[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 69 (Thursday, May 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E955]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               REMARKS OF BENJAMIN MEED ON THE HOLOCAUST

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 13, 1999

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with my 
colleagues the remarks of Mr. Benjamin Meed who recently gave an 
exceptionally moving speech about Yom Hashoah, The Days of Remembrance, 
at the United States Capitol. Mr. Meed is Chairman of both The Days of 
Remembrance Committee, United States Holocaust Memorial Council and the 
Warsaw Ghetto Resistance Organization (WAGRO). He is also the President 
of The American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors. Mr. Meed is a 
champion of humanitarian causes around the world.

  Remarks by Benjamin Meed, Chairman, Days of Remembrance Committee, 
                United States Holocaust Memorial Council


             REFUGE DENIED: THE VOYAGE OF THE SS ST. LOUIS

       Members of the diplomatic corps, distinguished members of 
     the United States Senate and House of Representatives, 
     members of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 
     distinguished guests, fellow survivors and dear friends.
       Welcome to our 20th national Days of Remembrance 
     commemoration.
       For at least a decade, the magnificent flags that surround 
     us now have been part of our annual observance here in the 
     nation's Capitol. Every time the American flag, and the flags 
     of the United States Army Divisions that liberated the 
     concentration camps, are brought into this Hall for this 
     commemoration, a special pride as an American citizen sweeps 
     over me, as I am sure it must for all Holocaust survivors. 
     These pieces of red, white and blue cloth were the symbols of 
     freedom and hope for those of us caught in the machinery of 
     death. Discovery of the German Nazi concentration camps by 
     the Allied armies began the process that restored our lives. 
     Although we have many dates this month to remember, we recall 
     with special gratitude the date of April 11, 1945, when 
     American troops, in their march to end the war in Europe, 
     came across the Buchenwald concentration camp. We will always 
     remain grateful to the American soldiers for their bravery, 
     kindness and generosity. We will always remember those young 
     soldiers who sacrificed their lives to bring us liberty.
       Many revelations over the last half a century have unveiled 
     the Holocaust as a story of massive destruction and loss. It 
     has been shown to be the story of an apathetic world--world 
     full of callous dispassion and moral insensitivity, with few 
     individual exceptions. But more, it has been shown to be a 
     tale of victory--victory of the human spirit, of 
     extraordinary courage and of remarkable endurance. It is the 
     story of life that flourished before the Shoah, that 
     struggled throughout its darkest hours, and that ultimately 
     prevailed.
       And after the Holocaust, as we rebuilt our lives, we also 
     built a nation--the State of Israel. This was our answer to 
     death and destruction--new life, both family and national 
     life--and Remembrance. Minister Ben-David, please convey to 
     the people of Israel our solidarity with them as they, too, 
     Remember today on this Yom Hashoah.
       Today, our thoughts turn back sixty years. On May 13, 1939, 
     the SS St. Louis sailed from Hamburg bound for Havana with 
     more than nine hundred passengers, most of them Jews fleeing 
     Nazism. For these passengers, it was a desperate bid for 
     freedom that was doomed before it began. Politics, profit and 
     public opinion were permitted to overshadow morality, 
     compassion and common sense. It is so painful now to realize 
     that not only Cuba but our own beloved country closed her 
     doors and her heart to these People of the Book who could see 
     the lights of Miami from the decks of the ship but were not 
     allowed to disembark. This group of nine hundred could have 
     been saved, but instead the voyage became a round-trip 
     passage to hell for many of them. Less than three months 
     after the St. Louis docked at Antwerp, the world was at war. 
     And in less than three years, the ``Final Solution of the 
     Jewish Problem'' in Europe was fully operational.
       Could this happen today? Hopefully, not. But we--all of 
     us--must be vigilant--ever mindful that once such a course of 
     destruction of a people has been chartered, it can be 
     followed again, and again, and again.
       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.
       There are some passengers of that unfortunate voyage of the 
     SS St. Louis who are with us here today. Like most of us 
     Holocaust survivors, they are in the winter of their lives. 
     Even so, all of us look toward the future, because we believe 
     that, in sharing our experiences--by bearing witness--there 
     is hope of protecting other generations who might be 
     abandoned and forgotten, robbed and murdered. The telling and 
     retelling of the stories of the Holocaust with their profound 
     lessons for humanity must become a mission for all humankind. 
     In this way, future generations, particularly future 
     generations of Americans, can Remember and can use the power 
     of this knowledge to protect people everywhere.
       In these great halls of Congress, we see symbols of the 
     ideals that this country represents. It was the collective 
     rejection of these ideals by many nations that made the 
     Holocaust possible. Today, let us all promise to keep an 
     ever-watchful eye for those who would deny the principles of 
     liberty, equality and justice, and for those who would defy 
     the rules of honorable and peaceful conduct between peoples, 
     and nations. Together, let us remember. Thank you.

     

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