[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 27, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4310-S4311]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE AT TEMPLE BETH AMI

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I call to the attention of my 
colleagues the recent Community-Wide Memorial Observance of Yom HaShoah 
V'Hagvurah held at Temple Beth Ami in Rockville, Maryland. I had the 
privilege of participating in this Holocaust remembrance ceremony 
sponsored by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington. I 
commend Temple Beth Ami for hosting this annual event and the Jewish 
Community Council for providing the community in Maryland and the 
Washington, D.C. area with so many valuable services year-round.
  The Holocaust represents the most tragic human chapter of the 20th 
century when six million Jews perished as the result of a systematic 
and deliberate policy of annihilation. Holocaust remembrance is an 
effort to pay homage to the victims and educate the public about the 
painful lessons of this horrible tragedy.
  As my colleagues are aware, this month marks the 54th year since the 
beginning of the liberation of the Nazi death camps in Europe and the 
56th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. The occasion also is an 
opportunity to remember the plight of the passengers aboard the S.S. 
St. Louis who sought to rebuild their shattered lives outside Europe. 
Most of the 937 men, women and children who fled Germany on the St. 
Louis on May 13, 1939 were seeking refuge from Nazi persecution but 
were turned back months before the outbreak of World War II.
  In his moving remarks at Temple Beth Ami, Benjamin Meed, the 
President of the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and a 
survivor himself of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, spoke eloquently before 
this assembly of the importance of overcoming indifference to genocide. 
Ben Meed has dedicated himself to working hard along with many other 
survivors to ensure that the memory of millions is still with us, and I 
believe that the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a fitting 
and exceptional tribute to his efforts. In his words, the Holocaust 
Museum is ``the culmination of our devotion to Remembrance.''
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that Benjamin Meed's remarks 
at Temple Beth Ami be entered into the Record at this point.

                        Remarks by Benjamin Meed

       It is a special honor to be among such distinguished 
     colleagues, especially Rabbi Jack Luxemburg, vice chairman of 
     the Washington Jewish Community Council and the Rabbi here at 
     Temple Beth Ami; and Manny (Emmanuel) Mandel, chairman of the 
     Jewish Community Council's Holocaust Remembrance Committee.
       In this lovely new sanctuary that in itself demonstrates 
     the vibrancy of the Jewish community in our nation's capital, 
     we unite with Jewish people everywhere to remember those who 
     were robbed and murdered by the German Nazis and their 
     collaborators--only because they were born as Jews.
       Tonight, as we come together, we remember the people, 
     places and events that shaped our memories: Memories of our 
     ``childhood,'' of our parents and siblings, of the world 
     which is now so far away. We remember the laughter of 
     children at play, the murmur of prayers at Shul, the warm 
     love of our family gathered for Shabbos meals. That world was 
     shattered by the German Nazis' war against the Jews, while 
     the world of bystanders around us was indifferent.
       Our memories are full of sorrow. Our dreams are not dreams, 
     but nightmares of final separation from those we loved. 
     Parading before us, when we sleep, are the experiences we 
     endured--the endless years of ghettoes, labor camps, death 
     camps, hiding places where betrayal was always imminent; the 
     forests and caves of the partisans where life was always on 
     the line. And no matter where we were, we were always hungry.
       Each of us has our own story. Fifty-five years ago, during 
     the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, I was in Krasinski Square, just 
     outside of the walls of the Ghetto. I usually spent my days 
     in the zoo because I knew that the animals could not denounce 
     me to the German Nazis or to their collaborators. To the 
     animals, I was just another human being. But on this Sunday, 
     as an ``Aryan'' member of the Polish community, I went to 
     church together with the Poles.
       As we came out of church into the Square, I heard the 
     thunder of guns and the explosion of grenades and I could see 
     that the Jewish Ghetto was on fire. It may have been a warm 
     Spring day, but I stood frozen. In front of us in the Square, 
     a carousel was turning around and around. The music attracted 
     my Polish neighbors and their children. I watched in 
     disbelief as they flocked to the merry-go-round, indifferent 
     to the tragedy so nearby. With every cry for help from my 
     Jewish people, tears swelled in my eyes. But the faces of 
     those around me showed no concern, no compassion, not even 
     any interest.
       The memory of this scene haunts and enrages me. How was it 
     possible for these people to act ``normally'' while Jews, 
     their neighbors for hundreds of years, burned and died inside 
     the Ghetto walls? But they were not the only ones to ignore 
     our plight. Indeed, the entire world stood by. No doors were 
     opened, no policies were changed to make rescue possible. 
     Why? The question cries out for an answer across the decades.
       If only there had been a State of Israel sixty years ago, 
     how different this story could have been.
       Tonight, we especially remember the passengers on the S.S. 
     St. Louis--more than nine hundred men, women and children. 
     Robbed of their possessions, stunned and hurt during 
     Kristallnacht, and threatened with their lives, many of them 
     were forced to sign agreements never to return to Germany. 
     Out on the high seas, powerless to affect their outcome, 
     these nine hundred people floated between political 
     infighting and immigration quarrels, both in Cuba and the 
     United States. Their fates were in the hands of others whom 
     they did not know and with whom they had no influence. 
     Finally accepted by four European nations, many of these 
     passengers were swept into ``the Final Solution'' when 
     Western Europe fell to Nazi Germany. Why were these nine 
     hundred denied entry into this country? Why was this tragedy 
     allowed to happen?
       If only there had been a State of Israel sixty years ago!
       This year our commemoration falls within the anniversaries 
     of the discovery of Buchenwald concentration camp. On April 
     11, the troops of the United States 6th Armored Division 
     rolled into the camp, just one mile outside Weimer, the 
     birthplace of German democracy. They were followed by the 
     80th Infantry Division on April 12, just 54 years ago 
     tonight. These were war-weary, war-hardened soldiers, but 
     none of their fierce combat had prepared them for 
     Buchenwald--nor for the hundreds of other such camps that 
     American and Allied soldiers came across in their march to 
     end the war in Europe.
       We will always be grateful to these soldiers for their 
     kindness and generosity, and we will always remember those 
     young soldiers who sacrificed their lives to bring us 
     liberty.
       Many American GIs who saw the camps join with us in 
     declaring that genocide must not be allowed to happen again. 
     But despite the echoes from the Holocaust, it has--in 
     Cambodia, in Rwanda, in Bosnia, and now in Kosovo.
       We remember and our hearts go out to those who are caught 
     in the web of destruction.
       For many years, we survivors were alone in our memories. We 
     spoke among ourselves about the Holocaust, because no one 
     else wanted to hear our stories. Still, we believed that the 
     world must be told--must come to understand the significance 
     of our experiences.
       Slowly, acceptance of our memories began--at first, only by 
     our fellow Jews, who realized that what we had witnessed was 
     vitally important to them. In time, other people began to 
     understand the meaning and consequences of our 
     experiences. They listened. We survivors were no longer 
     silent presences. We became the bearers of tales--at once 
     painful and precious.
       We survivors are now publicly bearing witness. We are 
     offering challenges to the indifference of Western 
     governments, to the complicity of the Church, to the anti-
     Semitism of Christianity, and to the evil of the 
     perpetrators, collaborators and--not the least--to the 
     bystanders. The movement to remember and to record is being 
     led by survivors who accept the burden that history placed 
     upon us.
       But whatever we know now, there is still so much that we do 
     not know, we cannot

[[Page S4311]]

     know. There were the Six Million whose voices were silenced 
     forever. We the few who survived must speak about them even 
     though we cannot truly speak for them.
       Although living in almost every state of this Union and 
     following many professions, survivors are united by a common 
     memory. We walk the byways of this great country, 
     appreciative of its blessings of freedom and possibilities. 
     We try to express our gratitude for life by the quality of 
     our lives, offering hope and solace, and teaching the mystery 
     of starting anew.
       And now, over fifty years later, the world has come to 
     Remember with us. In Germany, France, Austria, and England; 
     in Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina; in Australia and New 
     Zealand, as well as Canada, in Israel, and in our own beloved 
     country, Yom Hashoah is on the calendar and commemorations 
     are held in halls of honor. This is how memory is preserved--
     by determined, directed, dedication to remembering--by 
     telling and retelling the stories of the holocaust.
       You who live in this city are privileged to have the United 
     States Holocaust Memorial Museum--the culmination of our 
     devotion to Remembrance--to visit at your convenience. This 
     extraordinary institution, the largest Holocaust Museum 
     outside of Yad Vashem, has had more than twelve million 
     visitors in just five years. People come from near and far, 
     both within the United States and from around the world. This 
     Museum represents the fulfillment of our pledge and more. It 
     contains many documents and artifacts that testify about our 
     experiences as well as photographs and notes from our loved 
     ones. But more--it is an expression of the hope of every 
     survivor--that no one anywhere in the world will ever have to 
     endure what we did.
       And what lessons did we derive from these horrible 
     experiences? The most important lesson is obvious--it can 
     happen again, the impossible is possible again. Ethnic 
     cleansing, genocide, is happening as I speak. It can happen 
     to any one or any group of people. The slaughter in Kosovo 
     and in other places must be brought to an end.
       Should there be another Holocaust, it may be on a cosmic 
     scale. How can we prevent it? All of us must remain 
     vigilant--always aware, always on guard against those who are 
     determined to destroy innocent human life for no other reason 
     than birthright.
       Just as we survivors have dedicated ourselves to preserving 
     memory and bearing witness, we are now equally determined to 
     make certain, in the little time we have left, that all 
     survivors live out their years in security and dignity. Most 
     of us have accomplished a great deal, but there are those who 
     have been less fortunate. As you know, some live in 
     distressing circumstances. Many are forsaken, afflicted by 
     illness, and, perhaps worst of all, they carry the nightmares 
     of the Holocaust with them.
       Although the government of Germany has acknowledged to some 
     degree its responsibility for the robbery and murder of our 
     people, the greatest in history, it has not fully assumed its 
     obligations. Recently, some German companies admitted their 
     use of Jewish slave labor during the Holocaust. The 
     government and these companies have offered what they call 
     reparations. But how can they ever provide compensation for 
     our stolen real property, savings accounts, art, jewelry, and 
     personal belongings--the gold in our teeth, the use of our 
     skills and bodies, the pain and suffering inflicted upon each 
     and every one of us? How can there ever be enough money to 
     pay for the wrongful imprisonment, torture, starvation and 
     murder of six million Jews--in their homes, on the streets, 
     in fields and forests, in the gas chambers? Is there a way 
     that they can restore our families, our youth, our health, 
     our sense of personal security? Absolutely not!
       Germany wants to project a new image to the world, but it 
     cannot be allowed to buy the honor it deserted during the 
     Holocaust. It must account for the horrible atrocities of its 
     past. We must not permit Germany to shift the focus away from 
     its moral and financial responsibility for the slaughter of 
     our people, acts for which there is no statute of 
     limitations. Germany will be eternally responsible for the 
     murder of the Six Million.
       At the least, Germany must provide appropriate care for the 
     survivors of their atrocities who need help. More than 
     anything, this is a moral issue. It is not welfare. It is not 
     a business deal. It is a ``debt of honor,'' as Chancellor 
     Adenauer said many years ago.
       Maybe the claims of Holocaust survivors are unprecedented; 
     but so was the robbery and murder. We will not stop until 
     Germany and all the other nations who participated in the 
     extermination process fulfill their obligations. It is the 
     right thing to do--for them and for us.
       Let us Remember!
       Thank you.

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