UN Chief Guterres to skip International Holocaust Memorial at prominent NY synagogue amid tense ties with Israel

UN Sec.-Gen. António Guterres will not attend the annual International Holocaust Memorial event at Park East Synagogue in New York City on Saturday, marking the first time in a decade that the incumbent UN head will refrain from participating in the high-profile event commemorating the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust during World War II.

Guterres reportedly said his decision to skip the event was his way of acknowledging the ongoing “pain” that Jewish community is experiencing because of the increase in worldwide antisemitism.

“Following the terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October, and the subsequent rise of antisemitism and the continued pain of the community, the Saturday service at Park East Synagogue will be focused on healing and the testimony of survivors,” a UN spokesperson announced.

“It will not [be] an event for the diplomatic community so, therefore, the Secretary-General will not be attending,” the UN spokesperson added.

Park East Synagogue confirmed in an email that the Holocaust Memorial event “will focus on the Shoah (Holocaust) and the barbaric attack on Israel on October 7th, the kidnapped, the rise of worldwide antisemitism, and internal pain.”

It is unclear whether the Guterres chose to forego the international Holocaust Memorial event on his own or if it was a joint decision. Current relations between the United Nations and the Jewish state have been tense for the last few months, shortly after Guterres appeared to justify Hamas’ brutal attack in October.

“It is important to also recognize the attacks by Hamas did not happen in a vacuum," Guterres stated at the time, adding his claim that Palestinians had been subjected to "56 years of suffocating occupation.”

However, the Hamas invasion and massacre of innocent Israeli civilians emanated from the Gaza Strip, a territory that has been ruled by Hamas, one of Iran’s terror proxies, for the past 18 years.

Many local Israeli and international critics have blasted the UN and other international organizations for being too slow in their response to the atrocities committed by Hamas and their allies on Oct. 7.

While many Israelis and diaspora Jews are highly critical of the UN head, one protest group leader who represents the hostages described Guterres’ decision as a “missed opportunity.”

“This year, after the Jewish people have suffered the worst massacre since the Holocaust, when a sadistic and cruel terrorist organization murdered, raped, abused, kidnapped, and burned entire families – Guterres’ presence at a synagogue would send a crucial message to the world,” New York's prominent Israeli activist, Shany Granot-Lubaton, argued.

Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls clearly connected the dots between the Holocaust and the Oct. 7 massacres during a recent Holocaust memorial event at an extermination camp in Auschwitz.

"Hamas are not freedom fighters; they seek the extermination of Jews. It is imperative that we combat them,” Valls stated.

"October 7 is a turning point for Western civilization. What happened on October 7th is related to Israel, but make no mistake, it is not only about Israel and the Jews. It is a problem that concerns all of humanity,” the former French prime minister added.