Remarks by Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis, U.S. Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs, at a Special Event with the USC Shoah Foundation Institute For Visual History and Education

Jeffrey DeLaurentis
United States  Ambassador and Alternate Representative for Special Political Affairs 
U.S. Mission to the United Nations 

New York, NY

January 23, 2012

AS DELIVERED

Thank you very much.

Under-Secretary-General Akasaka, Kimberly Mann, Dr. Stephen Smith, Sherry Bard, students, and families, it is a privilege to be here today. Mr. Roman Kent, we are honored by your presence. It is more important than ever that your testimony is preserved for future generations.

I am proud to represent the United States at the unveiling of this vivid living history. By presenting more than 1,000 testimonies, the iWitness project passes on a textured story of valor, resistance, and perseverance. It reminds us of our common humanity. It preserves through its voices and faces a rich picture of resilience in the darkest of hours. From the heroic narrative of Sol Liber’s resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to Margaret Lambert’s pre-War stories of life preparing to be a teacher, the iWitness collection adds depth and dimension to our understanding of the Holocaust.

On behalf of the United States, I would like to thank the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for its role in promoting justice and understanding by preserving these moving historical accounts. Let us honor those who lost their lives in the Shoah, learn from the voices of the survivors, and continue our pursuit of a world free of hatred and bigotry.

Thank you very much.

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