[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 248 Referred in Senate (RFS)]


109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 248


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            October 17, 2005

      Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
  Honoring the life and work of Simon Wiesenthal and reaffirming the 
     commitment of Congress to the fight against anti-Semitism and 
      intolerance in all forms, in all forums, and in all nations.

Whereas Simon Wiesenthal, who was known as the ``conscience of the Holocaust'', 
        was born on December 31, 1908, in Buczacz, Austria-Hungary, and died in 
        Vienna, Austria, on September 20, 2005, and he dedicated the last 60 
        years of his life to the pursuit of justice for the victims of the 
        Holocaust;
Whereas, during World War II, Simon Wiesenthal worked with the Polish 
        underground and was interned in 12 different concentration camps until 
        his liberation by the United States Army in 1945 from the Mauthausen 
        camp;
Whereas, after the war, Simon Wiesenthal worked for the War Crimes Section of 
        the United States Army gathering documentation to be used in prosecuting 
        the Nuremberg trials;
Whereas Simon Wiesenthal's investigative work and expansive research was 
        instrumental in the capture and conviction of more than 1,000 Nazi war 
        criminals, including Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Nazi plan to 
        annihilate European Jewry, and Karl Silberbauer, the Gestapo officer 
        responsible for the arrest and deportation of Anne Frank;
Whereas numerous honors and awards were bestowed upon Simon Wiesenthal, 
        including the Congressional Gold Medal, honorary British Knighthood, the 
        Dutch Freedom Medal, the French Legion of Honor, the World Tolerance 
        Award, and the Jerusalem Medal;
Whereas the Simon Wiesenthal Center was founded in 1977 in Los Angeles and named 
        in honor of Simon Wiesenthal to promote awareness of anti-Semitism, 
        monitor neo-Nazi and other extremist groups, and help bring surviving 
        Nazi war criminals to justice;
Whereas, in 1978, inspired in part by the work of Simon Wiesenthal, the Congress 
        enacted a law to deny citizenship and Federal benefits to former Nazis, 
        and the Office of Special Investigations of the Department of Justice 
        has since conducted more than 1,500 investigations, won 101 cases, and 
        blocked the immigration of 170 individuals, and the work of the Office 
        continues;
Whereas, in keeping with the efforts of Simon Wiesenthal, many governments have 
        responded to the growing tide of anti-Semitism worldwide, elected 
        leaders have spoken out against anti-Semitism, and law enforcement 
        officials and prosecutors have aggressively pursued the perpetrators of 
        anti-Semitic acts; and
Whereas Simon Wiesenthal's legacy teaches that the perpetrators of genocide 
        cannot and will not be allowed to hide from their crimes: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),  
That the Congress--
            (1) honors the life and work of Simon Wiesenthal to 
        memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and to bring the 
        perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice;
            (2) reaffirms its commitment to the fight against anti-
        Semitism and intolerance in all forms, in all forums, and in 
        all nations; and
            (3) urges all members of the international community to 
        facilitate the investigation and prosecution of surviving Nazi 
        war criminals and to continue documenting and collecting 
        information on Nazi war crimes for archival and historical 
        purposes.

            Passed the House of Representatives October 7, 2005.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.

                            By Gerasimos C. Vans,

                                                          Deputy Clerk.