II 110th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2679 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES February 28, 2008 Mr. Menendez (for himself and Mr. Cardin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations A BILL To provide assistance for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Support for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews Act of 2008.

2.

Findings

Congress makes the following findings: (1)Current and future generations benefit greatly by visible reminders and documentation of the historical and cultural roots of their society. (2)It is in the national interest of the United States to encourage the preservation and protection of artifacts associated with the heritage of United States citizens who trace their forbearers to other countries and to encourage the collection and dissemination of knowledge about that heritage. (3)According to the 2000 United States Census, nearly 9,000,000 Americans are of Polish ancestry. (4)At the beginning of World War II, Poland had the largest Jewish population in Europe. (5)In 1996, Yeshayahu Weinberg, a founding director of Tel Aviv’s Diaspora Museum and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, created an international team of experts with the goal of establishing a Museum of the History of Polish Jews. (6)The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will preserve and present the history of the Jewish people in Poland and the wealth of their culture spanning a period of 1,000 years. (7)In 1997, the City of Warsaw donated a parcel of land, opposite the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Memorial, for the explicit use for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. (8)In 2005, the Government of Poland and the City of Warsaw agreed to provide 40,000,000 Polish zlotys for the construction of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. (9)In 2005, an international architectural competition selected a Finnish firm to design the building for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. (10)In 2006, the building for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews moved into the last phase of project design.

3.

Assistance for the Museum of the History of Polish Jews

From funds available to the Secretary of State for assistance under the Support for East European Democracy (SEED) Act (22 U.S.C. 5401 et seq.), the Secretary may provide up to $5,000,000 in assistance to fund the establishment of, and maintain the permanent collection of, the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, located in Warsaw, Poland.