Eighty years ago, the world was confronted with the horrifying reality of the Shoah, as the gates of Auschwitz were torn down on 27 January 1945. This momentous event revealed the Nazis’ sinister plan to persecute and exterminate the Jewish people.
Men, women, children, and the elderly were forcibly taken from their homes, stripped of everything they owned, and sent to death camps simply because of their Jewish heritage. The deliberate cruelty of this plan makes the Shoah a tragedy unlike any other in history.
Hitler’s regime, aided by the fascist regime in Italy, implemented this abhorrent plan, which also involved the complicity of others in rounding up and deporting innocent people.
Despite the darkness of that time, there were courageous individuals known as the Righteous who risked their own lives to defy the horrors unfolding before them and save countless lives.
Today, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the memory of the victims by listening to the stories of survivors and their descendants. Their firsthand accounts serve as a powerful reminder of the atrocities that took place during that dark period. As survivor Sami Modiano once said, “I am alive to bear witness. There was a bigger plan for me, and I will keep on remembering for as long as I live.” Their resilience and determination to ensure that the world never forgets is a remarkable lesson for us all.
While the gates of Auschwitz may have been torn down, the scourge of anti-Semitism still persists in our world today, taking on new forms and spreading through different channels. It is imperative that we continue to combat anti-Semitism in all its manifestations, both old and new.
This Government is unwavering in its commitment to this cause and is working towards developing a new national strategy to fight against anti-Semitism. This detailed document will outline concrete goals and actions to counter this hateful phenomenon and ensure that it has no place in our society.
[Courtesy translation]
