Yoni Kempinski, 27/11/19 00:08

“I didn’t expect this to become so big. I didn’t expect that this action of mine, that was totally done at the last minute, would have such a great reaction,” Chatila acknowledged.

“Thinking about it, I’m even more glad that I did it than before, because I realized that a little action is making big noise, and hopefully that big noise will bring a better world,” he added.

Chatila was asked whether he hopes Yad Vashem burns the items and replied, “No, because I think that keeping the memory alive is the most important thing and I think that it’s important to show our next generation and the generations that follow that Hitler was a real person and was alive. Keeping his belongings is proof that he was alive.”

He said that he was concerned that, with populism, racism and anti-Semitism gaining strength in Europe, someone would take these items and worship them. “I felt that these belongings did not belong to anyone else but the Jewish people.”

The gratitude he is receiving, he said, is “overwhelming. I’m very very honored.”

On Tuesday, Chatila was honored by the Conference of European Rabbis (CER) for his actions and was given a shofar as a gift.