Leaders gather in Israel to unite in the fight against antisemitism

The Holocaust carries both the intensely particular experience of the genocidal hatred reserved for the Jews, and at the same time the universal blights of intolerance, bigotry and fanaticism.

By REUVEN RIVLIN
Getting ready for the event at the President’s Residence. (photo credit: BEIT HANASI)
Getting ready for the event at the President’s Residence.
(photo credit: BEIT HANASI)
Today is a day unlike any other. Today in Jerusalem, kings and princes, presidents, prime ministers and speakers of parliaments from nearly 50 countries around the world will gather in solemn and somber remembrance. Together, we will convene for the 5th World Holocaust Forum here in Israel. Together we will remember, we will pass on the message to the next generation and we warn against the antisemitism that threatens to engulf us once again.
To remember is to recall and record not only the crimes committed against us: the six million murders, the attempt to exterminate the entire Jewish people. The scale of that crime is unprecedented in human history, and at the very limits of human comprehension. The years that have passed to not make the obligation of remembrance any easier.
We also recall and record the lives and the centuries-old communities, Jewish and non-Jewish, that were extinguished. These were lights that burned brightly with culture and creativity, with learning and teaching, and which were snuffed out.
The Holocaust carries both the intensely particular experience of the genocidal hatred reserved only for the Jewish people, and at the same time the universal blights of intolerance, bigotry and fanaticism.
Remembrance carries with it the duty to ensure that our history is kept forever free of political interference and distortion.
The historical truth of the Holocaust must be vigilantly protected from those who seek to deny it or misuse it. This is not a matter for abstract academic debate. It is not a matter for political partisanship. It is a matter for immediate and urgent action as we witness the deplorable rise in antisemitic outrages across Europe and around the world.
For we live in a world where antisemitism, and the racism and xenophobia of which it is a particularly virulent strain, is once again a daily reality. In truth, it never went away. It takes new guises and forms, but at heart it is old-fashioned Jew-hatred. The Jewish people will never turn a blind eye to antisemitism. We will always be at the vanguard of the fight against racism, discrimination and xenophobia, wherever it happens and whoever it targets. In doing so, we shape the path for future generations.
There is no better way to learn our history than to teach our history. As leaders, we bear the obligation to ensure that as the Holocaust becomes ever more distant, our pledge of ‘never again’ is no empty slogan.
A time will come when the first-hand witnesses, the survivors or veterans are no longer able to tell their story in person.
Whilst they are with us, we must ensure their lives are lived in dignity and their stories are heard. When we can no longer hear their testimony, we must search for innovative and relevant ways to ensure that tolerance triumphs over bigotry, that hatred is never more powerful than understanding.
Many partners have joined with us today in Jerusalem, but the circle is wider and it must grow wider still. They are politicians and religious leaders, they are educators and journalists, they are historians and community activists. They are men and women, young people and old who, refuse to allow antisemitism and hatred to pollute the 21st century as it did the 20th.
These are the people who will ensure that the Holocaust is remembered forever, that its history is written by historians and not by politicians, and that the next generation knows the terrible cost of ignorance and hatred. These are the people those who are willing to take an unflinching look at a painful past, to confront antisemitism and racism today and to commit to educating for the future. They will find us determined allies and committed partners. Together, we will pave a path turning remembrance into promise.
The author is president of the State of Israel.


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