U.S. Ambassador to Barbados Linda Taglialatela and members of the U.S. Embassy community participated in a candle lighting ceremony at the Nidhe Israel Synagogue and Museum in Bridgetown to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Thursday, January 27. Chairman of the Barbados Synagogue Historic District Sir Paul Altman welcomed the delegation and led the group on a tour of the historic house of worship. During the visit, Sir Paul said, “We are responsible for each other, no matter who you are or where you come from.”

Ambassador Taglialatela honored the memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust on the 77th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

She applauded the restoration work of the Barbados Synagogue Historic District and the contributions of the Jewish community still active in Barbados to religious freedom.

“We must all work together so that never again will atrocities like this be repeated against any group – no matter their religion, ethnicity, or identity,” she said. “The shadows of 80 years ago still lurk today. Our responsibility is to safeguard the values of freedom, tolerance, respect, and transparency here in Barbados, in the United States, and around the world.”

The Nidhe Israel Synagogue was developed in 1654, making it one of the oldest synagogues in the Western Hemisphere. The UN General Assembly designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in 2005.