It came from the Eichmann trial in 1961 where witness after witness described their experience here at Auschwitz. But there was one man who stood out because he spoke in an unusually non-emotional tone.
He described arriving at this platform right here with his wife and little daughter. They were herded out of the cattle cars, and stood in line for the “selection,” right over there. A doctor decided who would go to the right to work and who would go to the left for extermination. The man was separated from his wife and daughter at that moment and they were pushed away.
On the witness stand he said: “There were so many people, I didn’t know how i could keep my eye on them.” But his little girl wore a red coat and he was able to watch the little red coat until it got smaller and smaller and then he couldn’t see it anymore. The young Israeli prosecutor, Gabriel Bach, was standing at his chair when the man finished. He just stood there silently. Finally, the judge asked Bach to continue but he just stood there. Again, the judge told Bach to continue and again he just stood there, silently.
Years later, Bach explained that as fate would have it. He and his wife had just bought their 3-year-old daughter a little red coat.
And Gabriel Bach said that to this day if he walks into a sports stadium or a restaurant or he’s just walking down a street in Jerusalem and he sees a little girl in a red coat his throat will tense up and he cannot speak. Frankly, whenever I see a red coat on a little girl I think of the same thing. This is the legacy of Auschwitz, and it will never go away.
To every Jewish person and non-Jewish person in this audience who leaves these gates today we must do this: When we hear something that is anti-semitic. When we hear someone talk about Israel unjustly. When Jews are attacked on your streets.
Do not be silent. Do not be indifferent. Good things great things can start with everyone one of us. And do not just do this for the Jewish people around the world. Do this for your children. Do this for your grandchildren but also do this for the little girl in the red coat. Her ashes lay beneath us. Along with over one-million other tortured souls. They are watching us and they cry out in one shattering chorus.
Do not be silent!!!
Do not be complacent!!!
Do not let this ever happen again to any people !!!