U.S. H.M.M Marks 20 Year Anniversary

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U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Marks 20 Year Anniversary

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is marking two decades of honoring Holocaust memory and inspiring people to act against hatred and indifference. On April 29, the Museum is holding a National Tribute to Holocaust Survivors and World War II Veterans at an historic gathering in Washington, DC. This event may be one of the last times the wartime generation gathers in such large numbers, with more than 840 survivors and 110 World War II veterans joining thousands of international guests, dignitaries and Museum partners to mark the milestone and challenge new generations to continue the Museum’s important work.

On April 22, 1993, the same two men spoke at the dedication ceremony of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and in his speech, Mr. Wiesel publicly urged then President Clinton to help stop the war in the former Yugoslavia by saying “What have we learned? We have learned some lessons, minor lessons, perhaps, that we are all responsible, and indifference is a sin and a punishment. And we have learned that when people suffer we cannot remain indifferent. And, Mr. President, I cannot not tell you something. I have been in the former Yugoslavia, last fall. I cannot sleep since for what I have seen. As a Jew I am saying that, we must do something to stop the bloodshed in that country!”

“Our mission today remains the same as it was thirty-five years ago when Congress mandated the creation of a living memorial to the Holocaust on our National Mall,” said Wiesel. “Yesterday, today and tomorrow, we must bear witness. We must carry the memories of the past—and the responsibility that comes with them—into the future.”

“In just 20 years the Museum has vastly exceeded the most optimistic hopes of our founders. But twenty years is only the start of our journey. Today the issues the Museum addresses—the fragility of democracy, the nature of hate and the consequences of indifference—are more important than ever. As the Museum honors Holocaust survivors and World War II veterans, we pledge to share their stories with new generations and ensure the permanence of Holocaust memory, understanding and relevance,” said Museum Director Bloomfield.

Twenty years later, Mr. Clinton recalled that in 1993, Mr. Wiesel took him aside after the dedication ceremony of the museum and told him in “very eloquent language” to “get off of my rear end and do something about Bosnia.” Not long after that, Clinton sent an emissary to the region to explore peace talks in what he said was a “drive by Jews of conscience to save the lives of European Muslims.”

In the last twenty years, over 35 million people have visited the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum that strives to preserve the memory of the millions of Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis. On April 29, 2013, former President Clinton and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel called on the world to stop future genocides from happening. “For the dead and the living we must bear witness” said Wiesel. Former President Clinton added that “Make sure that as direct memories fade away, that the records, the pictures, and the stories never die, to make sure that we will always be able to come here to remind us that no matter how smart a people are, if you have a head without a heart, you are not human.”

Institute for Research of Genocide, Canada is very grateful to all of those who spoke up and continue to speak up against injustice and intolerance and praise the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Center for the Prevention of Genocide for their important work in preserving the memories of those who died in genocides past, including the Bosnian genocide, and for being diligent in their quest to prevent future genocides from happening around the world.