In a Knesset session marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the audience that the lesson learned from the Holocaust is that Jews can rely only on themselves.

"The State of Israel drew the lesson from the Holocaust, and has known since its founding how to protect itself and all its residents and supply a safe haven for all Jews everywhere," Sharon said. "We know we can trust no one but ourselves."

The special session opened with the El Maleh Rachamim (Prayer for the Dead), sung by cantor Azaria Schwartz. Many of the Holocaust survivors following the debate from the visitors´ gallery were unable to maintain their composure and burst out crying.

Sharon added, "This phenomenon, of Jews protecting themselves and fighting back, is deemed outrageous by the new anti-Semites. The legitimate self-defense measures which Israel takes in its war against Palestinian terror - measures any sovereign state would be obliged to take in order to safeguard its residents - are presented by sundry anti-Semites as Nazi-style acts of aggression.

"Many expressions of anti-Semitism in recent years are no longer directed at the Jew as an individual, but the embodiment of Jews in general. The State of Israel is the state of the Jews," Sharon said. "Sixty years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the evil that begat the horror still exists, and still poses a threat. Israel stands alongside governments and Jewish and international organizations from around the world who remember Auschwitz and are determined to fight this evil to the death. We will continue to work ceaselessly so the memory of Auschwitz and the lessons of the Holocaust are not forgotten, to ensure that Auschwitz does not return."

Sharon concluded his address saying, "Israel is a very small country, multi-talented and with a brave people, but it must always be remembered that this is the only place in the world where we, the Jews, have the right and the power to defend ourselves by ourselves, and we will never forfeit that. It is my and our historic responsibility."

MK Yossi Sarid riveted the audience with the account of little Pepichek, just 5 years old when he was rescued from Auschwitz, who marched alone in the snow and, when his legs failed him, sank into a deep sleep somewhere between the camp and the train depot and was left for dead by passersby.

Sarid told how Pepichek, one of Dr. Mengele´s twins, was separated from his mother Helena and twin sister Martha, who were standing beyond the camp´s electric fence. Sarid recounted the harrowing journey Pepichek endured until finally arriving in Israel in 1945. In closing, Sarid surprised the audience by announcing that "the little boy Pepichek is now sitting in the gallery reserved for the Knesset´s distinguished guests, alongside his father-in-law and two grandsons." Sarid asked Pepichek, whose full name is Pyotr Greenfeld, to stand up so everyone present could see his face. Pepichek rose and bowed to the audience. (© Copyright 2005 Haaretz. 01/27/05)