Was President Trump’s Holocaust Remembrance Day Statement Inadequate?
Shockingly President Trump’s official statement, on January 27th, for Holocaust Remembrance Day didn’t mention Jews or anti-semitism—-at all. That sounds incredible, but it’s true. The reason for President Trump’s strange omission wasn’t clarified adequately afterwards. According to White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks, the White House was “incredibly inclusive,” and we are left to interpret her words, which weren’t adequately explained further. Perhaps because they issued a very generic statement, that didn’t single out any specific groups or peoples that suffered during the Holocaust? But is this adequate?
The White House statement didn’t mention the 6 million Jews who died in the holocaust, nor did it mention the term anti-semitism. Instead, the White House issued a general statement recognizing “victims, survivors, and heroes” of the Holocaust. Ironically, the Remembrance Day event was started because, in an era of revisionist history and Holocaust denial, many weren’t recognizing the suffering and deaths of the estimated 6 million Jewish people killed in the Nazi death camps during that tragic era in history.
Some infer that the Trump Administration didn’t want to hurt any group’s feelings by calling out a specific group, like the Jewish people, for recognition. But the omission seems ominous in the light of the support from white nationalists that Donald Trump received during his campaign. And the trend to issue generalized Holocaust statements that minimize or ignore the suffering of the Jewish People is seen in nationalist movements found in Russia and Eastern Europe. So, who exactly does Donald Trump not want to offend?
In addition to 6 million Jews, millions of other ethnic, religious and social minorities died at the hands of the nazis. At the time, the world down-played the tragedy, and in many ways the nations of the world were in denial when the violence was actually happening. Many believe the tremendous death toll could have been greatly reduced had the world taken decisive action sooner.
One ship of Jewish refugees, tried to dock in the U.S., and many other countries as well, but was repeatedly denied safe harbor, in part due to fear of infiltration by Nazi saboteurs, and also likely due to anti-semitism. The refugees were forced to return to Germany, and they were ultimately murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust. This story has a chilling familiarity, since the Trump Administration is in the process of limiting the flow of desperate refugees from war-torn Syria into the United States, ostensibly fearing the infiltration of Muslim terrorists. Is history repeating itself?
The management team of Face Activities denounces President Trump’s inadequate statement. President Trump should offer a full apology, and issue a new and proper one to the American People, and the World, specifically mentioning all major ethnic and religious groups who suffered, including Jews.
Read President Trump’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day Statement:
Statement by the President on International Holocaust Remembrance Day
“It is with a heavy heart and somber mind that we remember and honor the victims, survivors, heroes of the Holocaust. It is impossible to fully fathom the depravity and horror inflicted on innocent people by Nazi terror.
“Yet, we know that in the darkest hours of humanity, light shines the brightest. As we remember those who died, we are deeply grateful to those who risked their lives to save the innocent.
“In the name of the perished, I pledge to do everything in my power throughout my Presidency, and my life, to ensure that the forces of evil never again defeat the powers of good. Together, we will make love and tolerance prevalent throughout the world.”
Photo: Whitehouse.gov (screen capture)
