International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust

Minister Yaacov Ben-Izri
Ambassador Levanon
Professor Cotler
Excellencies
Ladies and Gentlemen
Dear Friends:

Today, we recall the horror and the inhumanity of the Nazi death camps. The sheer dimensions of the organized murder of Jews and others, the very scale of the systematic attempt at destroying an entire people, make the Holocaust a unique calamity that cannot – and should not – be forgotten, let alone denied. That is why, on Friday, 26 January, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution condemning without reservation any denial of the Holocaust, and recalling that remembrance of the Holocaust is critical to preventing future acts of genocide.

Sadly, other genocides and atrocities have followed the Holocaust, and the world has been unable, or unwilling, to prevent or stop them. If we are to spare future generations from similar tragedies, we must carry forward the lessons of the Holocaust. We must not allow any of lessons of the Holocaust and of the Second World War to be distorted. It is our responsibility as individuals; and it is our responsibility as the human family. Those who try to legitimize the ideology and practices of genocide must keep in mind the outcome of the Second World War.

In remembering, we honour the victims, and we show our respect to the survivors. At the same time, we pay tribute to those who stood up, those who fought and those who died to defeat the racism and bigotry that was the foundation of the Holocaust. Let them continue to inspire us so that we do not remain paralyzed and passive in the face of prejudice and discrimination. Let them serve as models for the young people of today and tomorrow – to remind them to stand firm and prompt them to act when confronted with intolerance and injustice. The youth of today needs to understand and be confident in the knowledge that in helping to overcome hatred and brutality each and every human being counts.

The failure by a single human being to respect the rights, integrity and dignity of even one person can be the beginning of a tragedy for an entire nation. Today, therefore, we reaffirm our shared determination to uphold and defend the human rights of every individual.

The United Nations was founded on our collective commitment to ensuring that the evil of the Holocaust would never re-occur. We owe it to the victims of the Holocaust – and of other acts of genocide – to honour this commitment.

Thank you.