Seventy years ago, the roar of the guns fell quiet over Europe and the Second World War came to a close. As we mourn the human tragedy of this war, we must also recognize those who made victory possible and ensured that freedom triumphed over tyranny. We owe our freedom to the courage and sacrifices of the soldiers of the Allied armies.
More than 60 million people – three percent of the world’s population – were killed or murdered in the Second World War. Half of the victims were civilians. Countless young girls and boys were denied the most basic right – the right to grow up and grow old. The scope of the human tragedy is simply unfathomable.
The sacrifices were immense – Russia alone lost over 25 million people. The Russians pushed forward to conquer Berlin and halted the Nazi advancement. They fought so that peoples and nations could live in freedom.
But there was no one country that could alone stop the monstrous Nazi killing machine. President Roosevelt’s decision to send American troops to fight for freedom changed the course of history. Fighting shoulder to shoulder with Winston Churchill’s Great Britain was a courageous decision.
Without the alliance between the United States, Great Britain, Russia, France, and other countries, and the bravery of the Allied soldiers, the trajectory of civilization would have been terribly different.
On April 25, 1945, soldiers from the Soviet 58th Guards Rifle Division and the American 69th Infantry met at the Elbe River. This historic meeting of East and West signaled the end of long and bloody campaigns by the allied powers to turn back Nazi Germany’s unprecedented aggression against Europe and mankind. Two weeks later, the war in Europe was over, and six years of death and destruction finally came to an end.
The magnitude of the destruction is simply unparalleled. The tragedy of the Shoah is a stain on the conscience of humanity, a mockery of the very concept of the civilized world, never, ever to be forgotten. The elimination of Jews from the face of Europe was not a means to further a goal – it was the goal.
In this darkest of hours Allied nations kindled the light of liberty. American and British forces bravely fought back the Germans on the Western front and in the East, the 322nd Rifle Division of the Russian army liberated the Auschwitz death camp. The steel of the Allied spirit proved to be mightier than the steel of the tanks and guns they faced. Thanks to them, the flame of liberty continues to burn brightly.
But make no mistake– freedom is again under attack throughout the world.
Seventy years ago, with the ashes of World War II still smoldering, the victors of the war came together to establish the United Nations and ensure that “Never Again” would not be a hollow promise
Today the values at the very heart of the UN are being threatened by extremist ideologies that target our way of life. From West Africa to the Middle East, extremists group have unleashed a plague of persecution believing that by silencing individuals, they can silence civilization.
The terrorists who stormed the Charlie Hebdo office in Paris attacked liberty – the right of every person to express him or herself. The terrorist who targeted Jews in Paris and Copenhagen attacked equality – the idea that every person, no matter his faith, is equal. By aiming their attacks at innocent civilians, the terrorists also attacked brotherhood – the bonds of our shared humanity.
A war is being waged against human dignity and human rights, and we must fight back. Standing united with courage and conviction we can turn back the tide of violent extremism and safeguard the values that we cherish.
Peace and security are also threatened by Iran, the world’s foremost sponsor of terrorism. The radical theocracy is working tirelessly to advance its nuclear capabilities, while explicitly threatening to “eradicate Israel from the face of the earth.”
But let me be perfectly clear – what is at stake is not just the security of Israel, it is the security and stability of the entire world.
A nuclear Iran will set off an arms race in the Middle East. It will provide a nuclear umbrella that would protect terrorist groups allowing them to act with increasing impunity.
This is not the world the men and women who fought victoriously 70 years ago would have hoped for. World War II taught us that the costs of inaction are simply too high to bear. It’s the reason the UN exists and it is the obligation it must live up to.
We must overcome indifference. We must know what we stand for and then stand up for something we believe in – never indulge racism; never ignore incitement; never be silent when confronted with the warning signs or war.
I issue a warning to the world – do not close your eyes to the atrocities around you; do not turn away from the animosity that ensues. It is your responsibility to speak out against hatred clearly and unequivocally.
Equip the next generation with words and not weapons. Arm them with ideas and not radical ideologies. Teach them tolerance, not terrorism. War is not inevitable. It is not a force of nature nor is it part of human nature. It can be prevented. But only if we stand together to denounce indifference and defend peace.
The duty rests upon us. If we wish our children to live in a world built on freedom, tolerance, and justice, we must stand united to defend those values.