my name is lisa left. on behalf of the museum leadership, i want to welcome the many ambassadors, diplomats, representatives from the u.s. state department, other u.s. government agencies, will members of our holocaust memorial council, and national jewish organization. -- organizations. most importantly, i want to give a special warm welcome to the many holocaust survivors with us today. it has been their honor, and in memory of the victims, that we are dedicated to making the world a better place for ourselves and future generations. this event commemorated international holocaust remembrance a is being streamed live. i also want to welcome those watching from across the u.s. and across the world. wherever you may be, we hope you will share your reflections of the day on social media, and tag with #weremember. in 2005, the united nations established this day to honor the memory of the victims of the holocaust, to educate ourselves about that history, and draw from it lessons so that we may prevent future genocide. today, we mark the 75th anniversary of the day that the soviet army liberated auschwitz-birkenau. more than 1.1 million people were murdered there, most of them jews. millions more were murdered in other death camps. many others were killed in their own villages or nearby. millions of non-jews were also persecuted and killed by the nazis and their collaborators. we remember all of them. all around the world, many governments, many u.n. offices are remembering the victims of the holocaust. the director of our museum, sarah bloombfield, is not here with us, because she is in poland, where she will join world leaders at a commemoration on monday at the site of auschwitz-birkenau. let me say a word about the u.n. choice of today of our day to remember this tragedy. choosing the day on which soviet troops liberated auschwitz as our day of remembrance would seem to lend itself to a particular type of commemoration. one that would focus on the glorious deeds of the liberating army. and yet, the world community has, from the very first, made a different choice. while we recognize there would have been no end to the suffering had it not been for the heroic deeds of the allied army, we nevertheless put our focus today on remembering the victims of the nazi onslaught. following in the tradition of the early memory it's, like primo levy, or ellie why cell, we shone the light on those persecuted. we remember how they fought to retain their dignity in suffering, and we honor those who, by some miracle, were able to make it to the day of liberation and reclaim their humanity. the fact that we focus on the victims and survivors rather than just the liberators today is important. it is in honoring them that we come to understand the fragility of human civilization, and through that, understand how much depends on us. when we truly listened to the voices of the persecuted rather than the perpetrator, it gives us the understanding we need to create the world in which what happened to the jews of europe should never again happen to any people anywhere. only then can we truly say never again. we hope all of you will join us in our pledge to learn from the stories of the victims and survivors of the holocaust, and from that, do more so that the next generations will not grow up in a world where mass violence is accepted as the normal course of events. now, i'm very pleased and honored to have with us the ambassador of sweden to the u.s. please join me in welcoming her to the podium. [applause] >> survivors of the holocaust, families, and friends of survivors. excellences, and friends in general. can anyone say when things begin? a grain of sand is laid to another grain of sand. before you know it, you have a mountain of sand in front of you. these are the words of a swedish hungarian, she is a swedish hungarian. a holocaust survivor who fought -- whose tireless efforts to fight racism and intolerance continue to touch generations in my country. she recalls how lives changed during her up inking in romania -- upbringing in romania. step-by-step, probably unnoticeable for most people in the beginning. we must never be immune to the sites. our planet is under pressure. fundamental human rights values are being challenged. tolerance, equality, freedom of expression, social and economic rights are threatened in many parts of the world. with climate change, we experience an existential threat to all of us. we cannot take anything for granted. governments and leaders carry a great responsibility to protect our rights. we must never stop reminding them. it really all begins with you and me. with the ability to see a grain of sand. our actions matter every day. 75 years ago, one of the darkest chapters in human history came to an end. as we turn new pages in the book of mankind, we must never forget the past. anti-semitism, xenophobia, intolerance, and racism are steep gorges to be confronted. in the u.s., in sweden, and elsewhere. we see them in the rhetoric of extremist groups to the right and to the left, in conspiracy theories on the internet, in fundamentalist environments, but also among ordinary men and women who cannot tell right and -- right from wrong and recognize the true face of prejudice and propaganda. in this situation, no emptiness, no moral vacuum can be allowed to exist. with unhesitating clarity, we must expose, confront, and combat anti-semitism wherever it may appear, and no matter who expresses it. education is key. mindful of fading memories 20 , years ago, the swedish government established a living history forum in sweden. an agency dedicated to preserving and telling the stories of holocaust survivors. many children passed through his -- it's doors and listened to the voices. many have been given the opportunity to travel to concentration temp sites to see for themselves what horror mankind is capable of if not stopped in time. in 2018, the swedish government decided a holocaust museum will be established in sweden. it will remind you generations -- it will remind new generations of the values of tolerance. it will remind us of human dignity. and it will strengthen the link to the global community of remembrance. in this context, i am particularly pleased with the collaboration between sweden and the holocaust museum here in washington, d.c. together, they have collected over 20 new testimonies from swedish jews, and european jews, all of them survivors who came to sweden after the war. now, the files are stored and safeguarded for future generations. install comb -- 75 years is both a very long time, but at the very same time, a very short time. we must take over the torch from the voices that go silent one by one. therefore, the swedish prime minister has invited heads of state and government, researchers, experts in civil society from about 50 countries to a high level conference in october. it will be an opportunity to take concrete steps in the fight for holocaust remembrance and against anti-semitism. one starting point of the forum are the stockholm declaration on education, remembrance, and research about the holocaust from the year 2000. the working definition on anti-semitism by the international holocaust remembrance alliance. sweden endorses the working definition and the list of examples of anti-semitism that serve as illustrations. anti-semitism is not a jewish problem, it's a problem for all of us. on a day like this, he has deeply affected my own life and worldview. when i served as ambassador to hungary, i constantly came across places and people who had been saved by him, and where he had spent time. they bore witness of his life and his deeds. in 1944, as a 32-year-old swedish businessman, he took on the risky mission to travel to the swedish legation in budapest . a major rescue operation of jews threatened by persecution. by issuing passports, and hiring over 30 buildings in budapest, which he declared as swedish territory, and where jews could seek shelter, he saved thousands of lives. many think even as many as 100,000 lives. he did not use traditional diplomacy, and he would have gotten nowhere. everything from bribery to threats and blackmail. he took great personal risks. even if we peel off some of the myth around this person, it -- what remains a remarkable symbol of personal courage in the fight against atrocities of the second world war. in hindsight, it is very clear the swedish government could have done much more to demand answers from the soviet union and their leadership. on the 17th of january in 1945, he did appear. today, we must honor his life by never forgetting his deeds. his belief in every human being's right to life and dignity is reflected in sweden's commitment to the defense of human rights principles throughout the world. it includes equal opportunities for all, the total abolition of all forms of torture, and freedom of thought and expression, just to mention a few. it includes the fight against anti-semitism, racism, and intolerance, whatever shape they take. it begins at home and stretches beyond all borders. today, we are gathered to greive with all of those who still mourn family members and loved ones. your loss is ours. the holocaust inflicted a wound on humanity that changed us forever. above all, we have gathered to celebrate bravery, perseverance, and the resistance of the human spirit. -- persistence of the human spirit. the strength of freedom and love. it all begins with individual courage. every day, every hour, we must be able to recognize a grain of sand. we must stand ready to act. now it is my great honor to hand over to ms. ruth cohen, survivor of the holocaust. thank you so much for sharing this stage with me. it is truly an honor. thank you. [applause] >> thank you madam ambassador. i was born in czechoslovakia in 1930 two a warm and loving family. my sister was seven years older then i, and my brother ari was one and a half years younger. i had a happy childhood filled with extended family, many friends, and the opportunity to go to a great school. on march 8, 1938, czechoslovakia was partitioned. the next morning, my mother told us she spent the night worrying about the future. in fact, that day, my life again to change. -- my life began to change. my town became a part of hungary, and boys and girls could no longer study in the same classrooms. zech, we learned hungarian. my father's business was taken away immediately, and our nanny had to leave because she was no longer allowed to work for a jewish family. shortly after, we learned members of my mother's family had been taken and murdered. my family officially went into morning. in march 1944, hitler's arched hitler's marched into hungary. we had to wear yellow stars. we were forced to move into a ghetto. within days, the man who had previously tried to buy our house was allowed to just go in and empty it of all its contents. in midmay, more jews were marched to the brick factory, where the railroad was lined with cattle cars. we were ordered into the cars, my 83-year-old grandmother in a wheelchair was taken onto a special car for invalids. that was the last time i saw her. my biology teacher, who i admired and adored, refused to climb the steps and was shot in front of everyone, and was there for all of us to see. it was horrific. my next memory is entering auschwitz where i spent the next 6-7 months. my sister's friend was our block out sister. she informed us our mother, brother, and little cousin who had come with us had already been murdered. who could believe something so outrageous? but it was true. miriam helped me get a job as a messenger girl. my sister became her assistant. when i had typhoid fever, people i had met as a messenger saved my life by hiding the when the nazis came to the infirmary to conduct selections. sometimes in july, we got a message to be at a specific place where we might see our father. we went, saw him carrying blankets. we waived to each other and laughed with joy. a few weeks later we received , the message from our uncle, who had come to auschwitz. we went to meet him at 4:00 at a spot near the barb wire fence. we met him that day, and on several more days. he informed us that soon he would be taken to the gas chambers. indeed in a few days, a friend of ours came to our meeting spot and told us that uncle had been killed. there are no words to adequate ly describe the horror of that moment. at the end of october, the 500 women, including my sister and i, were taken to nierenberg to work after the -- work at the cement plant. i was in a great deal of pain and unable to work. shortly after, the factory was bombed and we were sent to another camp and another cement factory. due to my severe back pain, i could not work anymore, and just stayed in my bed. two days before the end of the war, we were in our barrick and suddenly saw men running down the hill with bayonets. it was a group of white russian protestants. i remember our excitement and how we jumped up on the bids to -- jumped up on the beds to see the man running toward the camp. most of the germans did not resist arrest by the partisans. but one officer tried to flee on his motorbike. he was shot in front of us. some cheered, but most of us were shocked to see such cruelty. our humanity was still intact. the protestants invited everyone who wanted to come to join them. those not believing were told to stay in the camp to wait for the americans who were close by. about 100 women left. hours later, the jewish women came back to the camp. they had been told the jews were not welcomed by the protestants. anti-semitism was still alive and well. a month after liberation, my sister and i went back home, where our dad was waiting for anyone who survived. what a glorious reunion that was. however, i was quite sick. six months later, i went to a hospital in bratislava where i spent a year being treated for tuberculosis of the spine. including nine months during which i was immobile. yet, how lucky i was again. most people die from their ailment. my father and sister now live in prague and visited at least once a month. other survivors from the jewish community also visited me, giving me renewed hope in humanity. a year after leaving the hospital, in april, 1944, my dad and i arrived at new york harbor. on the first night of passover, which also was my 18th birthday. the statute does liberty was liberty wase of there to greet us. pass ladyas i liberty, i feel emotional, always believing her message and hope. the holocaust teaches us about human nature. that there is great capacity for good as well as for people. -- as well as for people. when one group in a society is singled out for persecution, other groups are likely to be targeted, too. in small and large ways, each individual has the capacity to hurt or to heal, to savage or to save. perhaps most important lessons to note at today's commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz is the holocaust did not begin with auschwitz, nor should it be solely defined by it. it began with words and a small acts, then infinitely larger ones that resulted in the murder of 6 million jews. for so many, auschwitz is a symbol of expression, and the ultimate expression of hatred and inhumanity. for me, it isn't this symbol, it was and is my reality. as i look around our world, i see groups like these being persecuted and subject to incarceration, violence, even genocide. i'm scared of the alarming rise in anti-semitism, violence, and deadly attacks on jews in the u.s. and elsewhere. it is appalling to see this stunning denial of the holocaust and how the experience of the survivors and victims are being distorted in the very places it happened. i am so disheartened and sadly convinced that we have not learned the lessons that this history, my history, teaches. i implore everyone, especially those in leadership positions, to be motivated by this history. use your authority and influence to push back against those who perpetrate the worst instance in -- the worst instinct in human behavior. do what you can to ensure that our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren don't face the same atrocities. we can do better, we must do better. thank you. [applause] ♪ [singing in foreign language] ♪ [singing in foreign language] [applause] [applause] ♪ [singing in foreign language] ♪ [singing in foreign language] ♪ [applause] i am a member of the metropolitan police department in the nation's capital where i serve our liaison branch among my many duties, serve as the liaison to our jewish community here in washington dc. i am joined by my brothers and service to this nation, colonel kenneth williams and major roberto gomez of the u.s. army. all three of us have been participants in this museum's leadership program and training. in those programs, members of law enforcement, the judiciary, , allhe military organizations meant to protect our democratic institutions, examine the rule that those professionals had during the holocaust. case studies are explored to examine where individuals in whole professions made choices that resulted in complicity to commit genocide. examining the history helps members today look at their own rules and responsibilities. the numberto imagine 6 million. even harder to imagine that that number represents individuals, not just an individual number. that, we today million asose 6 individuals and as a group so that they will not be lost to history. we remember them for their sake, but we also never them for the sake of our own humanity. sophie hess, julie, bertha friedman, the friedman family, the schwartz family, richard broda, david josephson, roy cohen, rachel degroot, sophia schwab, meyer degroot, isaac , rivka gruber, sarah gruber, helena herskovitz, jacob herskovitz, agnes michael, up ande, claire and jake their daughters, freda, and rachel. serena matzoh, annetta, keisha frieder, moser andra day, esther, rosa laszlo, milosz walter.n, ,> david goldfarb and family silva deutsche bash, joseph regina rosenthal, johan israel,al, astrid israel, eddie gompertz, manfred horwitz, felix or, john, israel blackman, andre kornheiser, david ak,. >> hirsch epstein, malta epstein, miriam epstein, walt esther spitzer, rachel sophie stein,r, stein, stein, camilla , jakob weiss, mirriam weiss. a would like to invite holocaust survivor to come forward to lead. >> we offer as a prayer of remembrance, the words, we affirm our faith in a higher power, the power that endows us with the ability to learn from the past and choose good over evil. please rise if you are able and remain standing following it for a moment of silence as we remember all victims of the holocaust and all victims of bigotry and hate. [speaking foreign language] you may be seated. ♪ >> i would like to invite holocaust survivors to join together with members of the diplomatic community to light memorial candles. following them, we invite all of our guests to light a candle. ♪ >> you are watching american history tv. covering history c-span style. with event coverage, archival films, lectures and college classrooms and visits to museums and historic places. on weekend, every weekend c-span3. >> up next, george aumoithe a postdoctoral research associate at princeton university explores the history of medicaid and medicare in the united states explaining how discussions on universal health care have evolved since the 1960's. this interview was recorded at the american historical association meeting. a george aumoithe is postdoctoral research associate at princeton university and he is is joining us from our studios in new york. thanks for being with us on american history tv. george: thanks for having me. steve: you have devoted a