[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 21 (Wednesday, March 1, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1028-S1029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. DeWine, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. 
        Durbin, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Moynihan, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Smith of 
        Oregon, and Mr. Wellstone):
  S. 2137. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Education to make 
grants to educational organizations to carry out educational programs 
about the Holocaust; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.


                   holocaust education assistance act

 Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today Senator DeWine and I are 
introducing a bill to provide funds to educational organizations to 
teach the history of the Holocaust. It is entitled the Holocaust 
Education Assistance Act. Cosponsoring the bill are Senators Smith of 
Oregon, Moynihan, Lautenberg, Schumer, Boxer, Wellstone, and Durbin.
  This bill authorizes $2 million each year for fiscal years 2001-2005 
for a competitive grant program under which schools, museums and other 
non-profit organizations could compete for grants to train teachers, 
conduct seminars and develop educational materials on the Holocaust. It 
is the companion bill to H.R. 3105, introduced by Representatives 
Maloney, Horn, Waxman, and others.
  The Holocaust is one of the most horrific events in human history. In 
the 1930s and 1940s, the German Nazi regime systematically slaughtered 
more than 6,000,000 Jews and other minorities under the guise of 
achieving a ``racially pure'' society. Hopefully, this bill can help 
ensure that the next generation of Americans learns some of the crucial 
lessons of the Holocaust. The most fundamental of these lessons is that 
racial and ethnic-based hatred endangers each of us, and that the 
violation of one person's rights threatens the freedom of all of us.

  Five states mandate that the Holocaust be taught in schools. They are 
California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey and New York. Eleven others 
recommend or encourage teaching the Holocaust in school. They are 
Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, 
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington. The 
bill is needed because most teachers have little training and few 
resources to teach the history of the Holocaust. This bill does not 
mandate anything, but it does create a funding source for schools and 
communities that choose to teach youngsters about this horrible chapter 
of human history.
  In my state, the following groups support the bill:

       Holocaust Center of Northern California.
       Los Angeles City Human Relations Commission.
       Simon Wiesenthal Museum of Tolerance.
       The Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern 
     California.

  The following national organizations support the Holocaust Education 
Assistance Act:

       Agudath Israel of America.
       American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors.
       American Jewish Committee.
       American Society for Yad Vashem, Inc.
       Anti-Defamation League.
       Association of Holocaust Organizations.
       Braun Holocaust Institute.
       Facing History and Ourselves.
       Hatikvah Holocaust Education Resource Center.
       Institute for Public Affairs of the Orthodox Union.
       Museum of Jewish Heritage.
       National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education.
       Rabbinical Council of America.
       Religious Action Center for Reform Judaism.
       Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance.
       United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.
       World Jewish Congress.

  The following regional organizations support the Holocaust Education 
Assistance Act:

       Florida Holocaust Museum.
       Hawaii Holocaust Center.
       Holocaust Memorial Foundation of Illinois.
       Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central 
     Florida.
       Holocaust Resource Center & Archives, Queensboro Community 
     College.
       Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia.
       Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.
       New Mexico Holocaust and Intolerance Museum and Study 
     Center.

[[Page S1029]]

       Tennessee Holocaust Commission.
       Tennessee Jewish Federation.
       West Virginia Holocaust Education Commission.

  As we enter the new century, we must remain vigilant to ensure that 
we do not forget the lessons of the last century. The admonition that 
``those who forget history are doomed to repeat it'' is as true today 
as ever. After the Holocaust, survivors and others vowed not to let 
another such tragedy go unchallenged. Rallying behind the cry: ``Never 
again!'', Holocaust survivors made a promise to the memories of their 
mothers, fathers, husbands, wives and children. This bill provides a 
way for us to join with Holocaust survivors in keeping that promise. It 
ensures that future generations of Americans will remember that bigotry 
against any group poses a menace to society at large, and that the 
violation of an individual's rights places every person's freedom in 
peril.
  I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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