On April 20, I, along with my family, had the privilege of attending the National Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, was the keynote speaker. The theme of her address was that “the Holocaust was not inevitable but rather the result of the nations of the world, including the U.S., refusing to recognize and stand up to Adolf Hitler's antisemitism in the 1930s.” Hitler did not begin by putting people in concentration camps and killing tens of thousands in gas chambers. He began with subtle changes in the laws which began in 1933 and later became known as the Nuremberg Laws.
On the evening of April 20, we attended a dinner commemorating the 30th anniversary of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The dinner was attended by 1,700 people, and raised $41 million. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum stands as a shining example of how the United States has chosen to commemorate this terrible event known as the Holocaust. I feel privileged to have participated in the year's ceremony.
Sam Devinki is Vice President and Honorary President for Life of Kehilath Israel Synagogue. He serves on the United States Holocaust Memorial Council and received the Wings of Memory Leadership Award for the Midwest Region by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
