*Administration of Barack Obama, 2015 *

**Statement on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau **

*January 27, 2015 *

On the 10th International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the American people pay tribute to the 6 million Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazi regime. We also honor those who survived the Shoah, while recognizing the scars and burdens that many have carried ever since.

Honoring the victims and survivors begins with our renewed recognition of the value and dignity of each person. It demands from us the courage to protect the persecuted and speak out against bigotry and hatred. The recent terrorist attacks in Paris serve as a painful reminder of our obligation to condemn and combat rising anti-Semitism in all its forms, including the denial or trivialization of the Holocaust.

This anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on the progress we have made confronting this terrible chapter in human history and on our continuing efforts to end genocide. I have sent a Presidential delegation to join Polish President Komorowski, the Polish people, official delegations from scores of nations, and many survivors at today's official commemoration in Poland.

As a founding member of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the United States joins the alliance's 30 other member nations and partners in reiterating its solemn responsibility to uphold the commitments of the 2000 Stockholm Declaration. We commemorate all of the victims of the Holocaust, pledging never to forget, and recalling the cautionary words of the author and survivor of Auschwitz Primo Levi: "It happened, therefore it can happen again. . . . It can happen anywhere." Today we come together and commit, to the millions of murdered souls and all survivors, that it must never happen again.

*Categories:* Statements by the President : Auschwitz-Birkenau, 70th anniversary of liberation; Statements by the President : International Holocaust Remembrance Day*.*

*Names:* Komorowski, Bronislaw*.*

*Subjects:* Auschwitz-Birkenau, 70th anniversary of liberation; Civil rights : Minorities :: Anti-Semitism; France : Terrorist attacks in Paris; Holidays and special observances : Holocaust Remembrance Day, International; Poland : President.

*DCPD Number:* DCPD201500058.