Estonian minister: Holocaust is not just part of Jewish history
The Holocaust is not just a part of Jewish history, Estonian Minister of Education and Research Mailis Reps said at a Holocaust remembrance event in Tallinn's Jewish cemetery on Friday, calling to avoid such tragedies in the future.
"It concerns the history of all of mankind and is topical also today," Reps said during the ceremony. "We must not go along with the same exclusionary processes that took place during the Holocaust."
The Estonian minister said that Holocaust Remembrance Day reminded people of the core values of being a human being, which was especially important during times when alarming foreign political news reaches them every day. "Therefore we must possess the wisdom to keep history from repeating itself and thousands of innocent people from dying," she said.
"No matter what crises or hardships Europe and the rest of the world are facing, we cannot justify xenophobia," Reps continued. "Estonia has on several occasions condemned the crimes that were committed on occupied Estonian territory against the Jewish people, but in order to preserve the historic memory, it is important to talk about the Holocaust in schools as well as in society as a whole."
Reps also recalled that the Republic of Estonia was the first country in the world to grant Jews cultural autonomy in 1926.
Editor: Editor: Aili Vahtla
Source: BNS