There are no words that can adequately convey our grief, outrage, and sorrow. The barbaric crimes committed against Israeli civilians this week have shocked us all. As we continue to uncover the brutality of the attacks perpetrated by Hamas, including more than 1,300 murders, untold numbers of those abducted and violated, and the many more who have been traumatized by these crimes, we are deeply concerned for our friends and relatives in danger. Our hearts break for the families who fear for the safety of loved ones, and we grieve alongside those who have experienced unspeakable loss.

With an ideology rooted in antisemitism, Hamas, an organization akin to ISIS, openly calls for “death to Jews” and the eradication of the state of Israel. Their acts of terror clearly demonstrate that there are no limits to their will to enact their agenda. We do not know how long this war will last, but we will forever condemn Hamas.

At such times, it is essential that we do not give ground to despair. We have a duty to bear witness, to remember, and to act. We must learn from the experiences of those most affected, particularly the survivors of this deadly genocidal hatred. 

Our mission, which ensures that the voices of survivors can echo across generations, is even more essential than ever. The USC Shoah Foundation is expanding its focus to include work on contemporary forms of antisemitism. Adding to the more than 56,000 testimonies already in our collection, we will build a body of material focused on the victims of antisemitism as it occurred after 1945, including victims of antisemitic terrorist attacks such as those that have befallen the Israeli people over the past several days.

Our programming will expand so that it not only creates opportunities for people to learn about and remember the Shoah, but also other victims of the same irrational hatred that led to the Holocaust and that persists today.

 

Joel Citron Chair, Board of Councilors USC Shoah Foundation

Dr. Robert J. Williams Finci-Viterbi Executive Director Chair USC Shoah Foundation

 

 

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Saturday, October 7, 2023

This morning, on Shabbat and the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, the world awoke to the news that Hamas launched an aggressive war on the state of Israel. As of this moment, an unknown number of Israelis have been taken hostage by Hamas, while hundreds of people have been killed and injured. 

The longstanding tensions in this region of the world are immensely complex, but Hamas has once again demonstrated that its intentions are not peaceful. Long recognized as a terrorist organization, Hamas’s antisemitic, eliminationist ideology undermines the good faith efforts of many governmental and civil society leaders.

As a result of this, close friends and partners of the USC Shoah Foundation find themselves under deadly attack.

Indeed, at this very moment, our Board Chair, Joel Citron, seeks safety in a bomb shelter with his family, including his mother, Elisabeth Citrom, a survivor of the children’s barracks at Auschwitz-Birkenau whose testimony is in the archive of the USC Shoah Foundation. Tomorrow is Elisabeth’s 92nd birthday, one sadly punctuated by further violence to the Jewish people.

We at the USC Shoah Foundation stand in solidarity with our Israeli friends and partners. We hope for their safety, a path to better days, and global resolve to find a peaceable solution to this terrible conflict that has already claimed so many lives.

As these complex and disturbing events unfold, we offer educators many resources to help students develop critical thinking. Our classroom activity, Countering Extremism and Antisemitism in Contemporary Society, invites high school students to reflect on the impact of extremist ideology on individuals and how it might be countered. For additional classroom resources and professional development, visit https://iwitness.usc.edu/home.

 

Joel Citron Chair, Board of Councilors USC Shoah Foundation

Dr. Robert J. Williams Finci-Viterbi Executive Director Chair USC Shoah Foundation

 

Read Joel Citron's additional statement.