[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 53 (Thursday, April 22, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING HOLOCAUST COMMEMORATION CEREMONY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN B. LARSON

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 22, 2004

  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the millions 
of Jews who perished in the Holocaust and extend my support to today's 
annual Days of Remembrance ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.
  The Days of Remembrance ceremony, along with the creation of the 
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, were established by Congress 
to permanently honor these victims. The lasting legacy of the museum 
and today's annual ceremony is not only to remember those who perished, 
but also to educate the world about human rights.
  The 2004 Days of Remembrance asks us to pay tribute to the memory of 
the Jews of Hungary, who were deported 60 years ago in the final stages 
of World War II, and to honor those courageous individuals as well as 
the few organizations and countries who attempted to rescue them.
  When I served in the Connecticut Senate as Senate President Pro 
Tempore, I had the great honor of presiding over the Days of 
Remembrance for 8 years. These ceremonies were incredibly moving. They 
inspired all in attendance to reflect on how such tremendous horror 
could happen in a civilized world. Every memorial candle lit by 
survivors and their family members was a testament that the eternal 
flame of life may flicker and dim, but it can never be extinguished.
  One family in particular that understands this painful moment in 
history all too well is that of my colleague from Connecticut Senator 
Joe Lieberman. Senator Lieberman's wife Hadassah, is the daughter of 
Auschwitz death camp survivors. Although her father, Rabbi Samuel 
Freilich, has died, he bravely confronted his memories of Auschwitz by 
writing the book, The Coldest Winter.
  Hadassah Lieberman was part of the U.S. delegation who attended the 
ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. I 
can't possibly begin to know what that trip must have meant to her. 
Yet, I do know that her courage to travel to this place of horrible 
evil, and the courage of every survivor and their families, is truly 
remarkable.
  This year's Days of Remembrance theme is ``For Justice and 
Humanity.'' Sadly, thousands around the world have not found justice 
from the crimes against humanity that they have endured.
  A United Nations Commission on Human Rights statement issued 
yesterday indicates that human rights violations around the world are 
far from eliminated. The Commission agreed to assist countries that 
have recently experienced violence or are still combating insurgencies, 
such as Afghanistan, Nepal, Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Haiti, Burundi, 
Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Liberia, Somalia 
and Sierra Leone.
  Today's ceremony is a critical reminder that the fight against 
repression and violence is a difficult battle. Yet, it also reminds us 
that while the capacity to hate does exist in this world, an equally 
potent capacity for hope, for courage and for justice also exists.

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