Memorial speech by Ahmed Marcouch, 4th May, 2010, at Sierplein Amsterdam-Slotervaart.

Dear people,

I feel honored with the opportunity the 4/5 May Committee Slotervaart has given me to hold this memorial speech for you. I realize the importance of that. When I was a police officer, I protected Memorial Day for years. As a Mayor, I used to place the floral wreath. And, at present, I have been given the privilege to hold this speech for you.

Fellow-residents,

Officially, on 4th May, we remember all the victims since World War II, the victims of wars all over the world. Nevertheless, today, I want to concentrate on the Dutch Jews, gypsies, gays, and disabled who have been killed, as well as the soldiers, and the people of the resistance.

The Shoah is by far the biggest tragedy in our Dutch history. It has traumatized us up until today. The genocide on Jews has determined the way we apply ourselves to the defense of universal human rights, our need for freedom, and our inclination towards well-meant multicultural ideals. We are still pre-occupied by it.

I agree with Rabbi Evers that Germany is coping well with the atrocities it committed in the past, and that the German government will always be welcome, except on Memorial Day, 4th of May.

We also can remember and honor the victims of contemporary wars every day, like the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Israel, and Palestine.

However, on 4th May, we remember the victims and the martyrs of World War II, especially the victims of the Shoah. Many survivors are still alive today, and the lives of their children and grandchildren are still very much affected by it. The impact on the lives of those who were born after the war has been eloquently put by Ernst Hirsch Ballin, whose German-Jewish grandmother was killed. The Minister said: "my father has been constantly sad, his whole life. I treasure the moments during which he is happy".

Dehumanization and discrimination of an entire group of the population - during more than ten years - preceded the prosecution of Jews. That is the exact reason why we, today, are vigilant and alert on discrimination and especially on anti-semitism. That is an advantage. In this sense, we remember the sacrifices people made in order for us to obtain the freedom we have today, and we have to use all means possible to fight anti-semitism.

Religious Jews like Rabbi Sebbag and Gideon van der Sluis walk on Sabbath, so, on Saturdays, they walk from "Rivierenbuurt" to the synagogue in "De Pijp". They tell us that people call them "Yahoud", and that they throw coins at them. Moroccan youngsters confirm that they have friends who do this.

It is absolutely unacceptable that Jews in Amsterdam cannot wear a yarmulke. We cannot and will not tone this down in any manner whatsoever, and we have to dedicate ourselves to making sure that Jews can be who they are, under all circumstances.

Dehumanizing and isolating a whole non-Dutch part of the population, however, doesn't work. It's unjust and barbarian. That is what we have learned from World War II.

Dear people,

From the dead, we have learned something even better. We have to discern the good from the bad, regardless of our communities. We have to publicly announce our solidarity with those who are good. Of course, we will report any form of anti-semitism to the police.

At the same time, we have to fight anti-semitism through education and through the way we raise our children.

First, raising our children.

Parents should under no circumstances pass anti-semitic messages on to their children, and they should under all circumstances object to anti-semitism, openly. It's a matter of empathy: "if you don't want it to happen to you, don't do it to another person!"

A quick but effective course of empathy was given to Moroccan fathers from Amsterdam-Slotervaart, who went to Auschwitz. They were shocked in particular when they found out that Jewish prisoners were forced to transport their fellow-prisoners to the gas chambers. As soon as this horrible atrocity hit home with them, our Moroccan fathers weren't able to sleep for days. They often shared this story with the people in New-West, even during the Gaza-war, when the members of their community didn't want to speak to them or look them in the eye.

Don't stop sharing this story, share it with the children at school, with the youngsters in our juvenile centers, and with the people at the mosque. Talk about this with the women, because I think that our Moroccan mothers should also travel to Auschwitz, in order for them to integrate this experience in the way they raise their children.

Then, education.

Teacher Mustapha went to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. The goal was to find ways in which he could educate his pupils about this subject.

I receive letters from teachers on a regular basis, in which they write about indifference or even resistance from their pupils.

Teachers should not give in to that. It's part of their job to realize that their students are watching more TV-programs than the regular ones, via satellite dishes.

Apart from that, I want to suggest that the Shoah becomes a mandatory theme in the history exams. Let us, parents and citizens, fight for that. I am very happy that Louis Bouwmeester Elementary School has adopted a memorial monument on Sierplein, around which they organize classes.

The opposite of offences like discrimination is courage; the courage shown by our soldiers and by the resistance people. Of course they saw the danger and of course they felt the fear. The courage is in the fact that we conquer those. Thanks to their courage, we are able to celebrate freedom tomorrow.

It was time he left World War II behind him, that's what Max van Weezel wrote in his column, during Christmas:

"As a second generation war victim, I was fed up with memorial services, sad family stories, and holiday visits to memorial monuments". And then, his mother died. And then, he had to clean up the house of his parents. He found his mother's false identity card. She had to live as though she was someone else. Max's conclusion: "No matter how much I would want to, the war is not over yet, not by a long shot".

Religious scriptures state that the mourning process lasts for four generations. With our two minutes of silence, we mourn.

A community is a body - if one limb suffers, all limbs do.

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