North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27 with a commitment to combating “antisemitism and other forms of hate,” and by illuminating the State Capitol Building with yellow lights.
“Antisemitic attacks, currently on the rise, are an assault on the humanity of all people,” the governor’s proclamation stated. “We should always take time to remember the millions of men, women and children who were killed simply because of their beliefs and their heritage; and we must avow that the atrocities and genocide of the Holocaust never be repeated.”
“Today, we recommit ourselves to never forgetting one of the darkest chapters in world history, when the Nazis killed 6 million Jews and millions more Slavs, Roma, and disabled and LGBTQ people,” said Stein, who is Jewish.
“This day reminds us to stand up for our neighbors, condemn all acts of hatred in our communities, and do everything in our power to keep this awful history from repeating itself. In their memory, let us resolve to combat antisemitism and other forms of hate wherever we see them,” he added.
Stein said the Capitol will be lit with yellow lights as a symbol of the state’s “commitment to rooting out antisemitism and preserving history.”
The proclamation noted that “as of August 2024, thirty-five U.S. states plus the District of Columbia have adopted a non-legally binding ‘working definition’ of antisemitism,” referring to North Carolina’s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism.
