Dear Holocaust survivors, Chief Director for the Middle East at DIRCO, Ambassador Zanele Makina, Chief Rabbi Goldstein, Bishop Lekganyane of the Zionist Christian Church, Prince Buthelezi, Ambassadors and High Commissioners, members of the diplomatic core, representatives of the Jewish Community, Dear Friends,
We have come together tonight, in this significant place – the holocaust museum in Johannesburg – to solute bravery. To pay tribute to the wonderful spirit of humanity.
We salute the human spirit of the holocaust survivors. The brave people that survived what their six million brothers, sisters, parents and children did not. What MIGHT and optimism you have - dear survivors - to have seen what you saw, experience such horrors, but overcome the past and to establish a new and optimistic future for yourselves and for us.
Just last week, we lost a fellow Holocaust Survivor, Mordechai Perlov. He was a true embodiment of this human spirit and optimism. After experiencing such horrors at the young age of 14, and despite not being able to get formal education, he came to South Africa and became a successful businessman. He raised a beautiful family and became an inspiration to those who knew him.
Tonight we also salute the brave soldiers of the allied countries, who paid the ultimate sacrifice to stop, 75 years ago, the Nazi machine of destruction. Allow me to personally thank the American Ambassador Lana Marks, The Russian Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Vladimir Yakovlev, the South African government representative and the representatives of the allied countries for joining us here today.
But this evening we do not only salute the bravery of countries and armies. We also honor the bravery of individuals. The people who made a choice to listen to their conscience and save Jews during the Second World War. They did so while putting themselves and their families at great risk, as their fate was obvious if they were found to be protecting Jews from the inferno.
The state of Israel does not hand out medals. The only medal we hand out is for these special individuals that were acknowledged by “Yad Vashem” Museum in Israel, and given the title of “Righteous among the nations”. To date, Israel has recognized over 26,000 righteous among the nations. They have come from 50 different countries, citizens from around the world – not only Europe. From the famous Oscar Schindler, to lesser-known heroes, from farmers and workers to diplomats who operated against their government’s orders.
We do so in order to emphasize that the acts that these people have done are the most honorable and brave. They put into action the Jewish saying כל המציל נפש אחת כאילו הציל עולם ומלואו “he who saves one life, it is, as if he has saved an entire world”. We are hopeful that the world will see these individuals and follow in their bravery.
Today we have a unique opportunity to honor such an individual. We will be presenting this prestigious award to the descendants and family members of Rinske Van Den Brink. She and her husband, Aart, saved the young Jewish boy Abraham Staal, at great risk to their and their children’s lives.
I wish I could stop here. After these stories of bravery. Of countries and individuals that defeated and survived the Nazi regime. But the picture is sadly more complicated than that.
Exactly today, 75 years ago, the soldiers of the Red Army entered a Nazi camp in Poland. The world recognized this place as the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. But this was not a camp. It was hell itself. Where 1.1 million Jews were executed and sent to the gas chambers. The sights revealed to the soldiers that reached Auschwitz, and the other awful places throughout Europe, shook and horrified the world.
The thought that humans – flesh and blood – are able to commit these atrocities towards man was incomprehensible then, and, are incomprehensible now. One would assume the world has learned its lesson.
Yet, only 75 years after the Holocaust, we are stunned to see how anti-Semitism and hatred of Jews are back - center stage. As if, we have learned nothing from history. As if, humanity has not already sacrificed so much life in order for us to improve as a society.
Is 75 years the memory-life-cycle after which humanity erases its memory and begins a new?
The years 2018 and 2019 brought a new record of anti-Semitic incidents around the world. In these years alone, anti-Semitic shootings followed Jews in the United States and Germany while they were praying in Synagogues, shopping at kosher supermarkets, attacks that killed more than 20 people. Jews have reported that they can no longer wear a kippah, a star of David necklace, or any other Jewish symbol without being attacked, demeaned or experience physical or verbal abuse.
In a survey done by the EU, 89% of Jews in Europe answered that anti-Semitism has risen in their countries in the last 5 years. This is the same pattern that we are seeing on University campuses globally.
The international community sees all this and responds too slowly – if at all.
Even though the United Nations was created as a result of the second World War in which the Holocaust occurred, it took the organization more than 60 years to mark an international Holocaust Remembrance day.
Similarly, only a few months ago – 74 years after the establishment of the UN – did the organization release its first about the global issue of anti-Semitism.
60 years to recognize the need to mark the horrific events of the Holocaust. 74 years to say “Houston we have a problem” when it comes to the existence of global anti-Semitism.
These developments are important, and I hope they will act as a catalyst for actionable decisions to fight against this awful manifestation.
Another important organization not yet reaching its full potential is the IHRA (the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance). This organization was created in 1998 in order to create a task-force for international corporation on Holocaust education, remembrance and research.
In 2016 the members of this body reached a decision to define anti-Semitism. A definition that was later adopted by a portion of countries that are members of that alliance. An important act indeed. So far, that’s the good news.
The bad news is that only 34 countries are part of this alliance (29 European countries, Canada, the USA and Australia, Israel and only one representative of the rest of the world – Argentina).
7 other countries are “observers” (4 European countries Uruguay, El Salvador and Turkey (Thank you to the Turkish Ambassador for joining us tonight)). In other words, over 150 countries round the world, do not recon that there is any need to learn from what happened in the darkest period of modern human history, nor from the definition of anti-Semitism and how to fight it.
Until this happens, it is the museums and institutions, like this center, that have taken upon themselves the job of countries and governments. They promote recognition of the Holocaust by the public with a special emphasis on the youth – the next generation.
They are leading the almost desperate attempt to try to prevent history repeating itself. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the management and team of the Holocaust and Genocide Center of Johannesburg for their brave efforts and work to promote the memory of the Holocaust, and, for their open arms in welcoming us here this evening for this special commemoration event.
Just as Israel promoted the UN decision for this day of commemoration, and the establishment of the IHRA, so it will continue to lead the efforts to keep the remembrance of the Holocaust and the fight against anti-Semitism high on the global agenda. It was only a few days ago that Israel hosted 45 world leaders that declared that the international community is not doing enough in these fields. It was a clear call from Jerusalem, than anti Zionism and denying Israel’s right to exist are a form of anti-Semitism, which must be uprooted. I hope these proclamations will not disappear with the wind. They must turn into actions so we can ensure - - - “Never again!”
Thank you!
It is my honor to invite Chief Director for the Middle East at the Department for International Relations and Cooperation, Zanele Makina, to the stage to say a few words.