U.S. President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, the president's daughter Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem on Tuesday. They were joined by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau and Yad Vashem Director Avner Shalev. The president and first lady participated in a wreath-laying ceremony in the Hall of Remembrance. Trump then signed the memorial's guest book, writing, "It is a great honor to be here with all of my friends -- so amazing and will never forget!" Speaking at Yad Vashem, Trump vowed the atrocities of the Holocaust will never happen again. "This place, and this entire nation, are a testament to the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people -- and the hope that light can shine the path beyond the darkness. Through persecution, oppression, death, and destruction, the Jewish people have persevered. They have thrived. They've become so successful in so many places. And they have enlightened the world. The State of Israel is a strong and soaring monument to the solemn pledge we repeat and affirm: Never again. "From the depths of the suffering, the Jewish people have built a mighty nation -- and the Star of David waves proudly above this cherished land," Trump exclaimed. "As long as we refuse to be silent in the face of evil, as long as we refuse to dim the light of truth in the midst of darkness, as long as we refuse to become bystanders to barbarity, then we know that goodness, peace and justice will ultimately prevail. ... With sadness for the lives and dreams that were stolen from this Earth, with determination to always keep the memories of the victims alive, and with resolve to confront evil wherever it threatens, we ask God to give us the strength, wisdom and courage to chart the righteous path. "Thank you. God bless the memory of the perished. God bless the survivors. God bless the Jewish people. And God bless the State of Israel. Thank you for having me. Thank you," Trump concluded. Netanyahu followed Trump's speech, saying, "What an incredibly moving speech that in so few words said so much. Thank you, Mr. President. This adds to a historic visit. You are the first American president who chose to include Israel on his first foreign trip. You're the first president in office to visit the Western Wall. We were so deeply moved to see that picture of you touching the stones of the wall. And may I say, we were deeply moved to see first lady Melania Trump touching the stones of that wall. And equally moved when we saw your daughter, Ivanka, and your son-in-law Jared do the same. Now you touch other stones. "You honor today the memory of 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. A few weeks ago, you gave a powerful speech in the Holocaust Memorial Day in Washington, D.C., and today in this solemn place, in Yad Vashem, our great monument of remembrance, we remember the Holocaust," Netanyahu continued. "We remember the hatred towards Jews that consumed a defenseless people. We pledge never to be defenseless against that hatred again. And to fulfill that pledge, Israel must always be able to defend itself by itself against any threat. "I appreciate America's long-standing commitment to that principle, and Mr. President, I appreciate your commitment to that principle, your commitment to the security of the one and only Jewish state, which is entrusted with securing the Jewish future. "You said, Mr. President, just now, that we must confront evil in the world, we must confront the barbarians. They are sadly still with us." The prime minister concluded his speech by thanking Trump and the first lady "for taking such a strong stand for Israel and the Jewish people. It comes from the heart of all of us. Thank you, Mr. President." Following the two leaders' statements, Shalev presented the president with the replica of Holocaust victim Ester Goldstein's book of photos and messages of friends and family -- many who perished in the Holocaust. Goldstein's sister, Holocaust survivor Margot Herschenbaum, who was rescued by a Kindertransport to Australia had donated the album to Yad Vashem, was moved to tears when Trump embraced her. The first lady and the prime minister and his wife followed Trump with their own warm words for Herschenbaum, who was visibly overwhelmed. She said she was "deeply moved" by the decision to present her sister's album to Trump, adding she hoped "the president will appreciate the uniqueness of this item and realize its true meaning."
Credit: Reuters
"Thank you, Prime Minister Netanyahu, Sara Netanyahu, Chairman Avner Shalev, and Rabbi Israel Meir Lau for hosting us for this moving wreath-laying ceremony. We are here at Yad Vashem to honor the memory of 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. ... Words can never describe the bottomless depths of that evil, or the scope of the anguish and destruction. It was history's darkest hour. ... It was the most savage crime against God and his children. And it is our solemn duty to remember, to mourn, to grieve and to honor every single life that was so cruelly and viciously taken.
'Holocaust was history's darkest hour,' Trump says at Yad Vashem
Holocaust was "the most savage crime against God and his children," U.S. President Donald Trump says during visit to Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem • "This place, this entire nation, are a testament to the unbreakable spirit of the Jewish people," he says.
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