30th Anniversary Guardians Commemorative Book - Book - Page 177
SPEAKING THE
TRUTH
After surviving the
Terezín concentration
camp as a young boy
and losing both sets of
grandparents and many relatives to
the Holocaust, it would be shameful
to let the world forget what atrocities
occurred. My father did his best to
shield us from being caught, deported,
and sent to a concentration camp; we
can’t help but think about protecting
our own children and grandchildren.
History has a terrible way of repeating
itself, and still there are efforts to deny
the Holocaust. General Eisenhower
foresaw that possibility when he said,
‘I made the visit … to give first-hand
evidence of these things if ever, in the
future, there develops a tendency to
charge these allegations merely to
“propaganda.’” Fortunately, the
Museum’s artifacts, photographs,
and archives all speak to the truth
of what happened. The Museum also
pays tribute to those millions who
perished and to those blessed with
tenacity and good fortune to survive
the horrors and begin life again.
Through the Museum’s efforts, we
want the Holocaust to be taught
in all schools—both in the United
States and abroad. Educating young
children, having them understand
what happened, translates to adults
not being able to lie to them. Young
people—children and teens—need to
be exposed to what the Holocaust was,
what preceded it, and why it must
never happen again. It is a valuable
lesson in the consequences of hate.
It is a sad fact of life that antisemitism
and racial propaganda will never
disappear. To look in the faces of
our grandchildren and imagine that
some people will hate them simply
because they are Jewish is infuriating.
We must always have a venue that
demonstrates what can happen when
you don’t speak or react to wrongs
that are being committed. That is why
we have included the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum in our
estate plans. It must continue to stand
for the truth and to teach young and
old the consequences of hate.”
SAFEGUARDING TRUTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS l 175
