Arutz Sheva :
President Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first American president to speak at the embassy of a foreign country, when he visited the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., and spoke at the first ever ceremony in the United States posthumously honoring four Righteous Among The Nations.
Coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the event honored two American and two Polish citizens. The designate Righteous Among The Nations is an official title awarded by Yad Vashem on behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
In his remarks, Obama pointed out that anti-Semitism is once again rearing its ugly head and said that everything must be done to prevent it.
“As we honor the newest of the Righteous Among the Nations, we make real the call to never forget. Our children must know this chapter of history, and that we must never repeat it,” he said, as he recalled visiting the Yad Vashem Museum in Israel and
taking his daughters to the Washington Holocaust Museum.
“Under the same circumstances, how would we act?” he asked, in reference to the four honorees as Righteous Among The Nations. Obama then said, “We must confront the reality that, around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.”
“When we see Jews leaving Europe… and attacks on Jewish centers from Mumbai to Kansas; when we see swastikas appear on college campuses, we must not stay silent. An attack on any faith is an attack on all our faiths…on the very idea people of different backgrounds can live and thrive together,” he added.
“I’ve made sure that the United States is leading the global fight against anti-Semitism,” said Obama, who also reiterated that “America’s commitment to Israel’s security remains, now and forever, unshakeable.”
President Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first American president to speak at the embassy of a foreign country, when he visited the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., and spoke at the first ever ceremony in the United States posthumously honoring four Righteous Among The Nations.
Coinciding with International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the event honored two American and two Polish citizens. The designate Righteous Among The Nations is an official title awarded by Yad Vashem on behalf of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.
In his remarks, Obama pointed out that anti-Semitism is once again rearing its ugly head and said that everything must be done to prevent it.
“As we honor the newest of the Righteous Among the Nations, we make real the call to never forget. Our children must know this chapter of history, and that we must never repeat it,” he said, as he recalled visiting the Yad Vashem Museum in Israel and
taking his daughters to the Washington Holocaust Museum.
“Under the same circumstances, how would we act?” he asked, in reference to the four honorees as Righteous Among The Nations. Obama then said, “We must confront the reality that, around the world, anti-Semitism is on the rise. We cannot deny it.”
“When we see Jews leaving Europe… and attacks on Jewish centers from Mumbai to Kansas; when we see swastikas appear on college campuses, we must not stay silent. An attack on any faith is an attack on all our faiths…on the very idea people of different backgrounds can live and thrive together,” he added.
“I’ve made sure that the United States is leading the global fight against anti-Semitism,” said Obama, who also reiterated that “America’s commitment to Israel’s security remains, now and forever, unshakeable.”
