USCIRF Cautions Against Rising Antisemitism on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

USCIRF Cautions Against Rising Antisemitism on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) observes International Holocaust Remembrance Day. USCIRF remembers the millions of Jews targeted and six million mass murdered by Nazi Germany’s “Final Solution,” and the millions of others—including Roma and Sinti, Slavs, persons with disabilities, LGBTQI+ individuals, and Jehovah’s Witnesses—murdered by the Nazi regime. USCIRF is also concerned with the rising tide of Holocaust distortion and denial taking place as part of a broader wave of global antisemitism.

“The horrific atrocities of the Holocaust are not a relic of history. They cast a long shadow into the present. Hatred and intolerance of Jews, sadly, is no mere memory,” said USCIRF Chair Abraham Cooper. "As we mark today’s solemn occasion, USCIRF urges the U.S. government to not forget the lessons from the past. U.S. officials must condemn those who continue to deny or distort the truth of the Holocaust and hold accountable those who seek to destroy Israel, the home of survivors and their descendants. The United States must also call out governments who fail to protect their Jewish communities who fear to practice their faith openly today.”

Almost eight decades after the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, governments continue to express or tolerate antisemitism related to the Holocaust. In September 2023, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas engaged in public Holocaust distortion. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi previously suggested it never happened at all. Many countries omit or distort the Holocaust in official textbooks. Holocaust memorials have been vandalized across Europe, including in The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Greece, Sweden, and Italy.

In the wake of the October 7 terrorist attacks and Israel’s subsequent military operation against Hamas, various governments have failed to call out those blaming the global Jewish community for Israeli government policy, investigate violence against Jewish houses of worship, schools, and homes, and condemn antisemitic chants explicitly invoking the Holocaust. In October, USCIRF condemned religious hatred, including antisemitism, spurred by the Israel-Hamas conflict. In November, USCIRF expressed concern over attacks on houses of worship, including the targeting of synagogues and Jewish religious sites.

“The somber occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day is an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the moral imperative of ‘Never Again’ for Jews and other persecuted religious groups,” said USCIRF Vice Chair Fredrick A. Davie. “Uyghur Muslims, Rohingya, Yezidis, and other religious groups continue to suffer persecution on the basis of their religious identity. Genocide is a global tragedy that the U.S. government must take a leadership role in addressing.”

USCIRF is accepting proposals for contracted research that would identify and analyze recent trends in antisemitism and government responses to this hatred in selected countries within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) region. This research would build on a report USCIRF released in April 2021 assessing antisemitism in key European countries and their governments’ responses in order to help USCIRF develop specific recommendations for U.S. policy.

###

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze, and report on religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State, and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected].