Schakowsky Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
“International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the 73rd anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Today, I join in remembering and honoring the 6 million Jewish lives lost in the Holocaust. As a Jewish American and the representative of the 9thCongressional district of Illinois, one of the largest concentration of Holocaust survivors in the country, I personally feel the importance of this day.
“As we honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, we must also face hard truths. Decades after the Holocaust, hatred, racism, and bigotry remain. Here in the United States, hate crimes are on the rise and we have seen increases in public displays and gatherings of the white supremacists and those working against the forces of justice, tolerance, and equality. The threat of anti-Semitism still looms large over many of the world’s Jewish population and in too many corridors of power in the world.
“In the coming year, let us recommit ourselves to continue to fight for light where we see darkness, for rousing speech where we hear deafening silence, and action in the face of indifference. We will never forget. May the memories of all Holocaust victims be for a blessing.”