Schumer Leads Delegation to Dachau, Israel, Committing to Fighting Antisemitism

By Hamodia Staff

Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) led a delegation of nine congressmembers to the Dachau concentration camp in Germany and to Israel, as part of a weeklong trip that also included India and Pakistan.

The delegation included Senators Ron Wyden (Ore.), Jack Reed (R.I.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Amy Klobuchar (Minn.), Mark Warner (Va.), Gary Peters (Mich.), Catherine Cortez Masto (Nv.) and Peter Welch (Vt.)

On Feb. 17, Schumer laid a wreath at Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp, where tens of thousands were murdered.

Schumer said that the Nazis’ millions of victims died “because of antisemitism and hatred,” and that “we must teach future generations what happened here.

“I will never forget. New York will never forget. The U.S. will never forget.”

The delegation visited Israel the following week.

At a wreath-laying ceremony at Yad Vashem, Schumer said, “As Senate Majority Leader — the highest ranking Jewish American elected official in history — I stand here today in the shadow of my ancestors who perished in the Holocaust to promise that as long as Hashem breathes air into my lungs, the United States Senate will stand behind Israel with our fullest support.”

Schumer met with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog on his trip to Israel, emphasizing support for the U.S.-Israeli relationship.

While some on the left-wing of his party have been critical of Israel and the aid the U.S. provides it, Schumer has been one of Israel’s staunchest supporter among congressional Democrats.

According to Schumer’s office, the delegation discussed with Netanyahu “the importance of the bipartisan ties between Israel and the United States, the struggle against Iran, as well as the Abraham Accords and the possibilities for expanding them.”

Back in Washington on Monday, Schumer spoke on the Senate floor, reflecting on the trip.

“As the highest ranking elected Jewish leader in U.S. history, the first Jewish Majority Leader, I used these visits as a chance to reaffirm the Senate’s commitment to never forget this dark chapter of human history,” Schumer said.

“At a time when public understanding of the Holocaust is waning, as the next generation is further removed from the horrors, the sheer horrors of the past, and as antisemitism makes its resurgence at home and around the globe, now more than ever we must commit to that sacred obligation to never forget.”

“We must never remain silent, we must never allow antisemitism and bigotry to fester and flourish, we must recommit to never, never, again.”