'Never again means now' - Trump calls on US to observe Holocaust Remembrance Day

U.S. President Donald Trump released an official proclamation on Wednesday evening announcing the observance of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, paying tribute to the memory of the six million Jews and millions of other innocent victims murdered by the Nazis during World War II. 

“On Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and during this week of solemn remembrance, we honor the blessed memories of the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were viciously slaughtered by the genocidal Nazi regime and their collaborators – one of the bleakest hours in human history,” the statement said. 

“During these Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust, we reflect upon the dark affront to human dignity posed by Nazis.  We cherish the eternal memories of all those whose lives were lost to the deadly scourge of anti-Semitism.” 

The White House statement also repeated the rallying cry of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. 

“Above all, we vow to never forget the atrocities of the Holocaust.  We declare that never again means now.” 

Trump praised those survivors who have passed on their stories and experiences to younger generations, saying, “We once again honor every Holocaust survivor who has imparted their wisdom to younger generations.” 

The President said the White House is committed to “preserving their stories.” 

“The price to humanity of the lives lost during the Shoah can never be fully grasped or understood,” Trump’s statement continued. “Yet, even in the wake of the Holocaust, a self-determined Jewish homeland rose from the ashes as the modern State of Israel.”

The presidential statement also linked the horrors of the Holocaust to the rising antisemitism in the U.S. 

“Sadly, our Nation has borne witness to the worst outbreak of anti-Semitism on American soil in generations.  Nearly every day following the deadly October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Jewish Americans were threatened on our streets and in our public square(s) – a reminder that the poison of anti-Semitism tragically still exists.” 

Trump also highlighted his administration’s work to combat antisemitism, particularly the recurrent incidents of harassment of Jewish students on university campuses. 

“My Administration is proudly upholding the basic truth that anti-Semitism has no place in a civilized society,” he wrote. 

“As President, I signed an Executive Order directing the Federal Government to use all available and appropriate legal tools to combat the explosion of anti-Semitic harassment in our schools and on college campuses – including through the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws,” he continued, referring to the detaining of several foreign students involved in anti-Jewish and anti-Israel protests and the legal efforts to have them deported. 

“We are also steadfastly committed to investigating and swiftly punishing all anti-Semitic discrimination in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities,” Trump claimed. 

In closing, President Trump called on the nation to remember the Holocaust “with appropriate study, prayers, and commemoration and to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution by remembering the lessons of this atrocity so that it is never repeated.”