President Herzog: "Never Again is right now. Because right now, hatred and antisemitism are flourishing worldwide, and we must fight it, together.”
(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)
President Isaac Herzog today (Sunday, 10 March 2024), addressed the inauguration of the new Holocaust Memorial Museum in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The official ceremony was held in the city's famous Portuguese Synagogue, in the presence of His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, together with the President of Austria, Alexander van der Bellen, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, President of the German Federal Council (Bundesrat), Manuela Schwesig, the Mayor of Amsterdam, and Jewish leaders from around the world.
The museum is located in the historic Jewish quarter of Amsterdam, near the monument that was officially inaugurated in 2021, in memory of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust who lived in the Netherlands, where seventy-five percent of the country's Jewish population perished. The exhibitions and archives at the museum tell the difficult and painful story of the Holocaust victims in the Netherlands, through video footage and photos.
In his address, the President said:
"Exactly forty years ago, I joined my late father, Israel’s Sixth President, Chaim Herzog, on a state visit to the Netherlands. As an officer in the British army in World War II, my father had taken part in the liberation of the Netherlands, liberating Dutch cities and villages, such as Enschede, Nijmegen and Arnhem. He also liberated survivors from concentration camps. My grandfather, the First Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Isaac HaLevi Herzog, had come to the Netherlands right after the war to find lost Jewish orphans who had been hidden from the Nazis. So, being here is, naturally, deeply meaningful for me.
"This sacred place of worship asks us to look honestly at the past: The illustrious Jewish community of the Netherlands was decimated in the Holocaust. And too many were silent. Too many Dutch citizens aided the Nazis. Including people in positions of power. At the same time, there were those with courage, who dared to stand up to the Nazi evil. Today, I mention two of them.
Righteous Among the Nations. Cornelis Case and Amanda Vissers from Bussum were devout Protestants. They hid a young Jewish couple, Andries Asher and Leni-Rivka Hoffman, under floor boards, when the Nazis repeatedly raided their home. With me today is Andries and Leni’s son, Yonah, and his family. Yonah Hoffman was born in the Netherlands, in 1946, and was brought to Israel as a child. The story of the bravery of Case and Amanda – ‘Oma and Opa’ as they are called by Yonah’s own children – has been a living part of the story of the Hoffman family. Just over a month ago now, a tragic chapter was added. Major Yitzhar Hoffman, Yonah and his wife Leah’s son, was killed whilst bravely defending Israel – the nation-state of the Jewish People and its ultimate safe haven – after the horrific massacre of October 7th. Moral integrity had saved Yitzhar’s family - and it defined him, too. May the memory of Yitzhar, of Case and Amanda, be a blessing.
"Friends, I am deeply grateful to everyone that has supported the establishment of this new Holocaust Museum. At this pivotal moment in time, this institution sends a clear, powerful statement: Remember. Remember the horrors born of hatred, antisemitism and racism. And never again allow them to flourish. Unfortunately, "Never Again" is right now. Because right now, hatred and antisemitism are flourishing worldwide, and we must fight it, together.
I ask you all to join me in prayer for the victims of the Shoah, and for the victims of hatred, terror, and antisemitism in the present, wherever they may be. Finally, in this shrine of prayer, let us pray for the immediate, safe return of our hostages. And let us pray for peace as in the words of the Jewish liturgy: “May the Lord give strength to his people, may the Lord bless his people with peace.”