[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 6 (Wednesday, January 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S552]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 COMMEMORATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF THE AUSCHWITZ 
                      EXTERMINATION CAMP IN POLAND

  Mr. TALENT. Mr. President, I rise today on behalf of Mr. Wyden and 
myself to speak about a resolution we are submitting to commemorate the 
liberation of Auschwitz, where more than 1 million people were murdered 
at the hands of the Nazis. Sixty years ago tomorrow, allied forces 
successfully liberated the most notorious of Nazi death camps, freeing 
those who managed to live in the most deplorable of conditions and yet 
somehow survive the greatest evil the world has ever witnessed.
  For 5 long years at Auschwitz, men, women, and children arrived in 
cattle cars from all parts of Europe. Whether young or old, rich or 
poor, they were systematically stripped of their dignity before being 
murdered because of their religion and their deeply held faith in God. 
But 60 years ago tomorrow the genocide ended and the gates to freedom 
were opened.
  With the passage of time, people tend to forget the events of the 
past, particularly if those events occurred well before their birth. 
The survivors of Auschwitz are elderly and they are dwindling in 
number, but their stories of how good successfully triumphed over evil 
will live on in our history and our hearts.
  The resolution Senator Wyden and I introduce today commemorates 
Auschwitz and urges all Americans to remember those who were murdered 
there, murdered for nothing more than practicing their religion. We owe 
it to ourselves and to future generations never to forget that horror.
  I am pleased to say leaders from around the world, including Vice 
President and Mrs. Cheney, are traveling to Poland for tomorrow's 
commemoration ceremony. They will be joined by survivors who are still 
able to make the trip out into the Polish countryside.
  I hope this resolution will serve as a reminder that the Senate, 
indeed all Americans, remembers the events of 60 years ago tomorrow. It 
is also my hope that when anti-Semitism rears its ugly head, the world 
will feel a collective responsibility to stand up and speak out against 
religious hatred. That at least will give meaning to the sacrifice of 
those who were murdered and incinerated in the ovens of Auschwitz.
  Mr. President, I am informed that the resolution has been cleared on 
both sides. I am very pleased to hear that. On behalf of the leader, I 
ask unanimous consent the Senate now proceed to the consideration of S. 
Res. 18, which was submitted earlier today, the resolution about which 
I have been speaking.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 18) commemorating the 60th 
     anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination 
     camp in Poland.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.

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