Critics pointed to the use of the terms “martyrs” and “resurrect,” calling them “Christ imagery” and a “Jesus analogy.”“Resurrect themselves”? Pence dishonors the memories of the 6 million by co-opting them for the political agenda of his evangelical base,” tweeted Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Tribe.“It’s from *Pence’s* religious perspective that my murdered family members might be resurrected. But they—and I—forcefully reject that cosmology. We don’t believe what he believes. Believe what you want, man, but I’d appreciate it if you could leave 6 million dead Jews out of it,” read another tweet from someone with the handle Ari Kohen, First of His Name.The wording chosen by Pence is similar to Hebrew translations of the terms, which are commonly used in Israel, according to Haaretz.Resurrection is a translation of the Hebrew word “tekuma,” which also means rebirth or revival and is used to describe the establishment of the state of Israel after the Holocaust, Haaretz points out. And the word martyr, in Hebrew kedoshim, is a term used in Israel to describe victims of the Holocaust. The official name for Yom Hashoa, Israel’s Holocaust memorial day, is Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Day.Pence returned last week from a visit to Jordan, Egypt and Israel.A few days ago, Karen & I paid our respects at Yad Vashem to honor the 6 million Jewish martyrs of the Holocaust who 3 years after walking beneath the shadow of death, rose up from the ashes to resurrect themselves to reclaim a Jewish future. #HolocaustRemembranceDay #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/67UuC1cYI2
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) January 27, 2018