Yad Vashem slams Elon Musk over German history remarks
The chairman of Yad Vashem, Dani Dayan, criticizes Elon Musk for his comments about Germany's past. Musk stated that Germans focus too much on their historical guilt.
During a remote speech at a rally for the Alternative for Germany party (AfD), Elon Musk claimed that Germans concentrate excessively on the past. "Children should not feel guilty for the sins of their parents - their great grandparents even," Musk argued. His words sparked a wave of criticism, especially from those involved in commemorating the victims of the Holocaust.
Dani Dayan, the chairman of the Yad Vashem Institute, expressed his outrage at Elon Musk's suggestion that Germans should stop focusing on their past guilt. Dayan emphasized that neglecting the dark chapters of history insults the victims of Nazism and poses a threat to the future of democracy in Germany. In his view, this memory is also crucial for shaping German society.
Failing to do so is an insult to the victims of Nazism and a clear danger to the democratic future of Germany — Dayan wrote on social media.
International Holocaust remembrance day
The Yad Vashem Institute, based in Jerusalem, has been researching the history and commemorating more than six million Holocaust victims for years. In the context of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, Musk's words gain additional significance, as do the strong reactions to his comments from the Yad Vashem Institute.
January 27 is observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is an important date that reminds us of the tragedy of the genocide of European Jews during World War II. In this context, statements such as Musk's are particularly controversial and widely commented on by the international community.
