President Rivlin's Remarks At The Main Ceremony At Yad Vashem Marking 75 Years Since The Liberation Of Auschwitz-Birkenau (Photos)

By BJLife Israel Newsroom
Posted on 01/23/20

President Rivlin:
*We are also standing here today, Kings, leaders, heads of state, at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, “So we remember. So we don’t forget.” On behalf of the Jewish people, and as President of the State of Israel I thank you from the bottom of my heart for coming here. Thank you for your solidarity with the Jewish people. Thank you for your commitment to Holocaust remembrance. Thank you for your commitment to the citizens of the world who believe in liberty and human dignity.

For millions of my people who were exterminated in the Holocaust, and for the millions of victims of the Second World War, the allies’ choice came too late. But they managed to stand up to the Nazi monster and say – no more. At the end of the day, liberty, human dignity and the alliance of humanity won the Second World War.

Today, we mark the ability of the international community then to unite, to work for a common goal, and the duty and the imperative of the international community today to continue to work together on the basis of shared values as we face antisemitism and racism, radical forces that spread chaos and destruction, hatred and fear of human dignity and humanity itself.

Human dignity, liberty and solidarity also went up in the smoke of the crematoria. Nazi race theory cost the lives of over 66 million people. Let us be clear – antisemitism does not stop with the Jews. Antisemitism and racism are a malignant disease that destroys and pulls societies apart from within, and no society and no democracy is immune.

State of Israel is not compensation for the Holocaust. This is our home and this is our homeland. It is where we came from and where we returned. Israel is a strong democracy and a proud member of the family of nations. We are not a people waiting for redemption, but a state that looks for partnership – that demands partnership.

Antisemitism is a chronic disease. It comes from left and right, taking on and discarding forms during history. Antisemitism has not changed. It is us who have changed.

the IHRA definition of antisemitism, a comprehensive definition that includes all types of contemporary antisemitism, and call on all countries to do the same. The Age of Responsibility – the responsibility of all of us sitting here – is not over.
Dear Holocaust survivors: you are our miracle. Your strength of spirit built houses and planted trees, and your heroism ensured our freedom in a Jewish and democratic, democratic and Jewish state.*

Photo Credit - Mark Neyman (GPO)