Message by the Founder of the World Holocaust Forum Participants’ Addresses
The International Forum “Let My People Live!” held in Krakow in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the liberation of KL Auschwitz-Birkenau was an event of paramount importance, as the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp has become a symbol of not only genocide, racism and xenophobia, but also a symbol of total extermination of the Jewish nation. And it is the struggle against genocide, anti-Semitism, racism and xenophobia, which the new educational program declared at the Forum is dedicated to. According to the latest statistical surveys conducted in Europe and the U.S., young people do not know the history of the Holocaust and do not realize the scope of the genocide tragedy of the mid-20th century. Therefore, the declaration of the launch of a new joint project “The European Education Program for Teachers on the Holocaust and Its Lessons” within the framework of the Forum “Let My People Live!” is very symbolic.
It is very much likely that this international meeting has been one of the last chances for today’s youth to hear about the horrible act of genocide from those who witnessed it. No one has the right to forget the lessons of the past century: shameful abuse of human rights and devastating racism. The problems of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racial intolerance are not only problems of the Jewish nation, but of all world nations.
This global awareness project for training teachers of the Holocaust history has already been supported by the leaders of the European countries, who attended the Forum. The World Holocaust Forum (WHF), the establishment of which was announced at the Forum “Let My People Live!” will promote widespread teacher education about the Holocaust and will be held regularly for assessment and strategic planning of the European Education Program. As Chairman of the Organizing Committee, I express my confidence that in the near future the leaders of other countries of the world, who could not participate in the International Forum in Krakow on January 27, 2005, will join the World Holocaust Forum. The slogan “Let My People Live!” is addressed to all nations of the world: let each nation live on the Earth and do not let genocide ever happen again! The Education Program for Teachers on the Holocaust and its Lessons is the link, which will connect the past with the future. It will not allow us to forget and repeat the horrors of KL Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Our goal is to revive the memory of the past crimes in order to enable future generations to prevent such tragedy from happening again in the future.
Sincerely yours,
Moshe Kantor
Founder of the World Holocaust Forum
