On Yom HaShoah, we recommit to resist Trump

NeverAgain

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 21, 2019
Contact: Sonya E Meyerson-Knox | sonya@jvp.org | 929-290-0317
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On the anniversary of Yom Hashoah, Jewish Voice for Peace honors the memories of all who lost their lives to the Holocaust. During World War II, Nazi Germany systematically targeted Jewish people for extermination, resulting in the murder of six million Jews. Nazis also murdered an additional five million people – dissidents, Roma, disabled people and gay men, among others. In this time of rising antisemitism across the U.S., with violent attacks on Jewish people and our places of worship growing increasingly common, we recall their bravery, and their resistance.

At such a time, we would hope that political leaders would remember – and disavow – the violence of the Holocaust, and the fascist and Nazi ideologies which enabled it. Trump’s Proclamation on Days Of Remembrance Of Victims Of The Holocaust, however, rings hollow – because Trump continues to enable antisemitism and other forms of hatred, particularly his xenophobic attacks on the Asian American community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

During this presidency, Trump has placed notorious antisemites in positions of power, invited them to the White House, and excused their violence. He has invoked antisemitic dog-whistles repeatedly, promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories and falsely claims his support for the state of Israel prevents him from being antisemitic. Indeed, in his Holocaust Proclamation, Trump cites last December’s Executive Order – which penalizes criticism of Israel on college campuses but offers no new support to students facing antisemitism – as proof of his administration’s work allegedly countering antisemitism.

Instead, under Trump the American Jewish community has come under increased attack – indeed the past month alone has witnessed multiple attacks on synagogues, viral videos mocking the Holocaust and, last week, the use of swastikas and Nazi imagery at rallies by anti-quarantine protesters. It is precisely because Trump continues to support these hateful protests that we reject his proclamation as duplicitous.

On this Yom HaShoah, we honor the bravery of those who resisted Nazi fascism, and in their honor recommit to resist and refuse Trump and his supporters’ hate and crass manipulation of the history of the Nazi genocide.

 

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Jewish Voice for Peace is a national, grassroots organization inspired by Jewish tradition to work for a just and lasting peace according to principles of human rights, equality, and international law for all the people of Israel and Palestine. JVP has over 500,000 online supporters, over 70 chapters, a youth wing, a Rabbinic Council, an Artist Council, an Academic Advisory Council, and an Advisory Board made up of leading U.S. intellectuals and artists.

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