2023 30thAnniversaryCommemorativeBook SINGLEPAGES-small - Flipbook - Page 25
GUARDING
DEMOCRACY
I went to the Museum
shortly after it opened.
It was a profound,
emotional experience—
jarring and transformative in
attempting to understand a historical
event that is incomprehensible. How
in God’s name could this ever happen?
Upon appointment in 2002 to the
United States Holocaust Memorial
Council, the Museum’s board, I was
assigned to its fledgling genocide
prevention committee. Three
decades later, as chairman emeritus,
I’m again chairing the Committee on
Conscience, and we’re supporting
the Museum’s Simon-Skjodt Center
for the Prevention of Genocide—the
most impactful institution fighting
these horrors across the globe.
The Center has been doing truly
remarkable work to counter these
crimes against humanity—from
Burma’s Rohingya Muslims to the
Yezidis in northern Iraq to China’s
Uyghurs. Its vital Early Warning
Project assesses the risk of mass
atrocities to identify where the next
genocide may be brewing.
Elie Wiesel has a wonderful quote
about using the lessons of history to
engage today’s world—the Museum’s
central mission. ‘A memorial
unresponsive to the future would
violate the memory of the past.’
As the son of a book publisher, I’ve
always been struck by the origin
of these unthinkable events. They
all begin with words—words that
dehumanize others. Without early
intervention, they can take on a
life of their own with incredible
rapidity and force. If you’re labeled
subhuman, you can be eradicated.
It’s that simple—and sadly,
historically repetitive.
Our job at the Museum is profound
and urgent. Rising above politics,
we’re united in pursuing a common
purpose and vision. That’s never been
more important in today’s polarized
world. The fragility of democracy
is particularly evident amid the
rise of authoritarianism around the
globe. To maintain a democracy, you
must have a strong government that
protects the rights of its people and
that can’t be subverted. We need
powerful institutions like the US
Holocaust Memorial Museum to
ground our civilization.”
SAFEGUARDING TRUTH FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS l 23