Herzog warns of 'alarming' surge of antisemitism at Romanian pogrom memorial ceremony

President Isaac Herzog spoke at a Romanian state ceremony commemorating the 85th anniversary of the Iași pogrom, where he issued a stark warning about the resurgence of antisemitism.

The Iași pogrom, which occurred in June 1941, saw Romanian authorities massacre over 13,000 Jewish inhabitants. Today, the Jewish community in Iași numbers only in the hundreds.

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This act of remembrance for the many thousands of Jewish women, men, children, and elderly murdered on this soil, in Iași and its surroundings between June 28 and July 6, 1941, does not erase the suffering of the victims. Nor does it lessen the ethical stain of the perpetrators. It does not undo the murder, the humiliation, the beatings, or the death trains, orchestrated high up, but unleashed across every level of society, during those infernal summer days, 85 years ago. Nor does it help us make sense of this simple but burning question: How? How can cruelty of this scope, across an entire society, possibly be comprehended?

During his speech at the Iași Jewish cemetery, Herzog drew parallels between the antisemitism of the Holocaust era and contemporary threats. "Antisemitism is once again rearing its ugly head," he stated, referencing the "sinister influence of an evil empire that traffics in hatred."

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It is therefore all the more alarming that in too many places across Europe, and through the sinister influence of an evil empire that traffics in hatred, antisemitism is again rearing its ugly head.

Hersog lamented that the "moral infrastructure that humanity established in response to the moral destruction of the Holocaust is weaker than it has been for eighty years." He emphasized that this poses a danger not only to Jews but to "all people of goodwill," calling for a "shared responsibility to recognize and name this danger, to actively embrace the moral calling it invokes, and to fiercely combat it."

Herzog also highlighted the significant achievements of Romanian Jews throughout history, including contributions to the founding of Rosh Pina in Israel and the composition of Israel's national anthem. He is scheduled to address the Romanian Parliament on Monday.

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The moral infrastructure that humanity established in response to the moral destruction of the Holocaust is weaker than it has been for eighty years. This is a danger for Jews, this is a danger for all people of goodwill. It is therefore our shared responsibility to recognize and name this danger, to actively embrace the moral calling it invokes, and to fiercely combat it. Let that be the lesson of Iași.