Obama calls for solidarity with European Jews

WASHINGTON (JTA) — In his Holocaust Remembrance Day message, President Barack Obama called for solidarity with Jews facing anti-Semitism in Europe and on campuses.

 

“Today, and every day, we stand in solidarity with the Jewish community both at home and abroad,” Obama said in his statement released Wednesday afternoon, on the eve of commemorations.

 

“We stand with those who are leaving the European cities where they have lived for generations because they no longer feel safe, with the members of institutions that have been attacked because of their Jewish affiliations, and with the college students forced to confront swastikas appearing on their campuses,” he said. “And we call upon all people of good will to be vigilant and vocal against every form of bigotry.”

 

Obama in his message also honored the 6 million Jews who perished during the Holocaust and those who survived, and drew from the day a more universal message.

 

“When we recognize our interconnectedness and the fundamental dignity and equality of every human being, we help to build a world that is more accepting, secure and free,” he said.

 

In a separate statement, Secretary of State John Kerry, who discovered late in life that his father’s parents were Jewish, noted his personal connection to the events to also draw lessons about the particular threats facing Jews and the universal need for tolerance.

 

“As I have learned in the past decade, some of my own relatives were among those who perished in Auschwitz, Terezin, Sobibor and Dachau,” Kerry said.

 

Read More: Obama calls for solidarity with European Jews – Jewish World – News – Arutz Sheva