Statement by Vice President Harris on Holocaust Remembrance Day
On Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the memory of six million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis in one of the worst atrocities in human history. The pain, suffering, and evil associated with the Holocaust—driven by Antisemitic ideology—must always be remembered and taught to ensure “never again.”
Sadly, eight decades later, Antisemitism—and hate in general—is on the rise in our country and around the world.
On October 7, Hamas, a brutal terrorist organization, committed the worst atrocity against the Jewish people since the Holocaust—killing 1,200 innocent people, including 44 Americans, taking 240 people hostage, including eight Americans still in Gaza, and committing horrific acts of sexual violence against Jewish women.
And, in recent days in the United States, we have seen hateful rhetoric and harassment against Jews. This is Antisemitism and must be condemned unequivocally. Hate of any kind has no place in our country.
For the Jewish people, the past seven months have evoked the memories—along with fear and anguish—of the Holocaust. So to all the Jewish people around the world, know this: President Joe Biden and I stand with you. We will fight Antisemitism with the full force of the U.S. government, including through the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. We will continue to stand with the people of Israel and its right to defend itself from those that threaten its existence. And we remain committed to Holocaust remembrance and education.
Like many Jewish Americans, my husband Doug has learned the harrowing stories of his family members that perished in the Holocaust. Last year, he traveled to the town where some of them lived in what is now Poland, and heard stories of family members shot and others who were deported to an unknown fate. He walked through the old Jewish Quarter of Krakow. And he visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the gas chambers, to bear witness.
Today, I also reflect on Doug’s great-grandparents who fled persecution in what is now Poland at the turn of the 20th century and were able to build a life in America. Ultimately, the Jewish people persevered. And Jewish traditions continue to be passed down from one generation to next—including at the Vice President’s Residence, where Doug and I have been proud to hang mezuzahs, light menorahs, and host Passover seders. And with each of these actions, we send a message to the world: the Jewish people can overcome evil. We can and we must stand strong in the face of hate.
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