Speech by Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, at Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Commemoration Ceremony

Speech

Speech by Thomas Byrne TD, Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence, at Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Commemoration Ceremony

• From: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

• Published on: 13 April 2026
• Last updated on: 13 April 2026

Royal Irish Academy of Music, 13 April 2026

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Introduction

Excellencies, Faith Leaders, friends, ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for extending to me the privilege and honour of joining you to mark the solemn occasion of Yom HaShoah, a day for the Jewish community around the world, to remember those murdered during the Holocaust.

On behalf of the Government, I want to thank Maurice, and the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, together with Ambassador Ana Laura Cachaza, and the Embassy of Argentina, for bringing us together.

I also want to acknowledge the work of Oliver Sears, and Holocaust Awareness Ireland, for their valuable work in bringing greater awareness of the Holocaust in Ireland.

Through the exhibition "Objects of Love", and the story of his own family, Oliver has brought the reality of the Holocaust home, to many Irish people.

Survivors of the Holocaust

May I also take this opportunity to recognise Holocaust survivors and their descendants, like Tomi Reichental, and Suzi Diamond.

By sharing their deeply personal stories, it has helped us to understand how the Holocaust happened, and what we must do, to ensure that such an atrocity never happens again.

This day not only commemorates the victims of the Holocaust, but seeks to recognise the achievements of its survivors, and the refugees who have given so much to the societies they integrated into and formed part of.

One fine example of this is the late Joe Veselsky.

Joe was not only a Holocaust survivor, but also a resistance fighter who, after the war, became an international-level table tennis player before coming to Ireland, where he was a successful entrepreneur and made a huge contribution to Irish society.

And this evening, I want to take the opportunity to mark his passing and pay tribute to his life and contribution.

Holocaust remembrance

As we gather here today, the scale and horror of the Holocaust can at times, be difficult to comprehend.

By the end of the Second World War, most of Europe's Jewish communities had been decimated, with Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, and parts of the Balkans, utterly devastated.

The pre-war Jewish population of Europe was approximately 9.5 million people.

Of these, 6 million, an estimated two-thirds of all of Europe's Jews were killed, in a programme of systematic and industrialised murder - the aim of which was their total elimination.

The Holocaust, and the Nazi ideology that drove it, denied the humanity of Jewish people, as a prelude to discrimination, then imprisonment, and ultimately destruction.

It is a stark reminder of what can happen when people are 'othered', when legal protections are stripped away, and when the richness of diversity - that is the essence of our common humanity - is cast aside.

Remembrance and antisemitism today

As we gather today to remember, we also consider how we can prevent such a horror from ever reoccurring, as we witness hate, and in particular antisemitism, rising around the world.

I am deeply conscious of a recent Eurobarometer poll, which made for stark reading.

47% of Europeans today, compared to 36% in 2018, believe that antisemitism has increased.

62% of European citizens think that hostility towards Jewish people, in public places, is a problem in their country - an 11% increase.

I also want to acknowledge the work of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, who released the results of their survey in March, that showed that in just six months, 143 antisemitic incidents were recorded, here in Ireland.

The report provides a clear - and undeniable picture - of the difficult situation currently being experienced, by the Irish Jewish community.

This is completely unacceptable in the modern, inclusive Republic we aspire to, and I condemn antisemitic incidents unreservedly.

There can be no equivocation, there can be no excuses - antisemitism has no place in Ireland and cannot be tolerated.

I deeply value the working relationship that I have, with Maurice, and with the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland.

And I want to express my thanks to the JRCI, for delivering this important report, and for raising it with Government, and the wider public.

The growth, particularly online, of Holocaust denial and distortion is deeply disturbing.

Amidst these stark findings, Holocaust education remains a crucial pillar in the fight against antisemitism, in honouring and remembering the victims, and in ensuring that children and young adults learn the lessons from the Holocaust.

The Crocus Project, is an example of this crucial work, where pupils in primary school are invited to plant yellow crocus bulbs in memory of all the children who perished in the Holocaust - facilitating an understanding about the dangers of racism and discrimination, amongst our youth.

And I want to express my thanks to Holocaust Education Ireland for your important work.

Argentina's Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance

I also want to take this opportunity to commend Argentina on its assumption of the Presidency of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

The focus of your Presidency - "Expanding the Frontiers of Remembrance" - is an important and worthy one.

The emphasis on protecting access to archives for researchers is worthy, as we know that the median age for Holocaust survivors, is around the late eighties.

As we lose first-hand accounts of the Holocaust, it is crucial that researchers are given every opportunity to use archival resources effectively, to continue Holocaust education.

Government policy on combatting antisemitism and fostering Jewish life

As a signatory of the Stockholm Declaration, Ireland is deeply committed to the IHRA's core mission, of Holocaust Remembrance.

The Programme for Government sets out a clear commitment to implement the EU declaration on 'Fostering Jewish Life in Europe', and to give effect to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance 'Working Definition of Antisemitism'.

As Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, I have regularly engaged with members of the Jewish community in Ireland, and I have met with Dr Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.

My meetings have been focused on how we can best tackle antisemitism and foster and promote Jewish life in Ireland.

I welcome the introduction of a new Government initiative, announced in January, which will provide every secondary school in Ireland with access to guided virtual tours of the Auschwitz Birkenau Museum - through an increased contribution of €100,000 - to the Auschwitz Birkenau Foundation, with whom Ireland has a long-standing partnership, through our Embassy in Poland.

I also want to recognise the proposal, put forward by the Claims Conference, along with the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, to give schools access to Survivors, via video-conference, to learn from them.

As well as our commitment to the IHRA, Ireland strongly supports the right to freedom of religion or belief, including the need to combat antisemitism.

We intervene regularly in this respect at the UN, and I engage in regular discussions focused on antisemitism at EU level.

Ireland's Presidency of the Council of the European Union

I strongly support efforts by the EU to Combat Antisemitism and Foster Jewish Life - as well as on countering racism and discrimination generally.

As European Affairs Minister, I can assure you of the Government's commitment, to bring greater focus to our collective work in Europe to eliminate antisemitism and all forms of racism, during Ireland's EU Presidency.

The Department of Justice is preparing its work programme in this regard, which will be guided by ongoing EU initiatives to combat antisemitism and foster Jewish life, including the 2024 Declaration, the related EU Strategy on combating antisemitism, and the recently published EU Anti-Racism Strategy.

The IHRA also plays an important role in this work, and I look forward to our continued engagement with the Argentine Presidency, on this important work.

Conclusion

To conclude, I want to thank you once again, for allowing me the honour of joining you, to mark the solemn occasion of Yom HaShoah.

Thank you to everyone involved in organising this remembrance, and I look forward to our ongoing engagement, work, and friendship with one another.

Thank you.