Rabbi Brant Rosen issues statement on Henry Kissinger keynoting “Humanitarian Awards Dinner”

“As a rabbi, a Jew and a person of conscience I was profoundly dismayed to learn that Henry Kissinger was chosen by the Illinois Holocaust Museum to be the keynote speaker at its ‘Humanitarian Awards Dinner.’ This choice is most certainly at odds with the mission and good work of this important institution.

“I cannot understand how a man who was the architect of our nation’s war crimes in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, who was instrumental in the brutal coup in Chile and other acts of illegal international intervention around the world could possibly be considered an appropriate speaker at a gathering that celebrates humanitarianism.

“The mission of the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center is to ‘Remember the Past, Transform the Future’ and ‘to preserve the legacy of the Holocaust by teaching universal lessons that combat hatred, prejudice and indifference.’ Given this mission, I urge the Museum to think seriously about the messages it sends when it associates itself with figures such as Henry Kissinger.”

Rabbi Brant Rosen

Rabbi Brant Rosen is the Rabbi of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) in Evanston, IL. He is the co-founder of Ta’anit Tzedek — Jewish Fast for Gaza and serves as the Chairperson of the Jewish Voice for Peace Rabbinical Council. He blogs regularly at Shalom Rav (www.rabbibrant.com)