I was born on the banks of the Nile River and was left in a basket in the reeds. At the early age of seven, I had already felt the yoke of slavery and tasted the bitter taste of bondage, carrying heavy bricks on my back.

Together with 600,000 of my brethren, I stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, engulfed in smoke and declared with them all: “We shall perform the commandments and we shall listen”. It was there; in the midst of the vast desert we received the holy Torah.

I mourned the death of our great leader Moshe, at Mount Nevo, where at its summit G-d showed him the entire area of the Promised Land to which he had led us. And, following in the footsteps of Yehoshua Bin Nun, I crossed the Jordan River and finally set foot in the Promised Land for the first time.

Together with the warriors of my tribe, the Tribe of Ephraim, we conquered the land from the Cananites; there I planted my orchard of olive trees. The trees grew and bore fruit, and I prayed not only for rain, but also for the fulfillment of my dream to press oil and light the Menorah in Beit Hamikdash.

My father taught me the art of hewing stones, and thus I found myself hewing stones to be used for the walls of Jerusalem – The Capital of King David. And from the heights of the wall I gazed upon Mount Moriah, and saw King Solomon offer the first sacrifice to G-d at the Temple.

I was far away, high up in the hills, when it happened. I could see the smoke from my olive orchard and I remember the smell till this day.  The Babylonians had burnt our Temple, our Mikdash. The sons of Tzidkiyahu, our King, were murdered before his eyes.  After witnessing their brutal death, the conquerors blinded him.  Together, the King limping and leaning heavily on my shoulder, we marched, our heads bent, in a long convoy of refugees, on our way to exile in Babylon.

In Babylon, we sat on the banks of the River and wept.  We wept and vowed:  “If we forget thee O Jerusalem, we will forget our right hand”, and deep in my heart I took yet another vow: “I will return!”

Ezra was the person who rekindled our hopes.  He gathered us together and led us back to the Holy Land.  Our land was barren and in a state of destruction.  But from these ruins, we built a new Temple and I returned to my orchard.  It was here that my first son was born, a symbol of hope and rebirth.

“Those who are for the Lord follow me!” was the cry that still reverberates in my ears.  After hearing the call, I followed Judah the Maccabee and fought many a bloody battle against the Greeks.  Once we won the battle, I pressed oil from my olives and brought it to the re-sanctified Temple.  With this oil, we re-lit the Menorah and once again the light shone from Jerusalem.

In Spain, I was afraid of my own shadow.  I was forced to hide my Jewish Identity.  We could only pray and learn Torah deep down in the basements and cellars in secret.

The nightmare didn’t end there in Kishinev.  They pursued me, running after me, trying to catch me.  They accused us of using the blood of a Christian boy for our wine on Pesach.  They broke into our homes and the riots began.  We fled to the streets and ran.  I could run fast, but Hanna was slower than me…she was caught.

At first, it was only a yellow star.  Crowded rooms, hunger, starvation and illness followed in the Ghetto.  My mother and father were taken in the Aktzia.  Chaim and Menachem were taken, too.

Along with a handful of survivors, I began to revolt.  A bottle I had found in the street became my weapon, and with all the strength I had left in me, I threw it directly at the German who came running at me.

Together with millions of my brothers and sisters, I was cremated and turned into ashes in Treblinka.  I rose to the sky in a pillar of fire and clouds….

I was reborn on an Aliya Bet boat.  Under the cover of darkness, we stole into the Promised Land once again.

I am a true traveler, following the steps of my forefathers.  And just as I

escorted them, over there and in those days, they too join me and stand

with me, here and now”.

Taken from former President Ezer Weitzman’s speech in the German Bundestag on January 16, 1996.