Wednesday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the day when people all over the world remember the terrible genocide committed in Europe during World War Two under the leadership of Adolph Hitler.
In observance of the day, President Obama gave a speech discussing historical perspective, but also commenting on the continued prevalence, and even growth, of antisemitism in the world in 2016. The President also applied these comments to hatred of any kind, mentioning Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and even Non-believers.
“Too often, especially in times of change, especially in times of anxiety and uncertainty, we are too willing to give in to a base desire to find someone else, someone different to blame for our struggles.”
The president urged Americans to work against these sorts of prejudices and base desires in favor of standing up for minorities of any kind, foreign or domestic.
The president’s speech was about much more than the horror of the Holocaust, it was an appeal to Americans to see the echoes of those atrocities in the current vein of hatred in America. It was a plea for self-reflection, and for change.
