[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 24 (Tuesday, March 10, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PERMITTING USE OF ROTUNDA FOR CEREMONY IN COMMEMORATION OF DAYS OF 
                REMEMBRANCE OF VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 206) permitting the use of the 
rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of 
the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 206

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That the rotunda of the Capitol is authorized to 
     be used from 8 o'clock ante meridian until 3 o'clock post 
     meridian on April 23, 1998, for a ceremony as part of the 
     commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the 
     Holocaust. Physical preparations for the ceremony shall be 
     carried out in accordance with such conditions as the 
     Architect of the Capitol may prescribe.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Thomas) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. 
Gejdenson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas).
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the concurrent resolution that we have before us is a 
renewal of what has become an annual and a moving event. House 
Concurrent Resolution 206 permits the use of the rotunda in the Capitol 
for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance 
of victims of the Holocaust. The two names most associated with 
requesting this event through the House of Representatives are the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Yates) and the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Gilman). The sum and substance of this concurrent resolution is to 
allow for the physical use of the Capitol rotunda to remember, quite 
appropriately at the seat of freedom, the victims of the Holocaust.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume. Mr. Speaker, it is a small irony that I am here today as the 
ranking Democrat on this committee. Both my parents survived the 
Holocaust in Europe. My father's village was liquidated. Certainly 
after Pearl Harbor, my mother was lucky enough to flee her homeland and 
was saved in much of the war in Kazakhstan and other deep parts of 
Russia.
  It is, for me, a particularly important statement to make to the 
world not simply to remember the cruelty that occurred, but also to 
recognize the incredible courage of those who survived, who shortly 
after these dark days, went out, formed families, moved their families. 
Many of them came to the United States to create new lives and meet new 
challenges.
  But it would not be enough if we simply have this historic event just 
to remember, because we all need to learn a lesson where hatred and 
bigotry and prejudice existed. Hitler had many victims, not just the 
Jews; gays, gypsies and others were also victims of Hitler's torture, 
terror and death.
  I would hope, as we continue this tradition, we also continue to 
remember that hatred is not dead among us today, and we need to 
continue that fight.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from California for his efforts 
here today.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from Connecticut because 
what he has done is pointed out the fact that although a number of 
people believe this to have been a historical event with no real 
relevance to the present, the clear indication that there are people 
who are living who actually have this as a portion of their lives 
brings home how close it is to a number of Americans.
  I want to underscore the fact that when we began this commemorative, 
it was before the opening of the Holocaust Museum, and that it tended 
to appear to be an annual event. One of the nicer aspects of the 
Holocaust Museum as one of the key places to visit in the Capital today 
is that it is an ongoing remembrance, because clearly we do not want to 
just commemorate what occurred; we want to remember to make sure that 
it does not happen again.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 206, 
sponsored by our distinguished colleague from Illinois, Mr. Yates, and 
wish to also commend the Chairman of the House Committee on House 
Oversight, Mr. Thomas, for the expeditious consideration of this bill.
  House Concurrent Resolution 206 will permit the use of our 
Congressional Rotunda for the annual ceremony to commemorate the days 
of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
  The annual days of remembrance, sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial 
Council of which Mr. Yates and I are both congressional members, will 
be held on April 23, 1998.
  This important commemorative program allows Congress and the Nation 
to observe the days of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust, to pay 
tribute to the American liberators of the concentration camp's 
survivors, and by commemorating this enormous tragedy, ensuring that it 
will never happen again anywhere in the world.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join in urging adoption of 
this resolution.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Thomas) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, House Concurrent Resolution 
206.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________