International Holocaust Remembrance Day Statement

“The six million Jews murdered by the Nazis must never be forgotten, and on International Holocaust Remembrance Day we honor the memory of all those who suffered in the worst genocide in human history.

The pain inflicted in that dark historic moment fell upon many other stigmatized groups, and it will span generations. But we must remember that the path to this unspeakable atrocity was seeded with words and ideas that de-humanized and incited animus. At this very moment in time, we see a resurgence of this type of hatred. Only knowledge, education and remembrance can counter these forces.

We owe it to this last generation of Holocaust survivors, as so many pass from this world, to keep their memories and spirit alive and to ensure that stolen property is returned to them. The solemn promise of ‘Never Again’ must motivate us, every single day, to confront hatred and protect the weakest and most persecuted among us and be mindful that blind, irrational hatred is a form of violence itself that can lead to tragedy.

May the memory of the righteous be a blessing. Z”KL.”