US Holocaust envoy warns denial and survivor needs remain urgent, year-round challenges
WATCH ● Ellen Germain highlights restitution efforts and education as living witnesses to the Holocaust continue to dwindle
As the world marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day, US State Department Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues Ellen Germain said efforts to support survivors and counter Holocaust denial must remain a year-round priority. She noted that the dwindling number of living witnesses makes the work increasingly urgent.
“International Holocaust Remembrance Day is kind of the day for me and for my office,” Germain said. She highlighted the State Department’s two core missions: restitution and compensation for Holocaust survivors and their families, and supporting accurate Holocaust commemoration and education, including efforts to counter Holocaust distortion and denial, which she described as “a pernicious form of antisemitism… sadly and frighteningly on the rise worldwide.”
Germain reflected on her recent visits to Europe, including Dachau and Mauthausen, to mark the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end. She recalled meeting the “Mauthausen babies,” three survivors born during the war as their mothers were transported between camps. “Their survival is unbelievable,” she said, calling their story “a testament to human spirit and to the way people are able to survive in the most horrific of circumstances.”
She also shared the story of Dr. Eugene Bergman, a deaf Holocaust survivor who endured attacks as a child in Poland, survived with partisan groups, and later became an English professor in the US. “Every time I hear a new story from a survivor, I marvel at how each story is different,” Germain said.
Addressing unresolved restitution claims, Germain said she is cautiously optimistic under the current US administration. “We don’t want to let countries run out the clock,” she said, adding that diplomats are pressing nations to resolve outstanding cases while survivors can still benefit.
On Holocaust denial and free speech, Germain said the US makes a distinction between legal rights and moral responsibility. “We can condemn speech that we disagree with as a policy matter, and we do do that,” she said. “We have been very clear in condemning antisemitic speech and Holocaust distortion and denial.”