From Pence to Putin, 40-plus leaders to arrive in Jerusalem this week to mark 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. How will you and your family remember the Holocaust this week? Here are a few suggested resources. #NeverForget #NeverAgain

January 19, 2020 By in Epicenter

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(Jerusalem, Israel) — Evil, unchecked, is a prelude to genocide.

With attacks against Jewish people spiking in the U.S., Europe and around the world, more than 40 presidents, prime ministers and other global leaders are coming to Israel this week to take a stand against anti-Semitism and to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp.

May I encourage you to take time this week to remember and discuss the horrors of the Holocaust with your children and grandchildren, neighbors and co-workers?

As a new decade begins, let this be a time to reflect on the horrific history of Nazi Germany and to discuss the importance of taking a stand against Jew-hatred — and all hatred — in our world.

If you need some resources, here are several that I’ve developed over the years:

  • Watch this brief video report I made when I had the honor of visiting Auschwitz with several Evangelical pastors and their wives. 
  • Read The Auschwitz Escape, or listen to the audio book. “As the Nazi war machine rolls across Europe, young Jacob Weisz is forced to flee his beloved Germany and join an underground resistance group in Belgium. But when a rescue operation goes horribly wrong, Jacob finds himself trapped in a crowded cattle car headed to southern Poland. Sentenced to hard labor in the Auschwitz labor camp, Jacob forms an unlikely alliance with Jean-Luc Leclerc, a former assistant pastor who was imprisoned for helping Jews. They’ve been chosen for one of the most daring and dangerous feats imaginable―escape from Auschwitz. With no regard for their own safety, they must make it to the West and alert the Allies to the awful truth of what is happening in Poland before Fascism overtakes all of Europe. The fate of millions hangs in the balance.”
  • Read a column I wrote — “Remembering Four Heroes of the Holocaust” — that shares some of the true stories that inspired my novel, The Auschwitz Escape.  
  • Watch this speech I gave to 10,000 Christian students at Liberty University — “Author Joel Rosenberg warns students to sharpen faith to fight evil.” 

Hope those are helpful. Now, here’s more on this week’s events here in Israel.

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“At the invitation of the President of the State of Israel, over forty royals, presidents, prime ministers and parliamentary leaders from Europe, North America and Australia, will attend the Fifth World Holocaust Forum, entitled Remembering the Holocaust, Fighting Antisemitism,” notes a press release from Yad Vashem. 

“The World Holocaust Forum organized by the World Holocaust Forum Foundation in cooperation with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, will take place on 23 January 2020 at the Warsaw Ghetto Square in Yad Vashem, Jerusalem,” the released stated. “The World Holocaust Forum will be broadcast live via satellite feed worldwide and via Yad Vashem’s website and Facebook page.“

Confirmed Leaders of Nations and Heads of Delegations

(As of 16 January 2020)

  1. President of Albania H.E. Mr. Ilir Meta
  2. President of Armenia H.E. Mr. Armen Sarkissian
  3. Governor-General of Australia The Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd)
  4. Federal President of Austria H.E. Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen
  5. Chairman of the House of Representatives of Belarus H.E. Mr. Vladimir Andreichenko
  6. King of Belgium His Majesty King Phillipe
  7. Chairman of Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina H.E. Mr. Željko Komšić
  8. President of Bulgaria H.E. Mr. Rumen Radev
  9. Governor-General of Canada the Right Honourable Ms. Julie Payette
  10. President of Croatia H.E. Ms. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović
  11. President of Cyprus H.E. Mr. Nicos Anastasiades
  12. Prime Minister of the Czech Republic H.E. Mr. Andrej Babiš
  13. Prime Minister of Denmark H.E. Ms. Mette Frederiksen
  14. President of European Council H.E. Mr. Charles Michel
  15. President of the European Commission H.E. Ms. Ursula von der Leyen
  16. President of the European Parliament H.E. Mr. David Sassoli
  17. President of Finland H.E. Mr. Sauli Niinistö
  18. President of France H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron
  19. President of Georgia H.E. Ms. Salome Zourabichvili
  20. President of Germany H.E. Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier
  21. President of the Hellenic Republic H.E. Mr. Prokopios Pavlopoulos
  22. Representative of the Holy See His Eminence Cardinal Kurt Koch
  23. President of Hungary H.E. Mr. János Áder
  24. President of Iceland H.E. Mr. Guðni Thorlacius Jóhannesson
  25. President of Italy H.E. Mr. Sergio Mattarella
  26. Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia H.E. Ms. Ināra Mūrniece
  27. President of Lithuania H.E. Mr. Gitanas Nauseda
  28. Grand Duke of Luxembourg HRH Henri
  29. President of Moldova H.E. Mr. Igor Dodon
  30. Minister of State of Monaco H.E. Mr. Serge Telle
  31. President of Montenegro H.E. Mr. Milo Đjukanović
  32. King of the Netherlands His Royal Majesty Willem-Alexander
  33. President of North Macedonia H.E. Prof. Dr. Stevo Pendarovski
  34. Crown Prince of Norway HRH Crown Prince Haakon
  35. President of Portugal H.E. Prof. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
  36. President of Romania H.E. Mr. Klaus Iohannis
  37. President of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Vladimir Putin
  38. President of Serbia H.E. Mr. Aleksandar Vučić
  39. President of Slovakia H.E. Ms. Zuzana Čaputová
  40. President of Slovenia H.E. Mr. Borut Pahor
  41. King of Spain His Majesty King Felipe VI
  42. Prime Minister of Sweden H.E. Mr. Stefan Löfven
  43. President of Ukraine H.E. Mr. Volodymyr Zelenskyy
  44. The Prince of Wales HRH Prince Charles, United Kingdom
  45. Vice President of the United States of America H.E. Mr. Michael R. Pence*
  46. Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi*

*Awaiting official confirmation

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