Yesterday, we commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day. For me, this day is personal--as many of you know, my mom was born on April 13th, 1945, in the Buchenwald concentration camp, just before the U.S. Armed Forces liberated her and my grandmother.
To acknowledge Holocaust Remembrance Day this year, I spoke (virtually) with the U.S. Air Force Academy cadets and staff, recounting my family’s story, discussing the meaning of the Holocaust in today’s world, and speaking about why we say Never Forget and Never Again. My remarks are published here.
As we have seen in recent years, with attacks on ethnic and racial groups as well as on synagogues, churches, and mosques, we are living at a time of rising hate crimes and demonization. For all of us, the Holocaust is a reminder of where hating--and attacks on the rule of law and equal justice under law--can lead. We can all do our part to defend our American commitment to liberty and justice for all.
My family’s story, as I recount in my address, is one of hope and resilience. My grandparents’ survival of the horrors of the Holocaust was a miracle. And that miracle was enabled by my grandmother’s eternal positivity. When I asked her how remained positive and believed in a better future, she answered simply, “it is easier to believe.” That remains a powerful legacy for my family.
We all can believe in a better future and do our part to repair our world. Thanks for supporting me in doing all I can to advance that mission and to live up to our national motto, “e pluribus unum,” out of many, one.
Peace,
Phil |
