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Recently, we have witnessed horrific acts of violence against the
elderly, including elderly Holocaust survivors. There is nothing that
contradicts Jewish heritage, the values of our country and basic human morality
more than this. We will not tolerate it, and I consider it my duty to apply the
full weight of the State and Government of Israel to make sure that the
culprits are severely punished. This was what I instructed. We are
committed to maintaining the dignity and safety of our elderly citizens in
general, and we have a special commitment to the welfare of Holocaust survivors
in particular. Today, the Government added resources for care, welfare and
medications for Holocaust survivors, and we will add as much as needed, with an
open heart.
Holocaust survivors are the symbol of our revival. They, who
witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust, deserve to spend their remaining days
in peace and tranquility. In the words of the Prophet Zachary: "Old
men and old women will once again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with
his staff in his hand in advanced age". In advanced age – in safety,
comfort and dignity.
Citizens of Israel,
In every generation, they rise up to destroy us. In every
generation, we must see ourselves as if we have survived the Holocaust and
founded this country. In every generation, we are committed to ensuring that there
will not be another Holocaust. During the time of the Holocaust, we were
unable to prevent the annihilation. Many failed to identify the danger in time,
and once they did, it was already too late. The trap was set; the trap
was sprung. The gates of this land were shut to Jewish refugees, as were
the gates of most countries, although not all, including those of the most
enlightened ones.
From that point, the path to eradicating our six million brothers
and sisters was easy. The hatred against Jews, which culminated in Nazi
Germany, the weakness of the Jews in exile and the impotence of the world's
nations – the combination of these three elements resulted in the tragedy of
the Holocaust. However, from the depths of darkness, the Jewish fate underwent
a major transformation. In the death camps and ghettos, in the Warsaw
ghetto – after which this square is named – Jewish history changed.
There, Jewish resistance was revived and the spirit of the Maccabees was
rediscovered. The flag of rebellion was raised once again. From
lows not known to man, Jewish youth mobilized their power of resistance and
their Jewish courage to fight back against the Nazi oppressor. The fact that
they were defeated does not diminish the magnitude of their heroism and the major
transformation they generated in the history of our people.
From defenseless victims, the protectors of the ghetto transformed
into valiant fighters, valiant fighters who paralyzed the German military for
nearly a month. Few against many, guns against tanks – for nearly a
month. The actual spirit of the Maccabees. Five years later, with that
same spirit – few against many – IDF soldiers, among them many Holocaust
survivors, defeated the Arab armies that had arrived to wipe out the fledgling
State of Israel and the remaining survivors of the Holocaust. The Jewish
revival is inextricably linked to the willingness and ability of the Jews to
wage an uncompromising battle against those who sought to destroy them. Our
ability and willingness to defend ourselves is what enabled the establishment
of the Zionist enterprise and what guarantees our continued existence and
future.
Several days ago I bid farewell to a young Lieutenant-Colonel who
served in the military secretariat of the Prime Minister's Bureau. He is
going to the Negev to train future IDF commanders at the officers'
academy. I was very moved when, at the farewell ceremony, he told the
story of his grandmother Hanna. Hanna is a survivor of Auschwitz. The
Nazis carved a number on Hanna's arm that ended with the digits 78. As
fate would have it, Hanna's ID card in the State of Israel also ends with the
digits 78. The death number which Hanna received at the Auschwitz death
camp was her life number in the State of Israel. Hanna, who is watching us
now, survived the Nazi inferno, immigrated to the Land of Israel. Her husband
fought in the War of Independence, and today, her grandson, an officer in the
Israel Defense Forces, is training our future commanders whose mission is to
ensure that we will live here forever.
Six million Jews perished in the valley of death of the Holocaust.
Today, for the first time since the establishment of the State, more than six
million Jews live in the State of Israel. You, the citizens of Israel,
are the testament to our victory. From the abyss of the Holocaust, we
climbed to the peak of Zion. From a deep pit, we rose to a
pinnacle.
This is our victory. It is our comfort and our pride – our
pride in the State of Israel, which is a beacon of enlightenment, progress and
freedom in the darkness which blights so much of our surroundings. One
needs only to look around. We see people fighting for the very right to live
and for the most basic human rights. One needs only to look around us to
understand the enormity of the achievement of the State of Israel.
We are proud of the amazing things we have created here in 65
years of independence. We are proud of the great light emanating from
Zion, a light unto the people of Israel, a light unto the nations; a light of
progress, a light of prosperity, a light of a peace-seeking nation. I am
proud to be Prime Minister of this nation. However, there are those who
seek to extinguish this light of ours. Iran openly declares its intention
to destroy the State of Israel and employs all means to achieve this end.
"The Zionists", I am now quoting Iranian religious
leaders, "are germs and bacteria", "the Jews are filthy people
who spread disease". These statements were not only made then, they
are made now. "Israel", says the leader of Iran today, "is a
cancerous tumor which must be excised from the Middle East". The
murderous hatred for the Jewish people, which has accompanied our nation since
its inception, did not disappear from the world. It was simply replaced
by a murderous hatred for the Jewish state. What has changed since the
Holocaust is our determination and ability to defend ourselves by
ourselves.
We value the international community's efforts to curb Iran's
nuclear program, but we will never entrust others with our fate, not even the best
of our friends.
I have confidence in the strength of the State of Israel; I have
confidence in the Israel Defense Forces. I believe in you, Israel's
citizens. We are stronger now than we have ever been, and we can meet the
challenges ahead, as difficult as they may be. We have great strength
.
Two weeks ago, our friend, Rabbi Lau, spoke on this
mountain. As a child, he survived the death camps. He told the
story of a touching meeting he had last year with a retired American general.
The American general, who was one of the soldiers who liberated the death
camps, told Rabbi Lau with tears in his eyes: "I ask for your forgiveness.
We arrived too late". The most profound meaning of the establishment
of the State of Israel is this: we will never again be in a situation where it
is too late. We will never stand helpless against those who seek our
destruction.
Sixty five years ago, the Declaration of Independence granted us a
State and granted us the sovereign ability to make the necessary decisions that
will guarantee our future here. We will know how to act to defend
ourselves. In this place, on this day, I pledge: there will never be
another Holocaust.
