Congressional Record, Volume 148 Issue 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)

[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 12 (Tuesday, February 12, 2002)]
[House]
[Pages H240-H242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

PERMITTING USE OF ROTUNDA OF CAPITOL FOR CEREMONY AS PART OF
COMMEMORATION OF DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE OF VICTIMS OF HOLOCAUST

Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 325) permitting the use of the
rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of
the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.
The Clerk read as follows:

H. Con. Res. 325

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the rotunda of the Capitol is authorized to
be used on April 9, 2002, for a ceremony as part of the
commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the
Holocaust. Physical preparations for the ceremony shall be
carried out in accordance with such conditions as the
Architect of the Capitol may prescribe.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Ney) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney).
Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise here today for consideration of House
Concurrent Resolution 325, which permits the use of the rotunda of the
Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the Days of
Remembrance of the victims of the Holocaust.
The United States Memorial Council was charged with providing
appropriate ways for the Nation to commemorate the Days of Remembrance
as an annual national civic commemoration of the Holocaust. As a result
of this legislation, the first ceremony in remembrance was held in the
rotunda in 1979, and it has been held every year since that time,
except for periods when the rotunda was closed for renovations.

[[Page H241]]

This resolution will provide for this year's national ceremony to be
held April 9, 2002, in the rotunda of the Capitol. The purpose of the
Days of Remembrance is to ask citizens to reflect on the Holocaust, to
remember the victims and to strengthen our sense of democracy and human
rights.
This ceremony will be the centerpiece of similar remembrance
ceremonies to be held throughout the Nation. Members of Congress,
government officials, foreign dignitaries, Holocaust survivors and
citizens from all walks of life have attended previous ceremonies. At
last year's Days of Remembrance commemoration in the Capitol rotunda,
President George W. Bush was the keynote speaker. Two years ago,
Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson gave the keynote address.
The theme for this year's Days of Remembrance is the Memories of
Courage to honor those who took a stand against Nazi barbarism. In
remembering those who took a determined stand against nazism, we honor
the memory of those who perished, and we are reminded that individuals
do have the power and choice to make a difference in the fight against
oppression and murderous hatred.
With the recent September 11 terrorist attacks, we have all been
painfully reminded in our Nation of the consequences of hatred. These
events have shown us that we must learn the lessons of the past and be
ever vigilant against allowing acts of evil to go unchecked.
It was American determination to fight for our sacred principles of
freedom and democracy that ultimately liberated the victims of the
Holocaust. The same determination will ultimately defeat those who
threaten us today.
By remembering the Holocaust we will be reminded of two things: That
man is capable of unspeakable acts of evil; and that evil, if resisted,
can be conquered.
This an important resolution, Madam Speaker, in memory of, I think,
one of the largest tragedies that this world has ever seen.
I want to thank our ranking member, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr.
Hoyer), for his support of the resolution and the cosponsors, and I
urge that we all support this important resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 325, which
authorizes the use of the rotunda for the observance of the Days of
Remembrance.
Congress provides for this ceremony every year at this time, and
other related events will be occurring all over this country. This is
an opportunity for Americans of all faiths and nationalities to reflect
on the Holocaust, to remember its victims and to strengthen our sense
of democracy and human rights. Very frankly, it is more appropriate
perhaps than most years, post-September 11, to remember the atrocities
that have been committed against innocent people for reasons of their
nationality, their ideology, their place of birth, their place of
residence.
It is appropriate, Madam Speaker, that we use the rotunda, which has
been the location of so many historic events, to again draw attention
to one the greatest tragedies in human history. It reminds us that such
events must never be permitted to recur. Very frankly, Madam Speaker,
it reminds us that, inevitably, perhaps not on the scale, but that they
will reoccur, as they did in New York.
Each year the ceremony has a theme geared to specific events which
occurred during the Holocaust. This year's theme for the observance is
Memories of Courage, to honor communities and individuals who resisted
Nazis and ethnic religious genocide they practiced against Jews, Roma,
homosexuals, and, yes, others who were perceived to be different than
they.
Such resistance was practiced all across Europe. In Poland, Oskar
Schindler, memorialized in the great Spielberg movie Schindler's List,
was the subject of the Oscar-winning movie and related how he used jobs
in his company as a way to protect a large number of Jews, one of
literally thousands of individuals who displayed courage to save
others.
Polish Jews in Warsaw revolted in April and May of 1943, fighting
street to street, hand to hand, building to building, in one the most
dramatic examples of unexpected public resistance to terror and
genocide.
It was not only Jews who resisted, of course. For example, in
Denmark, in October of 1943, a German diplomat courageously alerted
Danish authorities to the impending deportation order sending the
occupied country's Jewish population to Nazi death camps. The Danes did
not sit idly by. In fact, local fishermen, local citizens, banded
together to make sure that almost every Jew got to a boat and was
ferried to Sweden.

{time} 1415

In fact, Denmark, with a population of over 5,000 Jews, perhaps as
many as 7,000, lost only 50 Jews in the holocaust. In fact, Denmark is
the only nation, and Yad Vashem, that memorial in Israel that has a
tree planted, all the other trees are planted for individuals like
Oskar Schindler. History, Madam Speaker, is replete with the example of
those who gave shelter to Jewish families or helped smuggle them to
safety, sometimes at the loss of their own lives. Those acts of courage
and humanity are examples to us today, examples that we ought to act,
not perhaps at the risk of our lives, but perhaps only at the risk of
our inconvenience, that we ought to act, to reach out, to help, to lift
up, and yes, perhaps save lives.
While the Days of Remembrance commemorates historical events of the
days of the 1930s and 1940s in Europe, the issues raised, as I have
said, by the Holocaust remain fresh in our memories as we survey the
political scene in the world today. The nature of war, the identity of
an enemy may change; but what remains is the terror, the cruelty, the
madness and, yes, the evil of it. It is especially timely now to
encourage public reflections on the fate of Holocaust victims and to
remember that there was then, as there still is now, evil in the world.
The ceremony we are authorizing today reminds us that individuals as
well as nations can be vigilant and can strike a blow to preserve the
values on which human civilization rests. I urge passage of this
concurrent resolution. I expect it, of course, to pass unanimously. But
simply passing it unanimously will not be enough. It will be a time for
us to rededicate ourselves as Oskar Schindler did, as the Danes did, as
so many others did, to the defense of liberty, the preservation of
freedom, and the protection of each and every individual with whom we
live on this globe to the extent of our abilities.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Cantor).
(Mr. CANTOR asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. CANTOR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my support for
House Resolution 325, permitting the use of the rotunda of the U.S.
Capitol to commemorate the Days of Remembrance of victims of the
Holocaust. The use of the capitol rotunda for this occasion is a
testament to the lessons taught by the death and suffering of the
victims of the Holocaust. I am proud to stand here as a Member of the
United States Congress as we recognize these important lessons.
In light of recent events on September 11, now more than ever it is
important to remember this dark chapter of human history. It serves to
remind us of what can happen when the fundamental tenets of democracy
are discarded by dictatorial regimes and individuals are allowed to
focus on killing innocent men, women, and children.
While we in the United States, the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson and
Martin Luther King, enjoy a great deal of freedom, we must not take
these freedoms for granted. We must not forget that genocide and human
rights abuses continue to occur around the world. We must not remain
silent when such atrocities occur, and we must dedicate ourselves to
continue to educate people around the globe about the horrors of the
Holocaust. We must be forever mindful of the danger of such intolerance
and ensure that it never happens again.

[[Page H242]]

Community-based Holocaust museums are appearing all around the
country. This is a reflection of the increasing awareness of the
lessons taught by the Holocaust. I am proud to be a founding trustee of
the Virginia Holocaust Museum and applaud the efforts of those who join
us nationwide to ensure a rightful place for Holocaust education and
remembrance.
Only when every person understands the magnitude of the death,
destruction, and utter horrors of the Holocaust, can we feel that we
have begun to do everything to prevent its recurrence. Therefore, Madam
Speaker, as we remember the horrors of this dark chapter in human
history and remain dedicated to increasing awareness of the lessons
taught by the Holocaust, I am pleased to be here in support of this
resolution, permitting the use of the capitol rotunda on this most
solemn occasion.
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The reason, of course, it is important to remember is so that we do
not repeat the mistakes of the past. We human beings are inclined to do
that. Some 60 years have passed since the Holocaust almost, and it
perhaps fades in our immediate memory. But ceremonies like this are
critically important to remind us that we need to be vigilant.
The gentleman from Virginia correctly observed that the rotunda is an
appropriate place to have this ceremony. There probably is no place in
the world seen as a symbol of the defense of freedom more than the
rotunda. So I am pleased, along with the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Cantor) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the chairman of our
committee, whose leadership on these types of issues has been always
present and always effective, I am pleased to join them in support of
this resolution.
Mr. GILMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 325 and
commend the gentleman (Mr. Ney) for bringing this important measure to
the floor at this time.
When we talk of the Holocaust we speak of something unprecedented in
human history; an abominable atrocity, distinct from any other. The
mass murder that was inflicted upon the Jews and a variety of ethnic
communities, political groups and unarmed military personnel, must be
viewed both as crimes against humanity and acts of genocide and should
be remembered as such.
Let us also remember the compassion of the many brave men and women
who risked their lives to rescue and shelter Jewish refugees fleeing
the Nazi reign of terror. The incidents of countless non-Jews who
risked their lives to protect people of another faith were a real as
the Nazi death camps themselves.
Yet, until recently, it was easy in the United States to forget the
devastation of the Second World War, as this country was spared from
the horrors of both the bombing and Hitler's ``answer'' to the age-old
``Jewish Question.'' Today we are faced with those who wish to use
terror as a ``final solution,'' and we must remember the steadfastness
and compassion of those who vowed not to give in to the terror that the
Nazis inflicted on the civilized world.
Accordingly, I am pleased to support H. Con. Res. 325, authorizing
the rotunda of the Capitol to be used on April 9, 2002, for a ceremony
as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of
the Holocaust. I urge my colleagues to overwhelmingly support this
resolution, so that we may never forget the innocent victims of the
Holocaust.
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 325.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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