President Obama, Key Leaders Commemorate Yom Hashoah (Updated)

Jacob Miller — April 8, 2013 – 10:26 am | Barack Obama | Democrats | Israel Comments (0) Add a comment

Today is Yom Hashoah—Holocaust Remembrance Day. NJDC joins with the leaders below in remember those who were lost during the Holocaust.  

President Barack Obama:

I join people here in the United States, in Israel, and around the world in observing Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Today, we honor the memories of the six million Jewish victims and millions of others who perished in the darkness of the Shoah.  As we reflect on the beautiful lives lost, and their great potential that would never be fulfilled, we also pay tribute to all those who resisted the Nazis’ heinous acts and all those who survived.

On my recent trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial, and reaffirm our collective responsibility to confront anti-Semitism, prejudice, and intolerance across the world.  On this Yom Hashoah, we must accept the full responsibility of remembrance, as nations and as individuals-not simply to pledge “never again,” but to commit ourselves to the understanding, empathy and compassion that is the foundation of peace and human dignity.   

Secratary of State John Kerry:

It’s really such an honor to be here today to share in Yom HaShoah and to be there at Yad Vashem to lay a wreath on behalf of the American people, but most importantly to simply share in the uniqueness of that expression of sorrow and honor for this remarkable moment in history that we marked.

I was standing there listening to the siren wail and thinking of the stories people have told me of everybody in Israel stopping. If you’re in a car, you get out and you stand at attention. The whole country freezes. And I know it’s one of only two moments when that happens, for Yom HaShoah and for the fallen in battle in struggles. So that wailing had a profound impact on me. It was impressive. And I think the lesson of today is underscored in your comments about the possibilities for peace, the possibilities for people to live together without hatred, and finding the common ground. I believe in that, and I know you believe in that.

Photo Credit: State Department

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi:

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we pause to reflect and to remember, to pay tribute to the millions silenced forever and to mourn the men, women, and children brutally murdered for who they were and what they believed.  We recall the names and the stories of the six million and take heed of the lesson to never forget, to never stay silent, to never stand idly by in the face of bigotry and injustice.

“As we mark the 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, this day is a reminder of all who had the courage to fight back; who refused to allow the inhumanity of the Nazis to deprive them of their own humanity.  It is a reminder of the defiant spirit of the survivors, whose strength and perseverance still inspire us today.  It is a reminder of the righteous among the nations who risked their own lives to protect the lives of their neighbors.

“The message of Holocaust Remembrance Day is not limited to the memory of a tragic past; it is a plea to action in the present and future: to advance the cause of peace; to secure freedom for all faiths; to pursue justice, preserve equality, and uphold the promise of the common good.  Answering this call will be the true measure of our commitment to remember; it will ensure that the lives and legacy of the victims will continue to be a blessing for us all.

In addition @NJDC is retweeting statements from other leaders and sharing them on Facebook.    

 

 

Comments

There are no comments for this entry