UN chief decries antisemitism

United Nations: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres decried the resurgence of antisemitism in comments Tuesday night at a service commemorating victims of the Nazi Holocaust, and he urged people around the world to stand firm against hate and bigotry anywhere and everywhere.

The U.N. chief said he was alarmed to learn recently that barely half of adults worldwide have heard of the Holocaust, which saw the murder of 6 million Jews, comprising one-third of the Jewish people, and millions of others during World War II. He said the lack of knowledge among the younger generations is worse still.

Our response to ignorance must be education, Guterres said.

Governments everywhere have a responsibility to teach about the horrors of the Holocaust. He spoke at the United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Service at Park East Synagogue on the eve of the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, which was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.