30th Anniversary Guardians Commemorative Book - Book - Page 224
AFFIRMING OUR
COMMITMENT
The Holocaust—the
darkest moment of the
20th century—was a
fundamental failure
of civilized society. It is a stark
reminder of what happens when
the most vulnerable among us are
stripped of their humanity by civic
leaders, social institutions, and
average citizens. Will we learn these
lessons? Will we do our part to ensure
that Never Again is not an empty
promise? How will history judge us?
These are just some of the questions
that the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum poses to the
global community. The Museum is
not a mere collection of artifacts. It
does more than teach us about the
past. It calls on us to look inward and
to examine who we are and how we
treat our fellow man.
The Museum is one of our nation’s
premier institutions. Its prominence
on the National Mall is a visible
reminder of the importance that
222 l UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM LEGACY OF LIGHT GUARDIANS
the United States places on
protecting human rights and
promoting human decency.
Our appreciation of these lessons
cannot fade with the passage of time.
By rescuing evidence and promoting
scholarship, the Museum preserves
the memories of victims and fosters
tolerance in future generations.
While our family was blessed to
arrive in this country well before
World War II, as proud Jews, we
are also defined by the Shoah. We
want our children, who are now
both teenagers—and someday their
children—to continue to appreciate
this as well. In that spirit, we made
this first legacy gift so that they can
continue to grow up knowing the
unequivocal importance that the
Museum has to us as a family.”
