Trump makes solemn, yet brief stop at Israel's Holocaust Memorial
JERUSALEM — President Trump laid a wreath Tuesday at Israel's Holocaust memorial, calling the Nazi extermination of 6 million Jews “history’s darkest hour.”
Trump's half-hour visit at Yad Vashem was far shorter than usual for world leaders who come to the sacred site, but the president expressed sympathy for Holocaust victims and strong support for Israel. In a solemn ceremony, Trump rekindled the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance, which is lined with large stones and engraved with the names of concentration camps.
“Millions of wonderful and beautiful lives — men, women and children — were extinguished as part of a systematic attempt to eliminate the Jewish people,” Trump said. “It is our solemn duty to remember, to mourn, to grieve and to honor every single life that was so cruelly and viciously taken.”
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There is a standard protocol when a head of state visits Yad Vashem, an event that usually lasts 90 minutes. In addition to the flame-lighting ceremony, the leaders usually walk through the gardens planted with trees named for “Righteous Gentiles,” non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust; the children’s memorial; the Hall of Names listing those killed; and harrowing exhibits that recount the story of Adolf Hitler’s rise.
Last month, the visiting Archbishop of Canterbury lingered by a small tree to ask questions about the life of Charles Coward, a British sergeant major captured by the Nazis near Auschwitz who saved the lives of many Jews.
President Obama was visibly shaken during his last visit to Yad Vashem, in 2013, and stopped to compose himself before writing in the guest book.
There was no visible emotion by Trump or first lady Melania Trump. They were accompanied by his daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka and Jared Kushner; White House press secretary Sean Spicer; and other senior aides.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Trump for his historic visit to Israel as part of his first overseas trip and for Trump’s commitment to Israel’s security.
Following the ceremony, the president signed the memorial's guest book in large block letters: “IT IS A GREAT HONOR TO BE HERE WITH ALL OF MY FRIENDS — SO AMAZING AND WILL NEVER FORGET!” The exclamation mark was completed with a circle beneath the line.
