Sen. Tim Kaine visits Holocaust memorials during Europe trip

During a recent trip to Ukraine, Poland and Germany to “highlight his support for America’s transatlantic partnerships and Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s brutal invasion,” Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) took time to visit Holocaust memorial sites in each country.

During his trip, which fell over the Passover holiday, the senator visited Babyn Yar in Kiev, the POLIN Museum in Warsaw and the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin.

 “It was a very powerful experience,” a spokesperson for Kaine told JNS.

About visiting the memorial in Germany’s capital, the spokesperson said to JNS: “There were intentional things that the designer did that are not obvious from looking at the site or looking at the pictures of the site. But they really impact you when you’re walking through the site.”

In a Facebook post on Thursday, the senator honored Yom Hashoah, stating: “These pivotal places—reminding us all of the Jewish history of heartbreak and heroism—inspire continued diligence against antisemitism at home and abroad.”

In 2024, one year into Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip, Kaine drew criticism from the Virginia Jewish community over a statement in which he called upon the Biden administration to halt any offensive weapons shipments to the Jewish state.

“I also believe that the U.S. transferring more offensive weapons into the region right now will be an accelerant to ongoing hostilities, jeopardizing the prospects for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza,” the statement read. “I am closely reviewing the resolutions and, consistent with my long-standing position, I will vote to oppose transfers of weapons that are primarily offensive in nature.”

Kaine did state that he would still support the transfer of defensive weapons and has “repeatedly reiterated his support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas” following the terrorist organization’s massacre of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 others during its assault in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.