Gabriela Shalev
Photo: Reuters
Shalev: Holocaust began with words
UN commemorates Auschwitz liberation in absence of assembly president known for anti-Israel views
WASHINGTON – UN General Assembly President Miguel d' Escoto was absent from the ceremony held by the assembly in honor of International Holocaust Memorial Day.
D'Escoto's absence was initially welcomed due to his former statements against Israel and the West, and a number of Jewish organizations in the US had lobbied for his exclusion from the ceremony.
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Israel's envoy to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, prepared for d'Escoto's possible appearance, but in the end his comments were read aloud to the 1,600 people present. His speech received applause from members of the Jewish organizations as well as Holocaust survivors.
The memorial day, which takes place on the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp, was approved by the assembly in 2005.
Shalev said during her speech that the Holocaust may have terminated with crematoriums, but it began with words.
"To remain silent and indifferent to the horrors of the Holocaust is probably the greatest sin of all, let alone denying it," she said. "We have a responsibility to act against the forces of anti-Semitism, bigotry and racism in any form."
Shalev added that the Jewish people maintained a hope that no nation would call for the destruction of another people, though the aspiration has not yet been achieved. She also recounted the story of her grandparents, who perished in Auschwitz.
