Governor Tom Corbett today paid tribute to victims of the Holocaust at a remembrance ceremony held in the Reception Room at the state Capitol.
Corbett said keeping alive the memory of Holocaust victims is a solemn duty of people who want to ensure such terrible acts are never repeated.
“Today, we are remembering the survivors, said Corbett. “It is, and will be, our duty, and the duty of our children to remember for the survivors and to attest to the truth of what they saw and how they suffered.”
Corbett said the world must never forget the atrocities committed by the Nazi German government. By 1945, the Germans and their collaborators killed nearly 6,000,000 European Jews.
The hour-long, civic remembrance event is organized by the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition. Today’s ceremony included presentations by legislative leaders, a candle lighting by Holocaust survivors and their families, interfaith messages, an essay reading and a musical selection from the Holocaust era.
“The people of Israel stand as testimony to the principles of liberty, self-governance, and the right of every person on earth to exist free of oppression and hatred.”