Jewish communities across the world intend to finance a $1-million project to build a memorial in Israel to commemorate the Soviet Red Army's victory over the Nazis, the Israeli government's press service said on Sunday.
The idea to build the monument belongs to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who announced it during his visit to Moscow in February 2010.
"The budget is $1 million, which will come from donations of Jews across the globe," the government's news release said.
Last week, a Russian-Jewish jury chose the design for the memorial, which will be set up on the Mediterranean coast in the city of Netanya. Out of 75 competitors, the jury chose a design by Russian sculptors.
"I think it [the project] will help convey the profound gratitude we feel toward all those who fought in that monstrous war to save humanity," Netanyahu said at a government session on Sunday.
The Russian sculptors - Salavat Scherbakov, Vasily Perfilyev and Mikhail Naroditsky - have designed the memorial in the form of a dark labyrinth with its twists signifying tragic moments in the history of Jewish people, starting from Egyptian slavery, destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and ending with genocide by the Nazi.
At the end of the labyrinth, there is a sunlit open ground with a view on the sea, with a white pigeon's wings pointing toward the sky as a symbol of peace and kindness.
"About half a million of Jews fought in the Red Army, and many of them are still living in Israel. This memorial is also a tribute to their heroism and contribution to the victory," Netanyahu said.
Russian Ambassador to Israel Peter Stegney said the project was to start in May and to be finished within a year.
TEL AVIV, March 6 (RIA Novosti)
