[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 96 (Wednesday, July 9, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1383]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE MARCH OF THE LIVING

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 9, 1997

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Congresswoman 
Nita Lowey and myself, I rise to call the attention of my colleagues to 
an important program that I am proud to say is based in my New York 
City district--The March of the Living. I also want to commend all of 
those who have participated in the March of the Living program.
  The March of the Living is a yearly journey in which thousands of 
Jewish teenagers gather from around the world in Eastern Europe and in 
Israel. During this unforgettable trip, these young people learn first 
hand about two 20th-century events that changed history forever--the 
Holocaust and the creation of the State of Israel.
  Since its creation, the March of the Living program has continued to 
influence the more than 20,000 students who have participated. The 
students visit concentration camps in various countries and see the 
crematoria, gas chambers, and personal belongings that remain. Not only 
is the March of the Living a reminder of what happened, but is also a 
way for students to celebrate the strength of the human spirit.
  In Poland, march participants tour cities where there had been 
vibrant Jewish communities before World War II, including Warsaw, 
Krakow, and Lublin. After seeing communities where Jewish life 
flourished, the teens are taken to the death camps where these lives 
were destroyed. On Holocaust Memorial Day, the same day that Members of 
Congress gather in the Capitol Rotunda to honor the memory of those 
murdered in this genocide, the teens participate in a march from 
Auschwitz to Birkenau. I believe that this March of the Living--young 
people retracing the steps of countless innocent victims who marched to 
their deaths--is one of the most creative and meaningful Holocaust 
remembrance programs ever enacted.
  After witnessing the horrors of the Holocaust, the teenagers travel 
to Israel, where they visit the magnificent and vibrant Jewish 
homeland. Created out of the ashes of the Holocaust, the State of 
Israel stands as a great triumph, not only for the Jewish people, but 
for the cherished ideals of democracy, compassion, and enlightenment.
  The March of the Living has proven to be an effective way of teaching 
our next generation of leaders lessons of the past. The students return 
profoundly changed, prompting further work in Jewish related areas.
  It is these students who will keep the memory of this tragedy alive, 
and prevent such an event from ever happening again. I hope that this 
program will continue to thrive and to commemorate the suffering and 
eventual triumph of the Israeli people.
  I would also like to applaud the Austrian Government for becoming 
involved in this program by allowing March of Living participants to 
visit the country on May 19 of this year. Austria's efforts to assist 
in teaching the lessons of the Holocaust is a beautiful way to combat 
former Austrian President Kurt Waldheim's tragic denial of his 
participation in war crimes.
  With an aging Holocaust survivor population, we need to educate our 
young people about what happened to millions of Jews during World War 
II. The great philosopher George Santayana taught us that ``those who 
do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.'' I commend the 
March of the Living on its important work.
  Mr. Ernest Goldblum, a philanthropist, who served in the United 
States Navy, and whose parents perished in the Holocaust, developed the 
program with the Austrian Government with the assistance of the 
Austrian president, Dr. Thomas Klestil, and the former Federal 
Chancellor, Frank Vranitzky, as well as Dr. Desiree Schweitzer, 
diplomat, and Helmuth Tuerk, Austrian ambassador, and Dr. Leon Zelman 
of the Jewish Welcome Service, Vienna, who organized the entire program 
for the 60 participants who were invited by the Austrian Government.
  And it is hoped, Mr. Speaker, that the Austrian Government will 
continue this effort on a larger scale next year for Yom Hashoah, 
Holocaust Remembrance Day.

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