(JNS.org) Famed filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s Holocaust history foundation, the USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education, on Wednesday, May 7 presented President Barack Obama with the Ambassador for Humanity Award at a gala event in Los Angeles.

Obama, citing the Syrian civil war and kidnappings in Nigeria, said that “we have not yet extinguished man’s darkest impulses” from the Holocaust era, reported The Associated Press. His remarks also covered the U.S.-Israel relationship. “It’s up to us to speak out against rhetoric that threatens the existence of a Jewish homeland and to sustain America’s unshakable commitment to Israel’s security,” Obama said.

The event was attended by about 1,300 people and featured a musical performance by Bruce Springsteen. Spielberg established the USC Shoah Foundation in 1994, a year after he completed the Oscar-winning Holocaust film “Schindler’s List.”