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Russian Jewish Museum opened in Moscow

Visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the opening ceremony

 MOSCOW, November 8 (Itar-Tass) — The Russian Jewish Museum and the Center of tolerance opened in Moscow on Thursday. Visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended the opening ceremony.

Addressing the ceremony, Sergei Lavrov pointed out that the participation of Nobel Peace Prize winner Shimon Peres in the opening ceremony was a symbolic act of particular significance. The Russian foreign minister read out a message of greetings to participants in the ceremony from President Vladimir Putin.

"Any attempts to revise the results of World War II and deny Holocaust are not merely a cynical lie, but also an act of oblivion of the lessons taught by history," President Putin said in the message.

“I express my congratulations upon opening the Jewish museum and the Center of tolerance. I am convinced that this is one more proof of special relations between the two countries and their people. The biggest world museum of history of the Jewish people is unique in many aspects and has its own peculiarity. Its vast collection covers historically important epochs and events of key importance from the biblical period to the modern epoch. Archive documents dedicated to the victims of World War II occupy a prominent place in the museum collection, " Putin said in the message.

"Both Russia and Israel cherish the memories of the past war. We should clearly realize that attempts to revise Russia's contribution into the great victory and deny Holocaust, which was a page of disgrace in the world history, are not merely a cynical and unscrupulous lie, but also an act of oblivion of the lessons taught by history," Putin said. "Our moral duty is to uphold the truth, defend honor, dignity and the honest name of the live and the dead. I am confident that the museum will be a vivid embodiment of the ideas of an international dialogue and accord," President Putin said in the message.

The Jewish museum and the Center of tolerance are situated in the building of the former Bakhmetyev bus fleet which represented a Soviet avant-garde and constructive trend in the city development. The building occupies more than 8,500 square meters. It was built to a project by architects Konstantin Melnikov and Vladimir Shukhov in 1926-1927.