Rabbi Dovid Weitman spoke at a Holocaust Day remembrance, with Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff in attendance, and explained why he supported it.

By COLlive reporter
Photos by Peter Hamalgyi

"I reaffirm that we will do everything necessary so that something similar does not happen again," stated President Dilma Rousseff at the ceremony marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January in Brasilia.

We are responsible for acting against all violence.

"Denying the Holocaust is an insult to the memory of all humanity," she added at the memorial organized by the Jewish Confederation of Brazil (Conib), in partnership with the Israelite Cultural Association of Brasilia (Acib).

The event also paid tribute to war-time Brazilian diplomats Aracy Rosa, who worked in the consulate in Hamburg, and Luis Martins de Souza Dantas, the Ambassador to France, who saved hundreds of Jews by providing them visas to Brazil.

In his remarks, head of Conib Claudio Lottenberg praised Aracy and Souza Dantas for their courage to act on their beliefs and values, even when their government forbade their actions at the time.

Before 6 candles were lit in honor of the 6 million Jews killed, a prayer was said by Rabbi David Weitman, Rabbi of the Sefardi Community ''Beit Jacob Safra'' in Sao Paulo.

Rabbi Weitman told the President and the crowd that the creation of the memorial day by the United Nations was important as memories begin fading away.

"When I grew up, we didn't need such remembrances because everyday we saw the numbers on the arms of my grandfather or a neighbor," he said. "Unfortunately, not everybody today in Brazil has met a survivor or has read about the Holocaust."

Also present at the event were Israeli Ambassador Rafael Eldad, President of the Jewish Congress of Latin America Jack Terpins and the Shliach in Brasilia Rabbi Leib Rojtenberg.