international holocaust remembrance 2018

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

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    ​Amb​. Danon speech on International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2018
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    Secretary-General Guterres, President Lajčák, Ambassador Heusgen, Ambassador Eckels-Currie, distinguished ambassadors, honored guests:

    On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we pay our respects to the six million Jews who perished at the hands of evil. We honor the survivors and righteous gentiles who walked the tightrope separating life and death for future generations. We remember their fight for moral goodness. Most importantly, we tell our children the unthinkable stories of this dark chapter in human history so that no tragedy of its kind will ever happen again. 

    In 2005, we, the member states of the United Nations General Assembly pledged to embrace this mission. We established this Day of Remembrance, swearing never to forget the crimes that so deeply afflicted our world. 

    We denounced Holocaust denial. We condemned the words and deeds that would inflame the scars of survivors, and diminish hope for a more peaceful future.

    This past year, we made a significant leap. The UN Secretary-General declared that anti-Zionism is nothing more than the modern version of Antisemitism. He made it clear that the UN would not stand for it and would not tolerate it. And we are grateful for that.

    Yet, too many UN member states do tolerate it. Too many do stand for it. They have not fulfilled the Secretary-General’s call yet. 

    They have turned Antisemitism into the “racism that dare not speak its name.”

    From the far corners of the world, to the very seats in this room, Israel and Jews remain targets of Antisemitism, masked as anti-Zionism. Many stay silent while Antisemitism plagues the streets of world capitals. And many stay silent while the State of Israel is told it has no right to exist. 

    It was once said that war does not truly begin when troops are deployed or weapons are fired. But that war truly begins when everyday people are told they are allowed to hate. Today, that is exactly what is happening. 

    A few hours ago, the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva published a report which included information on the number of Israeli and international companies operating in parts of Israel.

    Over the centuries, anti-Semites boycotted Jewish businesses. They barred the general public from trading with the Jewish community, and labeled Jews in an attempt to isolate them.  

    The information published today by the Human Rights Council is more of the same. The Human Rights Council will now join history’s infamous list of anti-Semites and bigots, who ultimately failed in their attempts to devastate the Jewish people.

    The Secretary-General made a bold declaration. But too many nations fell short. 

    In September 2017, a 78 year-old French Jewish community leader and his family were taken hostage, beaten and robbed. The attackers yelled, and I quote, “You are Jews –where is the money?”

    A University of Oslo study published in 2017 reports that over half of the Jews in France have considered leaving the country due to violent Antisemitism. 

    This past December, a group of masked men in Sweden threw Molotov cocktails at a synagogue, attempting to light it on fire. Jewish worshippers were inside the building celebrating Channukah! They were forced to hide in the basement. 

    And just a few weeks ago, a speaker at a protest in Stockholm screamed that the Jews are “apes and pigs.”

    For years, we have stood here on this podium condemning these acts. But they continue.

    In light of this evidence, I ask you: when the United Nations, in 3 years…passes 83 resolutions against Israel, and just 14 on the entire rest of the world – what does that teach our young people?

    It teaches them that it is acceptable – even ethical – to delegitimize the world’s only Jewish state. It teaches them that there is nothing wrong with Antisemitism.

    Anti-Zionism at the UN promotes Antisemitism worldwide.

    Today, no one wants to be labeled an anti-Semite. In fact, most people are offended when they are called anti-Semitic. But some member states have made it acceptable to be anti-Zionist. It has made it popular – even expected – to attack Israel. It gives a platform for those who have openly called for our destruction. 

    This is the normalization that leads to evil.

    I would like to be clear. Not every criticism of Israeli policy is Antisemitism. Israel is a democracy. We welcome the diversity of opinion. We are open to constructive dialogue. 

    But that is not what is happening here at the UN. 

    The UN treats the only Jewish state differently than any other state in the world. 

    The way the UN attacks Israel is not just a double standard. It is a symptom of Antisemitism. 

    In the face of evil, we must adopt an action plan for prevention. We must be upstanders, and stand up in the face of evil. We cannot afford to be bystanders. 

    Before the war, world leaders in your positions had the opportunity – maybe – to prevent the Holocaust. They could have stepped in and saved countless lives. But they ignored their duties. They pushed the problem away. Now is the opportunity to learn from their mistakes. 

    You will soon hear a moving testimony from Eva Lavi.

    Eva Lavi was a little girl who grew up in Poland during the Holocaust, and survived the Nazi atrocities. 

    She will tell the truth – the truth that no law can distort.

    We must never allow any legislation to pass that denies the truth and rewrites history. We will remember those few brave souls who stood strongly against evil and saved Jews from death. But we will never forget about those who cooperated with the Nazi killers. We will firmly oppose any attempt to falsify history. 

    Eva Lavi was the youngest child saved by Oskar Schindler. Eva was just two years old when the carnage broke out. 

    First, she was sent to the Krakow Ghetto. Then a labor camp, where she was added to Schindler’s list. But then she ended up in Auschwitz. 

    One day, a miracle happened. Everyone on Schindler’s list was collected to begin their work in his factory. But the Nazi in charge almost did not let Eva go. He said she was clearly too small to work in a factory. But Oskar Schindler stood up. He told the Nazi that he needed Eva for a very special task – one that only her small hands could handle. 

    By standing up against the authorities with the utmost bravery and the clearest morality, Oskar Schindler saved Eva’s life. 

    Eva now lives in Israel – our beautiful, thriving Jewish democracy, with two children and three grandchildren. She is a survivor, along with nearly 1,000 other Jews who were saved by Oskar Schindler. 

    Every person in this room must find his inner Oskar Schindler. We must be like Oskar Schindler when we see Israel treated unfairly in this room. And we must be like Oskar Schindler when we see Antisemitism in our streets. 

    Just as Schindler did, we will defeat the poison of evil and hatred with the strength of unity and justice.

    Thank you.