Democratic Majority for Israel’s CEO and President Mark Mellman issued the following statement today:
“On Yom HaShoah, we reflect on the darkest of chapters in human history by remembering the dead and honoring the survivors, as well as those who resisted and fought against the Nazi regime.
“The Nazi regime elevated the death of every single person ‘of Jewish blood’ to a central goal of the state, developing and implementing a systematic, industrialized policy of genocide that succeeded in murdering six million Jews. The Nazis also murdered millions of others, based on their ethnicity, sexuality, differing abilities, and beliefs.
“While our thoughts today center on the atrocities of the past, memory cannot only be an intellectual or even emotional exercise. To remember the Holocaust is to be called to action in the fight against antisemitism and bigotry of every form, wherever it rears its ugly head.
“More than seventy years after the liberation of Auschwitz and the founding of the State of Israel, Jews around the world still commonly face prejudice and discrimination. According to the latest FBI data, in just one year, over 1,000 Jews were victims of hate crimes in our country, as were 1,400 members of the LGBTQ+ community and 2,400 African Americans. We’ve also seen a disturbing rise in anti-Asian violence.
“Now, more than ever, we must speak out publicly and privately against hate and intolerance, while continuing to urge political and civic leaders to condemn Jew hatred and every form of bigotry.”
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