02/02/2022
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the victims and survivors of one of the darkest periods in our history.
As a young man in college, I had a chance to hear Holocaust survivor and activist Elie Wiesel speak about his experiences as a Buchenwald survivor. Reading Elie’s books, I had found a moral clarity that both fortified me and challenged me to be better. Later, it was one of the great pleasures of my time in the Senate that Elie and I became friends.
I share this as a reminder that the Holocaust wasn’t that long ago. And it’s not enough to remember what happened—we also need to summon the courage to speak out against acts of bigotry and hatred whenever we see them.
Our history has always been the sum total of the choices made and the actions taken by each of us. When we recognize our connection to each other and the fundamental dignity and equality of every human being, we can help to build a world that is more just and more free.
