EU Foreign Affairs Head Baroness Catherine Ashton. Photo: WikiCommons.

A statement issued by Baroness Catherine Ashton,  High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the Commission, in honor of Holocaust Memorial Day on Monday neglected to mention Jews, leading to criticism and confusion online.

“Today the international community remembers the victims of the Holocaust,” the EU’s top diplomat said. “We honor every one of those brutally murdered in the darkest period of European history. We also want to pay a special tribute to all those who acted with courage and sacrifice to protect their fellow citizens against persecution.”

“On Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must keep alive the memory of this tragedy. It is an occasion to remind us all of the need to continue fighting prejudice and racism in our own time. We must remain vigilant against the dangers of hate speech and redouble our commitment to prevent any form of intolerance. The respect of human rights and diversity lies at the heart of what the European Union stands for.”

“Number of times word ‘Jew’ or ‘Jewish’ mentioned in statement by Catherine Ashtonon Holocaust Remembrance Day: 0,” said Joshua Davidovich, a news editor at the Times of Israel, on Twitter.

“Lady (EU) Ashton manages great feat in honor of Holocaust Day. She does away with the Jews,” tweeted blogger Yisrael Medad.

Another wrote, “So bad is #antisemitism in #EU & so cowardly is Catherine Ashton -won’t even mention Jews when speaking of#Holocaust.”