Political Quotes

“Mr. President, last week we were reminded of the tragic history of the 20th century and the reemergence of the State of Israel from the embers of the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and the voice of the unconquerable human spirit, died. Wiesel summed up his mission and what should be the driving creed of American Foreign Policy in 1986 when accepting the Nobel Peace Prize: ``Whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation, take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.'' On the cornerstone of the Holocaust Museum here in Washington are his words: ``For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.'' Wiesel defended Soviet Jews, Cambodian refugees, the Kurds, and the victims of ethnic cleansing in Bosnia. He was Israel's most vocal supporter, although he was criticized by the left for his friendship with and support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. When Mr. Netanyahu spoke to Congress last year, denouncing President Obama's appeasement of the Iranian mullahs, Wiesel was the guest of honor. Elie Wiesel's passing comes at a time when the specter of anti- Semitism is gaining new life across the globe and sadly within the United States.…”