Thousands Back Petition Against Trump Speech At Holocaust Museum
Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — Thousands of American Jews have signed a petition challenging the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s invitation to President Donald Trump to deliver the keynote remarks at the National Day of Remembrance.
Launched Monday by Bend the Arc, a Jewish group that advocates for social justice causes, the petition by the following morning had more than 7,400 signatures.
“President Trump’s administration has repeatedly insulted the memory of the Holocaust, and embraced the agenda and rhetoric of white nationalism and anti-Semitism. So how can the U.S. Holocaust Museum invite him to deliver the keynote remarks at the National Day of Remembrance?” the petition asks. “Jews across the country are outraged by this bizarre and unacceptable choice.
“While we recognize the longstanding tradition of American presidents giving remarks at this ceremony, this is not a normal president and this is not a normal moment. It is an insult to the memories of survivors, descendants, and allies that he would speak on this sacred day.”
The remarks to be delivered Tuesday in the U.S. Capitol rotunda are among the events for the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s annual Days of Remembrance.
Every president since the museum opened in 1993 has participated.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
