[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 10 (Tuesday, February 8, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E89]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE HOLOCAUST AND THE MILLENNIUM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 8, 2000

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, just barely five weeks ago the 
world celebrated a new millennium. There were fireworks and galas and 
celebrations galore. We all hoped to wipe the slate clean and begin a 
new year, a new era--free of our old prejudices, free of our old 
nightmares.
  That was a lofty goal and I endorse it wholeheartedly: we ought to 
strive for peace and harmony every chance we get. A new year and new 
millennium is as good a chance as you can get.
  But that doesn't mean forgetting the sacrifices of those who have 
gone before us, or forgetting the history that has shaped our lives.
  This weekend in Salinas in my home district, the community will honor 
Harold Gordon. Remember the Academy Award-winning film ``Life is 
Beautiful''? Harold Gordon is ``Life is Beautiful'' for real.
  Harold Gordon was a shy, happy child growing up in Poland when 
suddenly the world turned dark. He, along with the rest of his family, 
was trundled off to the Polish ghetto, then work camps, then 
concentration camps. Most of his family was killed. All of his friends 
disappeared. Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald . . . these are words that 
instill fear in all of us, even though we did not live through the 
torture of those places. But Harold Gordon knows it first hand.
  In the movie ``Life is Beautiful'' the child survives the 
concentration camp because his father is clever enough to hide him each 
day. The child is led to believe that he is playing a game with the SS 
soldiers. Harold Gordon and his father survived the concentration camp 
through no special gimmicks. There was no fantasy and no games. This 
was life-and-death reality at its worst.
  And yet, Harold Gordon has written of his experience during that 
awful time a book that is an inspiration to us all. The Last Sunrise is 
Harold Gordon's memoir of his daily struggles to avoid the gas chambers 
and give strength to those around him, even though he was just a boy at 
the time.
  I marvel at Mr. Gordon's ability to present a story of death at a 
pace that reads like a Number One Bestseller on the New York Times book 
list. You simply cannot put it down. I think the appeal of The Last 
Sunrise is that its real story is not even that of the war or of the 
concentration camps. It is a story ultimately of hope and survival.
  Despite the gruesome realities of daily existence, Harold carried 
with him the belief that human spirit will overcome, that the power of 
humanity will survive beyond the walls of the concentration camp. 
Certainly, even those who lost their lives during this terrible time in 
mankind's history have not been forgotten but serve daily as a reminder 
to us all not ever to let it happen again.
  At one point, Harold asks himself, ``Why was I being spared?'' The 
answer to that question is: so we can all learn from Harold's 
experience. It is the same question we should all ask ourselves: why 
are we here and what is it that we bring to this life that will benefit 
others? Harold found the answer by writing a most compelling book to 
remind us of the value of life, the power of hope and the inspiration 
of another day.
  Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, I commend to you The Last Sunrise and 
hope that you will join me in honoring Harold Gordon.

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