in anti-Semitism around the world, I’m proud of our many partners, founders and top executives who have chosen to join us and raise awareness,” she said.