Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, delivered remarks at an event on Tuesday honoring the work and lives of 60 diplomats who helped Jews fleeing the Nazis, as recognized by the Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act.
“I want to thank the authors of the Forgotten Heroes of the Holocaust Congressional Gold Medal Act,” said Cardin. “I want to thank you for a piece of legislation that puts a human face on the 60 diplomats who helped Jews fleeing the Nazis. The passports and travel visas they issued were responsible for saving hundreds of thousands of Jewish families in Europe. Confronted by such violent antisemitism, they refused to compromise their values.”
In his remarks, the senator stated that “those of us who understand the danger must combat hatred in all forms through education, law enforcement and policy initiatives. We must correct disinformation and denialism about the dangers of prejudice.”
“Because learning the truth—learning about history—is the key to fighting intolerance,” he concluded.
Worldwide commemorations of the Shoah, including recognizing survivors, take place each year on Jan. 27, the day in 1945 when Jewish prisoners were liberated from Auschwitz-Birkenau death and concentration camps.