“Never Forget. Never Again.”67 years ago today, the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by Soviet troops in 1945. In 2005, the United Nations designated Jan. 27 each year as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in an effort to put an end to Holocaust deniers. President Obama today issued a statement remembering the millions who were murdered, vowing to combat "the resurgence of anti-Semitism," and pledging "to speak truth to those who deny the Holocaust." During his first visit to Germany as President in June of 2009, Mr. Obama visited Buchenwald concentration camp, accompanied by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and camp survivors Elie Wiesel and Bertrand Herz. He placed a white rose in one of the crematoriums (above).
President Obama's full statement:
This International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Michelle and I join people in the United States, in Israel, and across the globe as we remember the six million Jews and millions of others who were murdered at the hands of the Nazis.
We commit ourselves to keeping their memories alive not only in our thoughts, but through our actions. As we remember all those who perished in camps from Auschwitz to Treblinka, Dachau to Sobibor, we pledge to speak truth to those who deny the Holocaust.
As we celebrate the strength and resilience of survivors, we pledge to stand strong against all those who would commit atrocities, against the resurgence of anti-Semitism, and against hatred in all its forms.
As we draw inspiration from the righteous gentiles who risked their lives to save friends, neighbors, and even strangers, we pledge to continue the hard work of repairing the world.
Together with the State of Israel, and all our friends around the world, we dedicate ourselves to giving meaning to those powerful words: “Never Forget. Never Again.”
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*Photo by Pete Souza/White House, taken on June 5, 2009
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