In a post on Facebook, MK Issawi Frej (Meretz) talked about his feelings regarding Holocaust Memorial Day, writing:
"As a Muslim Arab who grew up and lives in this country, the memory of the Holocaust is part of my consciousness. The Holocaust is present in the Israeli public consciousness and is present in the lives of everyone who lives here, whether they are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or any other religion.
The ongoing thought of the horrific power of evil, the blind power of hatred and racism, is an important and positive part of life here.
But there is also something that distinguishes between me and many Israeli Jews (not all), in my relationship with the Holocaust and its lessons. For me, the horrors of the Nazis are a stop sign for racism, against human beings. Our struggle as a society should not be against antisemitism alone, but hatred of man and racism in all its aspects.
A society that warns about the lessons of hatred of Jews must not accept the hatred of others and certainly not take part in it. Holocaust Day is dedicated to remembering the horrors of the Holocaust and, no less important the lessons we all have to learn from human horrors."