SECRETARY KERRY: Moran, thank you very, very
much. Thank you for being here, and for lending
your success and persona to this event. Mr.
Secretary General, it is a privilege to be
here with you always, and we thank you for
your great work. Ambassador Danon, thank you
for helping to sponsor this night. David Harris,
good to see you, thank you for your leadership.
Ambassador Power, always wonderful to be with
you. I love your energy, enthusiasm, and your
action. And I think everybody appreciates
what you are doing here at the United Nations.
(Applause.)
And it is a great privilege for me to be able
to be here with all of you. I see many good
friends out there, and many who have been
laboring so hard in the vineyards. Particularly,
I cite Stu Eizenstat over here, whose work
I admire. And I thank him for his efforts.
(Applause.) And most especially, I want to
thank Bougie and Mike Herzog, and the entire
Herzog family, for the chance to come here
and share some thoughts. And I appreciate
the special friendship with Bougie. I appreciate
his leadership. I know what it’s like to
run for leader of your country and actually
come short. (Laughter.) He’s actually born
a little shorter than me in that effort, but
– and Mike and I have worked very closely
together in our efforts the last few years.
And all I can say is he is a great intellect,
a patriot, and far too young looking to be
a retired general, folks. I admire his work.
(Applause.)
So, I am honored to be here to share some
thoughts, not just about Chaim Herzog and
the extraordinary moment when he stood against
the forces of ignorance and bigotry, but what
this fight means to us today. We are here
because we remember so well. Daniel Patrick
Moynihan, who I had the privilege of serving
with in Senate, called it the Day of Infamy,
when the abomination of anti-Semitism was
given the appearance of international sanction.
We are here because we dare not forget what
happened to reason and to reasonableness right
here, in the United Nations.
We are here to resolve that in our hearts
and in our actions we will do all in our power
to prevent the hijacking of this great forum
for malicious intent. (Applause.) We are here
to celebrate an Israeli leader who stood against
the tide, and who spoke the truth with historic
clarity and brilliant eloquence.
Knowing that I was coming here last night,
I took the time at home to go on Google and
YouTube. I wanted to revisit these speeches
that were given in rebuttal. And I listened.
I couldn’t find the video, but I just sat
there, mesmerized, listening to these voices,
both of them. I listened to the stirring and
determined, and passionate voice of Chaim
Herzog. And after the vote, the equally passionate
and lucid voice of Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
And frankly, it was probably far more moving
and stirring to simply hear the voices without
the video, to listen to the clarity within
which you could feel the emotion and the anger
and the stakes.
Together, I will tell you, as somebody who
has given speeches for a long time, these
were remarkable speeches. It was clear to
me that, though these speeches are part of
history, we cannot confine them to history.
And that is why we are here. As Ambassador
Herzog so eloquently laid out, it was a bitter
irony that this vote took place on the 37th
anniversary of Kristallnacht, and all that
it symbolized for the onslaught of the Holocaust,
which he so brilliantly lays out in the beginning
of that speech.
It was a bitter irony that this resolution
against Zionism was originally a resolution
against racism and colonialism, two evils
the condemnation of which could have easily
been voted for in this body. But that journey
to reasonableness was detoured by a willful
ignorance of history and truth.
History is full of painful reminders of the
words of bigotry left unchallenged that spawns
acts of bigotry. And I cannot tell you how
proud I was to hear my future colleague speak
up on behalf of the United States, declaring
with passion and precision the United States
rises to declare before the General Assembly
of the United Nations and before the world
that it does not acknowledge, it will not
abide by, it will never acquiesce in this
infamous act. Extraordinary words. (Applause.)
And Moynihan, Patrick Moynihan, understood
that to equate the national movement of the
Jewish people with racism and Nazism, as the
resolution, in fact, did, was absurd. And,
even more than that, it was ominous, because
it sought nothing less than to grant a global
license to hate. Moynihan spoke of a great
evil that had been released on the world,
and he was right. In 1975 Ambassador Herzog
courageously spoke up against the rising tide
of prejudice, which Bougie just told us had
been growing over a period of time, and growing
in his heart and in his gut at the same time.
He spoke with logic and courage, humanity,
and, most importantly, he spoke with truth
on his side.
It would be too much and too easy to suggest
that he turned the tide on that memorable
day. But he gave us, all of us, an anchor
to hold on to, a connection to justice and
to right that has stood the test of time.
It would ultimately prevail in 1991, and it
is what brings us here today.
Ambassador Herzog, later to become President
Herzog, had a keen appreciation of his own
responsibilities. He was part of the generation
that built the modern state of Israel, that
made a desert bloom, and that dreamt and willed
the country to life, literally. And so, when
he famously warned of two great evils which
menaced society in general, and particular
– and a society of nations in particular,
we all understood the gravity behind those
words, because we respected the statesman
who spoke them.
When Chaim Herzog stepped forward to denounce
hatred and intolerance, he was simply speaking
the truth about Jewish history, about Zionism
as the expression of a national liberation
movement, about how a single resolution spurred
a coalition of racists and despots, risked
undermining the core values of the United
Nations itself.
Too many outside this room fail to recognize
the global reality of anti-Semitism today.
Too many fail to realize that a witch’s
brew of old prejudices and new political grievances
and economic troubles and nationalism combine
to create dangerous new openings for extremism.
So Herzog and Moynihan together have left
us a major responsibility to continue to tell
the world that anti-Semitism is as abhorrent
and vile today as it was in 1975. (Applause.)
More than seven decades after World War II,
even decades after the world’s collective
horror at the Holocaust, anti-Semitism remains
a dangerous menace. And as we gather here,
40 years later, we are resolved to tell the
world that we will condemn anti-Semitism and
all forms of bigotry, no matter how their
proponents attempt to cloak it in some false
mantle of respectability. And just as Chaim
reached out to this body in his speech, we
need to reach out to the world to raise our
voices on behalf of human rights and justice
and the fundamental dignity of every human
being.
Truth summons us and unites us in common action
against anti-Semitism. But make no mistake.
Bigotry isn’t just a matter of a threat
to Israel or to the Jewish people. It is a
danger to all religions, and to all who believe
in freedom. That is why truth must unite us
in the struggle against violent extremism
and against the terrorist bigots of Daesh,
Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, and so many others,
and similar groups throughout the Middle East
and elsewhere.
One hundred and seventy years ago, Henry David
Thoreau wrote that, “For every thousand
hacking at the leaves of evil, there is one
striking at the root.” If future generations
are to prosper in a climate free from fear,
we have to strike at the root. That task is
by no means simple. But it is, in fact, within
our power.
And here we have to acknowledge another truth:
No child that any of you have ever met anywhere
at any point in time age two or three hates
anybody. Hate is taught. And before we can
rid others’ hearts of hate, we have to have
the conviction to do so in our own hearts
and in our own imaginations. In too many places
the wall of ignorance is high and surrounded
by a moat of insecurity and denial. In too
many places our world is still torn by strife
rooted in ignorance or in prejudice or in
hate passed down through a generation after
generation. In too many places ignorance is
abetted by corruption and by the failure of
leadership and governance, and a difference
of religion or race or creed or culture, of
homeland or sexual orientation are somehow
seen as threats by too many people. In truth,
they ought to be celebrated for enriching
our societies through their diversity.
The fundamental struggle for dignity has always
been the driving force in all of human history.
And that is what guides us. It is a set of
universal values and aspirations. And Daniel
Patrick Moynihan, in his speech, so brilliantly
caught the sweep of history with respect to
that quest in every individual for those rights.
We in America know that, even in our own journey,
there is still more work to be done. We also
know that it is because of the courage and
commitment of citizens in each generation
that the United States has become closer over
time to its own founding ideals, even though
there is a journey yet to travel. Our journey
has not been without setbacks and difficulties.
But I think we can fairly say that we have
dared to discuss our challenges openly, and
hold ourselves accountable, including through
our free press and unyielding commitment to
protecting the freedom of expression.
So why do we Americans care so much about
the rights of others being respected? Because,
in an interconnected world, injustice anywhere
is a threat to justice everywhere. Because
we have learned the hard way through history
that not to speak out is to condemn others
to death and, in the end, to lose our own
values and our own conscience. And we have
learned that our citizens will, in fact, do
better and feel safer in a world where citizens
we – where the values that we cherish are
widely shared.
But there is also, I think, even a deeper
reason. Because when human rights tragedies
are supplanted by human rights victories,
the very idea of progress becomes less rhetorical
and more tangible, more real. Because there
is no more meaningful agenda for the future
than the shrinking of bigotry, the curtailment
of conflict, the defeat of terrorism, the
prevention of genocide, and a fuller commitment
to the rights and dignity of every man, woman,
and child.
Why do we care? Because respect for human
rights provides the truest mirror of ourselves,
the most objective test of how far we have
come over the centuries, and how far we still
have to go. Because human rights is an idea
bequeathed to us by the past with distinct
responsibilities. And, as Daniel Patrick Moynihan
warned so clearly as he shredded any scintilla
of logic behind the resolution in the United
Nations in 1975, he talked to the history
of human rights from its first sprouts in
the 17th century. And he said, “If we destroy
the words that were given to us by the past
centuries, we will not have words to replace
them.”
Chaim Herzog was a man who understood that
truth. And in his moving description of the
road from Kristallnacht to Holocaust, he told
us that truth as well as anyone I have ever
heard. After all, the idea of a sovereign,
self-sufficient state of Israel, a modern
state in the historic homeland of the Jewish
people, was never intended to just be a refuge
from discrimination or persecution or worse.
Israel has always had a bigger vision. Israel
has always built strong defenses, yes. But
it has also looked outward, building sturdy
bridges around the world through education,
culture, entrepreneurship, innovation, and
alliances. And no alliance of Israel’s is
stronger than the one it shares with the United
States of America. (Applause.)
Times may change, but one thing we do know:
America’s support for Israel’s dreaming
and Israel’s security, that will never change.
And that is why we stand shoulder-to-shoulder
with Israel here, at the United Nations, and
at every international forum. That is why
we speak forcefully against efforts to delegitimize
or unfairly target Israel for criticism or
condemnation. And it is why we remain unwavering
in our pursuit of a just and lasting peace
between Israelis and Palestinians, because
the vision of Israel itself is one for a Jewish
state founded in democracy. And the only way
to have that democracy is to have that peace.
The Zionist dream embraces the concept of
Israel as a Jewish democracy, a beacon of
light to all nations. And that dream can only
be upheld by two states living side by side
in peace and security. And we all know, from
years of discussion and effort, this is not
an impossible dream. It is achievable. And
as Bougie suggested, it demands courage, it
demands leadership, and the very same courage
and the very same individual commitment to
truth that Chaim Herzog carried with him to
the rostrum of the General Assembly 40 years
ago.
Change is possible. Fear and bigotry can be
defeated. Those are choices we now get to
make. As President Herzog reminded us, we
all bear responsibility because we all stand
before history. So now it is our turn. The
rise of bigotry and intolerance and violent
extremism is a challenge to nothing less than
the nation state and the global rule of law.
That is where we are. And the forces that
contribute to it, and the dangers that flow
from it compel us to prepare and plan, to
unite and insist that our collective future
will not be defined by primitive and paranoid
ideas, but instead, by the universal values
of decency, civility, knowledge, reason, and
law.
In 2015, today, the legacy of Chaim Herzog
that we honor tonight still guides us and
more. It commits us to the legacy that we
have to leave behind ourselves, and it does
so urgently and persistently. That is what
you will take away, I believe, from the brilliance
of these speeches, from the clarity of their
vision, and from the courage of their telling
the truth. And let us use tonight, let us
use these speeches, let us use this example
to heed the call to action, and to define
the future. Thank you.
(Applause.)
