Remarks by the High Representative for UNAOC
at the United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Service
81st Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz
24 January 2026, Park East Synagogue, New York
My dear Rabbi Arthur Schneier — a Holocaust survivor, a moral voice of our era, and a tireless advocate for dialogue and peace;
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Leaders of the Park East Synagogue community,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am deeply honored to join you again in this solemn annual memorial service Commemorating the Holocaust.
I speak to you today not only in my institutional capacity—but also as a fellow human being humbled by the memory of six million Jewish men, women, and children brutally murdered because they were Jews.
Seven years ago, Rabbi Schneier first invited me to take part in this service. Since then, I have returned every year with an unwavering commitment to stand against antisemitism and Holocaust denial. This commitment is central to my mandate as High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations—a United Nations entity that serves as a vital global platform for dialogue and that unequivocally rejects all forms of discrimination, racism, and hatred based on religion or belief.
Rabbi Schneier,
Your life story — from surviving the Shoah to devoting your life to healing, and to defending human dignity — embodies the very purpose of remembrance.
Your undeniable commitment to advancing interfaith dialogue serves as a model of principled engagement.
You have demonstrated time and again that the antidote to hate is relationship — across faiths, across cultures, across divides. Your life’s work embodies a central truth: antisemitism is not only a Jewish concern; it is a test of whether we believe in the humanity of one another.
And Your leadership reminds us that conscience is not a concept; it is an act of courage repeated every day.
Distinguished guests,
We gather not simply to recall an unspeakable human atrocity, but to reaffirm our moral obligation — to truth, dignity and vigilance.
We say “Never Again” not as a slogan, but as a solemn duty binding our hearts, our institutions, and our actions.
Antisemitism is the world’s oldest hatred— one that mutates and endures across cultures and generations.
Antisemitism is not a “Jewish problem.” It is a threat to the moral foundations of society. A society that cannot protect its Jews cannot protect the rest of its community, nor its democracy.
Today, Jewish communities worldwide confront fear, grief, and renewed threats.
Survivors still witness denial and distortion of the very history they lived.
I want to recognize the many Muslim, Christian, and other faith leaders around the world who have stood publicly against antisemitism, who have raised their voices when it was not always easy, and who understand that protecting Jewish life is inseparable from protecting the moral fabric of all our societies.
Interfaith solidarity is not symbolic. It is strategic. It is moral. And it is necessary. When imams, priests, rabbis, monks, and pastors stand together, they do more than denounce hatred — they make it harder for hatred to breathe.
Distinguished guests,
The United Nations was born from the ashes of Auschwitz. It bears a responsibility not only to remember the Holocaust, but to ensure that its lessons guide our actions.
That’s why The Holocaust and the United Nations Global Communications Outreach Programme was established by General Assembly Resolution A/Res/60/7 and it addresses antisemitism through Holocaust remembrance and education. The Programme works to ensure that the voices of Holocaust survivors are heard as a warning against the consequences of antisemitism and racism. Survivor testimony is shared each year at the annual observance at United Nations Headquarters in New York of the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust (27 January). I look forward to attending the DGC full fledged elaborate program next week commemorating the Holocaust.
Also that’s why, under the guidance and full support of the United Nations Secretary General, my office developed and launched the UN Action Plan to Enhance Monitoring and Response to Antisemitism in January 2025 in collaboration with relevant UN entities, major Jewish organizations and Envoys and Coordinators on combating antisemitism. I am pleased to announce that despite budget cuts and zero funding from any sources, UNAOC together with the office of the Special Advisor for Genocide Prevention, we will launch an e-learning module on antisemitism in the first quarter of this year.
I also plan to launch a UN monitoring and evaluation working group to monitor and evaluate the impact of polices and measures to address antisemitism in line of the Action Plan.
Therefore, I would like to reiterate my conviction that that the United Nations is an indispensable platform for global dialogue and action rooted in the UN Charter and International law. And the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations is determined to continue its work to implement its mandate given by UN Member States.
In conclusion,
I wish to reiterate to the survivors of the Holocaust and their extended families: Your courage built a bridge across a pit of silence. You transformed trauma into a force for peace. Your life is a beacon, and a moral compass.
“Zikhro-nam livracha” — may the memory of the six million be for a blessing and a charge.
May we transform memory into moral stamina; sorrow into solidarity; vigilance into protection; and grief into a generational promise: Never Again — for Jews, and never again for anyone.
Last but not least, I attended last week a moving Holocaust Remembrance event organized by the European Commission in Brussels and I was given this candle which was named after one of Holocaust victims Dora Stashveski, daughter of Roza and Adolf , born 1888 and died in 1942; she was a physician who perished in Vienna.
This candle carries the memory of Dora and the millions silenced lives, broken world and humanity tested. We light it so remembrance does not fade into silence.
I thank you.