[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 5, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H1667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




WE MUST SPEAK UP AGAINST TYRANNY AND HORROR AND EVIL SO IT WILL NOT BE 
                                REPEATED

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of May 
12, 1995, the gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Jackson-Lee] is recognized 
during morning business for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this past Sunday in Houston we 
had somewhat of the joy and celebration and elation of long years of 
toil for Jewish citizens in our community to give back a measure of 
their life and their history to those of us living in Houston, TX, for 
2,000 individuals attended the opening of the Holocaust Museum in 
Houston, TX. Participating in that ceremony, I listened to the 
recounting of the toiling and the hard work that helped to bring about 
this outstanding facility for our community. There was a chronicling of 
how the idea started, and how it generated, and how it grew. But there 
was a sense of love and appreciation for all who gathered for a 
recognition of the true symbol of this Holocaust Museum, an 
acknowledgment of the tragedy of tyranny and the horror of silence, 6 
million lost in Germany and other places before and through World War 
II.
  We heard from Benjamin Meed, president of the American Gathering 
Federation of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, and he eloquently reminded 
us, ``every survivor, and there are many here, can recall someone near 
death saying, if you survive, tell the story.'' It was not done in 
harshness or meanness, but it was done in the spirit of educating all 
of us that if we fail to speak up against tyranny and horror and evil, 
we are doomed to repeat that same horror.
  It was interesting to hear holocaust survivor William Morgan describe 
what the building meant to some 350 survivors in the Houston area. 
``This holocaust museum in Houston I call the House of Love,'' Morgan 
said. ``It will remove the hate from the hearts that enter. It will 
unite all of us no matter what race or color.''
  I found that to be most striking in the shadow of the tragedies that 
are occurring all over the world, and I stand now to vigorously condemn 
the horrorful bombing that is occurring in Israel, horrorful and 
vicious and inciting, clearly a major effort to undermine the powerful 
efforts of good men and good women. Certainly not in the spirit of 
Prime Minister Rabin and his efforts, followed now by Prime Minister 
Peres and Yasser Arafat, there would be those who call for death and 
condemnation of those leaders, and I simply ask for a reckoning, a 
reckoning that we must move forward in peace, however vile these acts, 
however wrenching, however deep the pain we feel embedded in our heart.
  As I read yesterday's paper, the headlines said everybody is crying, 
crying with our soul, crying with our minds, crying in confusion. But 
you see that is the purpose of the evil doers, for they are certainly 
seeking to destroy the progress made in the peace talks.
  I would ask that this Congress, as it gathers to deliberate, and this 
administration, seek to reinforce the policies that have allowed the 
peace discussions to go forward, be tempered in their discussion and 
debate to find the real solution that will respond to the evil doers by 
punishing them, and promote those who would do good. These peace talks, 
as I understand from the leadership on both sides of this issue, from 
the Arab world and the Israeli world, must go forward, and it is 
certainly difficult in the shadow of these great tragedies, and it is 
great, the loss of children, men and women, disruption of families, the 
fear for their lives, the violation of the sanctity of a sovereign 
nation. But we must stand for peace and moving forward.
  I will simply ask that as we rise to speak, in grief of course, that 
our remarks are in fact tempered, but that they are strong with the 
desire to ensure that people can live in peace, and that peace 
negotiations are respected, and that the evil doers be caught and 
condemned and penalized.
  As I listened to my colleague, the gentlewoman from Colorado [Mrs. 
Schroeder], this is the month to celebrate women, and it was 
interesting, Mr. Speaker, as I close, that we had a schoolteacher, 
dressed in a mask for the Purim celebration, bring to our attention 
God's, promise to Noah in Genesis 9: 14-15:

       And it shall come to pass when I bring a cloud over the 
     Earth that the bow shall be seen in the cloud and I will 
     remember my covenant and the waters shall no more become a 
     flood to destroy all flesh.

  Let us believe, and let us realize together that we can bring peace 
to this world, to Israel and the Arab world.

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