Schakowsky Statement on the 74th Anniversary of International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, a Senior Chief Deputy Whip and Vice Chair of the Democracy Reform Task Force, released the following statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day:
"Each year that goes by following the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau represents an increased need to honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Anti-Semitic hate crimes, vandalism against Jewish homes and institutions, online attacks, incitements to violence, and mass shootings, have increased dramatically in recent years. In the White House we have a President who has sympathized with white supremacists. And we're embroiled in a national debate about building a massive wall to keep ‘others' out.
"Today, we remember the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and renew our vow to never forget. As a Jewish American and the representative of the Ninth Congressional District of Illinois, which has one of the largest concentration of Holocaust survivors in the country, I personally feel the immense importance of this day.
"I will never stop fighting against the dark cloud of extremism and hate. Sadly, genocide is not a thing of the past. We must fight back against hatred wherever it exists. May the memories of those lost in the Holocaust give us strength to make certain it never happens again. May their memories be a blessing."
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