(New York, NY) – Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace issued the following statement thanking the federal government of Germany and its delegation, led by Bundestag Vice-president Petra Pau, for recently visiting CEP’s Auschwitz Research Center on Hate, Extremism and Radicalization (ARCHER) at the former house of the Commandant, marking the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on Monday, January 27.
It was truly an honor to host the German government delegation at ARCHER at House 88, which opened its doors for the first time to the public on the same day as the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. I thank the delegation and Germany’s consistent opposition to antisemitism and extremism.
This official German government visit underscores the importance not only of remembering the Holocaust and the atrocities of the past but also of taking concrete action against the rising tide of antisemitism and extremism today. The transformation of this house from a place of unspeakable evil into a center for education and action sends a powerful message: we cannot once again allow hatred to become ordinary.
Greeting the honorable Vice-president Pau and her accompanying delegates as they touched the mezuzah now affixed to the doorpost of House 88 was a uniquely memorable, emotionally resonant moment. This is a doorway that once concealed one of the century’s most infamous mass murders responsible for the systematic extermination of more than one million Jews, firmly closed to the victims forced to labor as slaves at the camp next door—and sealed from the world since 1945—but is now truly open and welcome to all.
I am grateful to the German government’s recognition of the importance of this project and its willingness to stand with us in our mission. I thank Vice-president Pau and each of her delegates for their visit and their commitment to ensuring that—as successive German governments have urged—‘never again’ is not just a phrase, but a call to action.
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler, Senior Director of CEP and CEP Germany added:
On behalf of CEP and our German team, may I extend my sincere gratitude to the members of the official German delegation led by Vice-president Pau for honoring us with their presence at the opening of ARCHER at House 88 on Monday. In the coming years, I expect we will look back on those moments as something quite historic. Vice-president Pau is a clear-eyed advocate for Jewish people and a staunch opponent of antisemitism in our country. We naturally extend an open invitation for all German government officials to visit ARCHER at House 88 any time, as we further develop our programming and operations.
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