






|
 |
Remarks
of the Honorable Warren L. Miller, Chairman
United States Commission for the Preservation of
America's Heritage Abroad
Holocaust Remembrance Day
May 31, 2007 Budapest, Hungary |
Prime Minister Gyurcsany,
National Assembly Speaker Szili, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Ministers,
Ambassador Foley, Ambassador Adman, Dr. Feldmajer, Mr. Zoltai, your excellencies,
distinguished guests, friends:
I am honored to be
here and to join the thousands who participated in today’s meaningful
events. I also want to thank the Federation of Jewish Communities of Hungary
for being the partner of the U.S. agency I chair, in placing a plaque
honoring Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli here at the magnificent Dohany Street
Synagogue complex.
Like so many people
in Europe caught up in World War II, Monsignor Roncalli didn’t plan
on playing an active role in history. Events swirled all around him, and
finally overtook him, and in that moment, the monsignor faced a choice:
Do I protect myself, my career, and my interests? Or do I do everything
I can to save my fellow man?
So many chose to
look away as millions were identified, rounded up, and eventually sent
to their deaths.
In Germany, as Hitler
rose to power, the judges, the doctors, the lawyers, the universities,
the unions, and the guilds willingly expelled Jews from their midst when
they were told to do so. Most nations around the world - including my
own - refused to give sanctuary and most people did nothing.
But Monsignor Roncalli
did not look away. From his post in Turkey, he undertook efforts to save
the lives of Jews from Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Greece, Transnistria,
France, Bulgaria, and elsewhere. He urged Church officials in these countries
to issue forged papers and take other steps to obstruct Hitler’s
final solution.
Monsignor Roncalli
also wrote letters to Vatican leaders in Rome – impassioned letters
that crackle with urgency even today – pleading with them to take
actions across Europe to hide and protect Jews wherever possible, and
to lend the Church’s important voice to those opposing the Nazi
campaign of coordinated murder.
Monsignor Roncalli
knew that by issuing false papers to Jews he was violating law, yet he
continued to issue them. He knew that his actions imperiled his future
in the Church, yet he would not stop. He did not follow the path of least
resistance. He followed the path of courage. And for that, we honor him
today.
Later, after the
war ended, the greatness of the man was recognized, and he eventually
was placed in a position to lead the Church. As Pope John the XXIII, he
confronted the elements of anti-Semitism in official church theology and
liturgy, and his initiative led to Nostra Aetate … a historic declaration
that would remove the stigma that the Church once attached to the Jewish
people, and forever improve relations between two great religions and
between the Church and Jews.
Pope John’s
actions during World War II serve as a real-life parable for all who face
moral challenges in difficult times. Even today, Europe still struggles
to face the truth of the Holocaust ... what occurred and where,... how
many lives were taken, ... and who was responsible -- both directly and
indirectly. As in Europe during the 1930’s and 1940’s, there
is again a temptation to not get involved -- to let apartment buildings
be constructed on top of Jewish cemeteries … to allow Nazi sympathizers
and racists to be honored by governments and lead national political parties
… to let others minimize or even deny that the Holocaust occurred.
Yet there are some
who refuse to stay silent … who insist on protecting what Primo
Levi called “the memory of the offense.”
In Hungary, and across
Europe, there are many who refuse to forget. They are preserving sites
of Jewish heritage and history … and taking down the symbols of
European fascism … and erecting memorials where Jews were murdered.
They do so not out of guilt, but out of a commitment to preserve history
and to address an injustice.
We recognize that
fear can cause inaction. But today, there is no Gestapo, there are no
death camps or gulags, and most European nations are free and democratic.
We can act without fear.
We know if mankind
only had more people like Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli, history may have been
different. So let his heroism and courage motivate all of us to act when
we are confronted with prejudice and intolerance. Because we know all
too well, that if we do not, the forces of intolerance can destroy a society
– and undermine the rights and freedoms we all cherish.
Thank you,
|
 |





























 |