[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 50 (Tuesday, April 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E615]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SAN LUIS OBISPO HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 13, 1999

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, last Sunday, April 11, a moving and 
important event took place in San Luis Obispo, California, which I am 
proud to represent.
  Many of my constituents gathered at Cal Poly Theater to commemorate 
the 12th annual San Luis Obispo Community Holocaust Remembrance. At 
this yearly event, the community joins together to remember who died in 
the Holocaust, pay tribute to those who survived, and seek to apply the 
lessons of the past to the reality of the present.
  More than half a century after World War II, it is still difficult to 
comprehend the depth of depravity which engulfed Europe. The systematic 
extermination of six million Jews and millions of other innocent 
people--simply because of who they were--stands as the most horrific 
example of man's inhumanity to man. Now, as fewer and fewer survivors 
remain to tell their stories, it is even more incumbent upon us to 
recall the horrors of the Nazi era and teach them to future 
generations.
  Two distinguished speakers were scheduled to address this year's 
gathering. Klara Bergman was born in Poland and spent the war running 
and hiding from the Nazis. She is a highly successful businesswoman and 
a regular on the media.
  Ted Johnson, a San Luis Obispo County native, has served in the Peace 
Corps and the State Department and is an expert on central Europe.
  The choice of these two speakers is particularly appropriate this 
year, as our TV screens are filled with the anguish of Kosovar refugees 
and our hearts are with the brave American servicemen and women who are 
leading the NATO attacks on Slobodan Milosovic. As we remember the 
Holocaust, we must all recommit ourselves to the fight against modern-
day genocide and oppression. We must ensure that the phrase ``Never 
Again'' is not simply an empty slogan.

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