Vice President Pence Speaks at 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz: ‘Never Again’

Hundreds of thousands of pro-life Americans marched in Washington, D.C. today to speak for the over 60 million preborn babies who have died at the hands of abortionists since 1973’s infamous Roe v. Wade decision from the Supreme Court. Yet, another commemoration took place this week in Israel that echoed the same sadness and moral resolve.
This week marks the beginning of observances of the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz near the end of WWII. Auschwitz, the largest and most infamous of Nazi Germany’s death camps, opened in 1942. Located in Nazi-occupied Poland, 1.1 million prisoners—including 960,000 Jews—were murdered there in gas chambers, shot, or starved to death.
Over six million Jews died at the hands of the Nazi regime during WWII, as part of Hitler’s “Final Solution” to eliminate the Jewish race. In fact, Hitler was successful in eradicating 60% of the world’s 9.5 million Jews at the time, in a heinous genocidal campaign that is known around the world simply as “the Holocaust.”
On Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence joined other world leaders in Jerusalem to mark the observance. Pence’s poignant remarks spoke movingly of the horrors committed at Auschwitz, and its nearby sister camp, Birkenau.
“When soldiers opened the gates of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945, they found 7,000 half-starved, half-naked prisoners, and hundreds of boxes of camp records that documented the greatest mass murder in history. Before the war was over, in its five years of existence, more than 1.1 million men, women and children would perish at Auschwitz,” Pence said.
Pence further noted that anti-Semitism is still around and growing, and that the nations of the world must be prepared to confront and expose it. He specifically pointed to the nation of Iran as one of the world’s leading purveyors of anti-Semitism.
The Vice President also remarked about the world’s resolve that something like the Holocaust never happen again.
“Today we remember not simply the liberation of Auschwitz but also the triumph of freedom — a promise fulfilled, a people restored to their rightful place among the nations of the Earth,” Pence said. “And we remember — we remember the long night of that past, the survivors and the faces of those we lost, the heroes who stood against those evil times. And today we gather nearly 50 nations strong, here in Jerusalem, to say with one voice: Never again.”
Never again.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bruce Hausknecht, J.D., is an attorney who serves as Focus on the Family’s judicial analyst. He is responsible for research and analysis of legal and judicial issues related to Christians and the institution of the family, including First Amendment freedom of religion and free speech issues, judicial activism, marriage, homosexuality and pro-life matters. He also tracks legislation and laws affecting these issues. Prior to joining Focus in 2004, Hausknecht practiced law for 17 years in construction litigation and as an associate general counsel for a large ministry in Virginia. He was also an associate pastor at a church in Colorado Springs for seven years, primarily in worship music ministry. Hausknecht has provided legal analysis and commentary for top media outlets including CNN, ABC News, NBC News, CBS Radio, The New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe and BBC radio. He’s also a regular contributor to The Daily Citizen. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law. Hausknecht has been married since 1981 and has three adult children, as well as three adorable grandkids. In his free time, Hausknecht loves getting creative with his camera and capturing stunning photographs of his adopted state of Colorado.