Dozens of world leaders gathered in Jerusalem to mark the 75th liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp. World leaders, from U.S. Vice President Mike Pence to Russian President Vladimir Putin, have warned of the dangers of anti-Semitism.
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence spoke emotionally about the 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.
"When soldiers opened the gates of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, they found 7000 half-starved, half-naked prisoners, hundreds of boxes of records that documented the greatest mass murder in history. Before the war was over, in its five years of existence, more than 1.1 million men, women and children would perish at Auschwitz," Pence said.
The vice president said the world must never let the Holocaust happen again. An evangelical Christian, he concluded with a prayer, first in English, and then in Hebrew.
"May the memory of the martyrs be enshrined in the hearts of all humanity for all time, may God bless the Jewish people, the state of Israel, the United States and all nations gathered here, and may He who creates peace in the heavens create peace for all of us and for all the world," Pence said in English and Hebrew.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Auschwitz is a symbol of evil to the world.
"But for the Jewish people, Auschwitz is more than the ultimate symbol of evil, it is also the ultimate symbol of Jewish powerlessness," he said. "It is the culmination of what can happen when our people have no voice, no land, no shield. Today we have a voice, we have a land and we have a shield," he said.
He also called on the world to make sure there is never another Holocaust by taking a firm stance against Iran.
"I'm concerned that we have yet to see a unified and resolute stance against the most anti-Semitic regime on the planet, a regime that openly seeks to develop nuclear weapons and annihilate the one and only Jewish state," Netanyahu said. " Israel salutes President Trump and Vice President Pence for confronting the tyrants of Tehran that subjugate their own people and threaten the peace and security of the entire world. They threaten the peace and security of everyone in the Middle East and everyone beyond. I call on all governments to join the vital effort of confronting Iran."
German President Frank Walter-Steinmeier also spoke emotionally, saying he is "laden with guilt" for Germany’s crimes during the Nazi era. Russian President Vladimir Putin touched a nerve when he said that the crimes of the Holocaust were committed not only by the Nazis but by their henchmen, apparently referring to Poland.
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The commemoration comes as anti-Semitism is increasing around the world. Moshe Kantor, the president of the World Holocaust Forum, said the situation is dangerous.
"Who could imagine that just 75 years after the Holocaust, Jews would once again be afraid to walk the streets of Europe wearing Jewish symbols? Who would have imagined that synagogues would be attacked again, and cemeteries desecrated or even destroyed on a regular basis?" Kantor said.
Israeli officials say they hope that bringing all of these world leaders together will lead to new resolve to fight anti-Semitism around the world.
