Welcoming Israel’s Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

Today the United States warmly welcomes the start of Israel’s year-long presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which is committed to supporting accurate Holocaust commemoration, education, and research. We also congratulate the United Kingdom on its completion of a highly successful presidency.

As one of the founders of the IHRA, the United States is deeply committed to maintaining IHRA’s preeminence in the fight against Holocaust distortion and denial and in helping the world to better understand, remember, and learn about the Holocaust to advance the sacred cause of “Never Again.” Israel’s strong leadership of this vital international institution comes at a crucial time when antisemitism is rising and the number of Holocaust survivors is sadly but inevitably diminishing.

My visit to Yad Vashem only two weeks ago was a stark reminder to me that the horror and depravity of the murder of six million Jews is still within living memory; but as the theme of Israel’s IHRA presidency, “The Crossroads of Generations,” acknowledges, almost 80 years after the end of World War II, accurate remembrance, education, and research about the Holocaust face serious challenges. Holocaust distortion, a shocking form of antisemitism, has proliferated and the poison of antisemitism continues to spread. We see it in violent attacks on Jews, defacement of Holocaust memorials, and dangerous rhetoric in universities and international organizations. President Trump and I have made the United States’ position unmistakably clear: the United States will confront antisemitism with determination and resolve. The Trump Administration is already vigorously fighting antisemitism. This includes our commitment to apply the legally non-binding IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and its associated examples as an invaluable tool and resource for identifying and countering antisemitism. On the global stage, America leads by example, promoting the IHRA definition as a cornerstone of the U.S.-led Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism.

The United States will partner with Israel during its IHRA presidency to defend the memory and historical fact of the Holocaust and fight the toxic spread of Holocaust denial and distortion and all other forms of antisemitism.