12 December 2019
Yad Vashem is saddened by the shooting attack in Jersey City, New Jersey on Tuesday, which claimed innocent lives of Jews and non-Jews alike. We stand united with the victims, their families and the local community.
Yad Vashem strongly condemns all forms of antisemitism and violent acts committed against Jews and any community simply because of their faith or nationality. Particularly, as we approach the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and the UN-sanctioned International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is dedicated to commemorating the memory of the six million men, women and children murdered for being Jewish, we continue to urge local, national and international authorities to make concerted efforts to uproot antisemitism and protect Jewish communities worldwide.
On the backdrop of this attack and the worrying rise in antisemitism around the globe, dozens of world leaders will attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum on 23 January 2020 which will convene in Jerusalem at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. The Forum, under the banner of "Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism," provides a stage for these leaders to express their commitment to fighting antisemitism, hatred and xenophobia.
"It is especially disconcerting that, in addition to the heinous acts committed, antisemitic reactions of some members of the local community seem to justify this violence," states Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev. “Blaming this attack on the presence of Jews in the city, is yet another sign that age-old antisemitic tropes still plague our society and the violence that invariably ensues from antisemitic rhetoric affects everybody. This underscores the urgent need for expanding educational initiatives that combat antisemitism and other forms of racism."
