“« Never again » is now”, President von der Leyen says ahead of International Day of Holocaust Remembrance

27 January marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Ahead of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, President von der Leyen said:

“Following the despicable terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel on 7 October 2023, remembering the Holocaust has taken on a new meaning. European Jews are living again in fear: no parent should be afraid to send their children to school. Jewish people are bullied, harassed, and attacked on the street, in school and university. Synagogues have been vandalised. Jewish cemeteries have been desecrated.

The unprecedented spike of antisemitic acts we have seen all over Europe reminds us of the darkest time of our history. What is different now, however, is that we all stand with the Jewish communities. There is no place for antisemitic hatred, especially here in Europe. And there is no justification to antisemitism.

Three generations after the Shoah, we must ensure that Jewish life continues to thrive in public. We cannot accept that Jews are hiding their identity. Fostering Jewish life is at the heart of our EU Strategy on combating antisemitism. As we mark this year the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we shall remember the 6 million Jewish women, men and children, and all other victims, among them hundreds of thousands of Roma, murdered during the Holocaust.

As the last Holocaust survivors are passing away, we must find new forms of remembrance and implement new methods of teaching, using the last traces of the past. To do so, we are developing a ‘Network of Places Where the Holocaust Happened', a flagship action of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism. Places of memory need to be safeguarded and serve educational and remembrance purposes.

We must remember how it all started: antisemitism and hatred led to the Shoah. It is our duty, as Europeans, to build a European Union free from antisemitism and any form of racism and discrimination. If Europe fails the Jews, Europe will have failed us all. Never again is now!”