the u.s. government agencies, members of the memorial council and national jewish organization. most importantly i want to give a special, warm wet to the many survivors who are with us today. it is in their honor and in memory of the victims we are dedicated to making the world a better place for ourselves and for future generations. commemorating international holocaust remembrance day is being streamed live and so i also want to welcome those watching from across the net it's and across the world -- the united states and across the world. we hope you will share your reflections of the day on social media and use the #we remember. nations the united established this day to honor the memory of the victims of the holocaust. to educate ourselves about that history and to draw from it lessons so that we may prevent future genocide. today we mark the 75th anniversary of the day the soviet army liberated auschwitz-birkenau. more than 1.1 million people were murdered there, most of them choose. millions more -- killedd many others were in villages or forests nearby. millions of non-jews were persecuted and killed by the nazis and their collaborators and we remember all of them. all around the world many governments, you and offices are remembering the victims -- u.n offices are remembering. zero bloombfield is not with us field is not with us today. she is 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. has,et the world community from the very first, made a different choice. while of course 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 of primo leviirs we shun allete and those persecuted. we member how they fought -- we remember how they fought to retain their dignity and honor those who, by some miracle, made it to the day of liberation and reclaimed 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 we come to understand the fragility of human civilization and through that understand how much depends on us. when we truly listen 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 that 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 to 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 am pleased and honored to have with us the ambassador of sweden to the united states her excellency, colonel stopped her en alstoder. >> survivors of the holocaust, families, and friends of survivors, and friends in general of course when things begin a grain of sand is laid next to another grain of sand and before you know it, you have a mountain of sand in front of you. of a swedish hunk area -- she is a swedish hungarian. a holocaust survivor whose tireless efforts to fight racism and intolerance continue. she recalls how her life changed during her upbringing in romania. probablytep unnoticeable for many people we must never be immune. our planet is under pressure. human rights are being challenged, tolerance, equality, freedom of expression, social and economic rights are threatened in 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 droop -- to protect our rights and we must not stop reminding them. it all begins with you and me. our actions matter every day. year one of this the darkest chapters in history come to an end. as we turn new pages in the book of mankind we must never forget the past. anti-semitism, xenophobia, and tellers him and racism -- intolerance and racism are still rampant. we see them in extremist groups to the right and left, conspiracy theories on the amonget, but also ordinary men and women who cannot tell right from wrong and recognize the true face of prejudice and propaganda. vacuum can be allowed to exist. with unhesitating clarity we must confront and combat anti-semitism wherever it may appear and no matter who expresses it. education is key. 20 years ago this would his government established a living history forum. an agency dedicated to preserving and telling the stories of holocaust survivors. children have listen to the voices. many have been given the opportunity to travel to concentration camps to see for themselves what horror mankind is capable of if not stopped in time. in 2018, the swedish government decided a holocaust museum would be established in sweden. it will remind new generations of the value of tolerance, it would remind us of human dignity and it would 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. in stockholm and also here in washington. 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 in are the stockholm declaration 2020 on education, remembrance, and research about the holocaust from the year 2000. the working definition on anti-semitism by the international holocaust remembrance alliance. and 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. and on a day like this, i think of a man who 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. and 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 in order to conduct a major rescue operation of jews threatened by nazi persecution. passports, employing people, and building 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. but everything from bribery to threats and blackmail. he took great personal risks. and even if we peel off some of the myth around this person, it -- he 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. after his disappearance on the in 1945.anuary 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 grieve with all of those who still mourn family members and loved ones. and your loss is our loss. the holocaust inflicted a wound on humanity that changed us forever. but above all, we have gathered to celebrate bravery, perseverance, and the resistance of the human spirit. the strength of freedom and love. and it all begins with individual courage. every day, every hour, we must be able to recognize a grain of sand. and we must stand ready to act. and 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. and thank you. [applause] mrs. ruth cohen: thank you, madam ambassador. i was born in czechoslovakia in 1930 to a warm and loving family. my sister was seven years older than i, and my brother was 1.5 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. and in fact, that day, my life began to change. my town became a part of hungary, and boys and girls could no longer study in the same classrooms. ech, we learnedcz 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 mourning. in march 1944, hitler marched into hungary. our school was closed and we had to wear yellow stars. by april, we were forced to move into a ghetto. move, the man our who had previously tried to buy our house was allowed to just go in and empty it of all its contents. in mid may, all 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 left there for all of us to see. it was horrific. my next memory is entering the barracks in auschwitz where i spent the next six to seven months. my sister's friend was our block out sister. she informed us our mother, brother, and little cousins 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. and my sister became her assistant. when i had typhoid fever, people i had met as a messenger saved my life by hiding me 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 called out and waved to each other and laughed with joy. a few weeks later, we received a message from our uncle who had come to auschwitz. we were 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 his 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 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 baruch, 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 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 leaving were told to stay in the camp to wait for the americans who were close by. about 120 women left with the protestants. several hours later, the jewish women came back to the camp. they had been told that jews were not welcome 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, 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 died from that ailment. my father and sister now lived 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. liberty wasf waiting to greet us. even now when i see the statue of lady 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 evil. that 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 small acts, then infinitely larger ones that resulted in the murder of 6 million jews. for so many, auschwitz is a symbol of 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 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 another language] ♪ >> ♪ >> ♪ [applause] >> good morning. my name is brett parson and i am a member of the metropolitan police department in the nation's capital where i lead our special liaison branch and among my duties, serve as , liaison to our jewish community in washington, d.c. i am joined by my brothers in service to this nation, colonel 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 . programs, members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and military, all organizations meant to protect our democratic institutions, the role those professionals had during the holocaust. case studies were explored to examine where professionals make choices that resulted in complicity to commit a genocide. examining the history helps members today look at their own roles and responsibilities. it is hard to imagine the number 6 million, but even harder to imagine that that number represents individuals, not just an individual number. because of that, we today remember those, those 6 million as individuals and as a group. so that they will not be lost to history. we remember them for their sake, but we also remember them for the sake of our own humanity. [reading of names] names]g of >> [reading of names] >> [reading of names] will >> we would like to invite a holocaust survivor to come forward to lead the recitation hadish.ourning >> we offer this as a prayer of remembrance. with 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. in another language] kaddishion of mourning in another language] you may be seated. >> ♪ >> i would now 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. >> ♪ [fife and drum music] >> up next, 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 annual american historical association meeting. host: george aumoithe is joining us from our studios in new york. thanks for being with us
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