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To forget a Holocaust is to kill twice
Elie Wiesel
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Forgetting the Holocaust diminishes the memory of those who suffered and undermines the importance of remembering their experiences.

Elie Wiesel's quote emphasizes the moral imperative of remembering the atrocities of the Holocaust. He suggests that to forget such immense suffering is akin to a second death for the victims, as it erases their experiences and sacrifices. This underscores the responsibility of society to honor memory and safeguard against the repetitions of history.

Themes

HolocaustMemoryRemembranceSufferingHistory

In practice

Example use cases

This quote can be used in a speech at a Holocaust memorial event to emphasize the significance of remembrance.

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The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.
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With every cell of my being and with every fiber of my memory I oppose the death penalty in all forms. I do not believe any civilized society should be at the service of death. I don't think it's human to become an agent of the angel of death.
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Certain things, certain events, seem inexplicable only for a time: up to the moment when the veil is torn aside.
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We're alone, but we are capable of communicating to one another both our loneliness and our desire to break through it. You say, 'I'm alone.' Someone answers, 'I'm alone too.' There's a shift in the scale of power. A bridge is thrown between the two abysses.
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No one is as capable of gratitude as one who has escaped the kingdom of night.
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My loyalty to my people, to our people, and to Israel comes first and prevents me from saying anything critical of Israel outside Israel… As a Jew I see my role as a melitz yosher, a defender of Israel: I defend even her mistakes… I must identify with whatever Israel does – even with her errors.
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