Shimon Peres. Photo: World Economic Forum.

Israeli President Shimon Peres participated in the national Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony at the Yad Vashem museum in Jerusalem on Thursday, sharing a personal story about the period.

“I was born in Wieszniev (in Poland)… After the war, I learned that on Sunday August 30th… the Nazis who had seized it ordered the Jews to pack their belongings and present themselves at their doorsteps,” he said, according to the Israel National News.

“The SS officers passed by striking them and told them to proceed towards the synagogue,” Peres said. “One of them cried out ‘Jews, save yourselves!’ The Germans shot down those who tried to escape. The rest reached the synagogue which was made of wood. The doors were locked. All were burned alive. That was the last day of Rabbi Zvi Meltzer, my grandfather, my mentor. He was consumed by fire with his Tallit on his head. That was the last Jewish day in Wieszniev. Not even a single Jew remained alive.”