(New York, NY)— Bruce Ratner, Chairman of the Board, and Jack Kliger, President & CEO, have issued the following statement on behalf of The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust:
As we say Shabbat Shalom, we mean it emphatically, especially now. We welcome the current ceasefire and hope it will endure.
As noted in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by more than thirty countries worldwide, to hold Jews collectively responsible for the State of Israel’s actions is antisemitic. We cannot stand by while Jews are violently attacked, including in the streets of New York and elsewhere in the United States. Around the world there has been a large rise in antisemitism, as well. In Britain, the Community Security Trust reported a 500% increase in antisemitic incidents. Such bigotry diminishes and endangers us all.
The forces of antisemitism and racism—against Black Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, Latino immigrants—have been increasingly emboldened in recent years by propaganda and the dangerous echo chamber of social media, and we must make clear that such views and behavior are abhorrent and unwelcome.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust exists to teach the lessons of the Holocaust and demonstrate how the forces of racism led to the displacement, enslavement, and largescale murder of the Jews, Roma, and other populations of Europe.
Studies show that Holocaust education increases empathy, tolerance, and open mindedness. We hope that the hundreds of thousands of New York City metro area schoolchildren of all faiths and ethnicities who have come through our doors, both in person and online, carry with them these teachings and are, in their own ways, working already to make the world and their immediate communities more tolerant, compassionate, and safe for all.
For those who are raising and teaching the younger generations, we share these resources: https://mjhnyc.org/education/