[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 18 (Monday, January 30, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E223]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        THE LESSONS OF AUSCHWITZ

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                        HON. WILLIAM J. MARTINI

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 30, 1995
  Mr. MARTINI. Mr. Speaker, I think it is appropriate today to remember 
the horrible discoveries that were made by Allied forces at Auschwitz 
50 years ago.
  Words are insufficient to describe one of the blackest and most 
despicable crimes against humanity ever perpetrated. The actions of 
Nazi Germany aimed at the utter extermination of European Jews tore 
apart the collective souls of our parents' and grandparents' 
generations, tragically reminding them, lest they had forgotten, the 
depths to which the human character can sink. As the truths about the 
holocaust emerged, we were forced as a nation to reassess not just the 
direction of the global community or our country, but to look inside 
ourselves and face many very difficult questions about the moral 
direction of our communities, our families, and ourselves. No citizen 
of good conscience could escape that important self-examination.
  Fifty years later, the lessons from Auschwitz are the same. The 
suffering and anguish is still very real, and continues to act as a 
constant reminder of our obligations to the pursuit of decency and 
compassion, both at home and abroad.
  But on this occasion I believe a sense of guarded optimism and quiet 
resolution are in order alongside of the tremendous sense of loss we 
still feel. For the United States is the leader of the free world. It 
was the United States that picked up the sword of democracy to defeat 
the evil hand of the Axis Powers and restore security and prosperity to 
the world. And since then it has been the United States who has stood 
firm to make sure that such persecution would never occur again.
  As we approach the 21st century, we must constantly bear in mind what 
America has become: a model of freedom and justice to the world. We 
strive for peace so that we never have to discuss another Auschwitz 
again. On this 50th anniversary of the horrible revelations at 
Auschwitz, let us all pause to reflect on several things. First and 
foremost, we remember the victims of the Holocaust with great sadness, 
and the survivors with consolation. We also need to remember how 
terrible the nature of man can be. But we in America should not lose 
sight of how far we have come. Most of all, we can never forget how 
diligent we must remain in the struggle to secure the safety of our 
posterity, and that of the posterity of our neighbors around the world.


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