ROME (Press Release)—AJC (American Jewish Committee) has called for increased vigilance following grotesque manifestations of anti-Semitism in Rome during the Jewish Sabbath on January 25.
A box with a pig’s head was delivered to Rome’s Grand Synagogue on Friday and similar packages were delivered on Saturday to the Israeli Embassy and to the Museum of Rome, which is featuring an exhibition on the Holocaust. In addition, Nazi swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti were scrawled on the walls of a municipal building.
“The consequences of indifference towards such acts, as history teaches us, can lead to a serious degeneration of peaceful coexistence, and of the democratic fabric of society,” said Lisa Palmieri-Billig, AJC’s Representative in Italy and Liaison to the Holy See.
Coming on the Jewish Sabbath as well as on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Monday, these “vile and cowardly acts” constitute “a serious signal of alarm,” said Palmieri-Billig.
AJC called on Italian authorities to bring to justice those responsible for these anti-Semitic outrages, and for both government and civil society leaders to step up efforts at teaching a culture of mutual respect aimed at reinforcing the moral and ethical values.
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Meanwhile, in New York City, the AJC, in observance of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, issued the statement below. The United Nations designated January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, as the day for the world body and countries around the world to recall and commemorate the Nazi destruction of six million Jews.
For this occasion, AJC re-released its short film on the Nazi death camp, Belzec. More than 500,000 Jews were slaughtered there in less than a year. Only two Jews survived. Ten years ago, a memorial and museum were dedicated at Belzec, a joint project of AJC and the Polish government.
Full text of AJC statement:
We Remember
In the Jewish tradition, we are commanded to remember (zachor) and not to forget (lo tishkach). On January 27, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this solemn occasion, 69 years after the liberation of Auschwitz:
We remember the six million Jewish martyrs, including 1.5 million children, who were exterminated in the Holocaust.
We remember the entirely new alphabet created by the Nazis for the Final Solution — from the letter “A” for Auschwitz to the letter “Z” for Zyklon-B.
We remember not only the tragic deaths of the six million Jews, but also their vibrant lives—as shopkeepers and craftsmen, scientists and authors, teachers and students, parents and children, husbands and wives.
We remember the richly hued and ancient Jewish civilizations that were destroyed—from Salonika to Vilna, from Amsterdam to Prague.
We remember the slippery slope that began with the rantings of an obscure Austrian-born anti-Semite named Adolf Hitler and led, in the course of less than 15 years, to his absolute control over Germany.
We remember the fertile soil of European anti-Semitism—cultivated over centuries by cultural, political, and religious voices—that created an all-too-receptive climate for the Nazi objective of eliminating the Jewish people.
We remember the courage of Denmark, as well as Albania, Bulgaria, and Finland, for their extraordinary efforts to protect their own Jewish communities.
We remember the courage of thousands of Righteous Persons—whom we call, in Hebrew, Hasidei Umot Ha’olam—who risked their own lives that others might live.
We remember the millions of non-Jews—Poles and Russians, Roma and the disabled, political opponents and homosexuals—murdered under the relentless Nazi onslaught.
We remember the valiant soldiers of the Allied nations who, at such great human cost, vanquished the Third Reich.
We remember the survivors of the death camps, who endured such unimaginable suffering and who have inspired us all with their indomitable courage, spirit, and will to live.
We remember the absence of an Israel in those war-time years—an Israel that, had it existed, would have provided a haven when so shamefully few countries were willing to accept Jewish refugees.
We shall never forget those who perished.
We shall never forget those who saved even a single life. As it is written in the Talmud: “He who saves one life has saved the world.”
We shall never forget the importance of speaking out against intolerance, whenever and wherever it occurs.
We shall never forget the inextricable link among democracy, the rule of law, and protection of human rights.
We shall never forget the age-old prophetic vision of a world of justice, harmony, and peace.
And we shall never forget that each of us, in ways large and small, can help bring us closer to the realization of that prophetic vision.
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Preceding provided by the American Jewish Committee (AJC)