Thank you, Mr. President.
The United States is proud to cosponsor this resolution to combat the scourge of Holocaust denial. We appreciate the work our Israeli and German colleagues did to put forward this text, and we are pleased to see the overwhelming support from Member States including those who added their names to co-sponsorship today. It has been fifteen years since the UN adopted a resolution on this crucial topic. Today’s resolution could not have come at a more important moment. And I want to take this moment to welcome the presence of survivors here today to witness this historic day.
Last weekend, members of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas were held hostage by a gunman who reportedly used anti-Semitic language during the attack. As I was briefed on the attack and watched the news unfold, it was difficult not to recall the tragic loss of 11 lives in the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh just a few years ago.
And while we were relieved that in Colleyville the hostages escaped and survived, we know that a pernicious rising tide of anti-Semitism has led to deadly violence in the U.S. and elsewhere around the globe. We must root out anti-Semitic hatred and the false narratives that go hand in hand – in our communities, in our countries, and in our institutions. This is why it is so important that we consistently remember and speak out against the hatred that spurred the Holocaust. It’s part of our sacred obligation to honor the memory of the millions of Jews and other victims who perished in it, by ensuring we continue to say again and again, “never again, never again.”
This resolution affirms our commitment to educate the next generation as a means to prevent the repetition of the terrible atrocities of the past. And it reaffirms values and principles core to the founding of the United Nations, an institution built in the wake of the Holocaust and the Second World War. Adhering to the pledge of “Never Again,” is our charge.
Today, and every day, we must all keep up a vigorous guard against Holocaust denial, anti-Semitism, and hate in all of its forms. And we must learn from our history to move forward together in peace. And we must do everything in our power to push this institution to live up to its founding promise.
Thank you, Mr. President.
