Grandson of survivors barred from U.N. Holocaust memorial after photographing security confrontation

"The grandson of Holocaust survivors was blocked from attending the United Nations Holocaust Remembrance Day event in New York City after taking a photograph of influencer Lizzy Savetsky’s confrontation with security over an Israeli flag.

Julian Voloj was going through the security line at the UN General Assembly Hall when he saw security guards ‘harassing’ Savetsky, a prominent pro-Israel social media influencer.

The security guards told Savetsky that she could not enter the event wearing her blazer, which had a bedazzled Israeli flag displayed prominently on its back. She was eventually allowed into the General Assembly Hall after checking her jacket.

‘I do find it interesting that I was asked to check my Judaism at the door of an International Holocaust Remembrance Day event. Kind of ironic, no?’ said Savetsky in an Instagram post about the incident.

After instinctively using his phone to take photos of the confrontation between Savetsky and security, Voloj said a security guard ‘stormed right to me, moved me aside, took my phone, used my face ID to access my photos and made me delete the pictures.’

From there, Voloj, who serves as the executive director of Be’chol Lashon, a nonprofit promoting Jewish diversity, said the security guard took his pass for the event and escorted him off the premises.

Voloj said he was not at the event in a professional capacity, only as the ‘grandchild of Holocaust survivors.’ He said the experience left him ‘furious.’...

‘Being a grandson of Holocaust survivors and then being so badly treated at the UN and kicked out for standing up for someone who, politically, I might not even agree with, I mean, I’m just beyond words,’ said Voloj...

After attending the ceremony nearly every year since 2007, Voloj said he had never seen someone targeted for wearing clothing that featured a national flag.

‘The UN obviously always had an anti-Israel bias,’ said Voloj. ‘I feel like, probably, given the whole world climate, he felt empowered to do this because it was an Israeli flag on a jacket.’...

‘I felt like, really, the Gestapo was just kicking me out,’ he said. ‘Standing up for something that is wrong and being then punished for this, I’m just very shaken.’

Looking ahead, Voloj said he was unsure if he would make his annual pilgrimage again to the UN’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day event.

‘I’m not sure if I’m coming back next year,’ he said. ‘This left such a bitter taste for me.’"