[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    REMEMBERING THE LIFE AND HONORING THE LEGACY OF SIMON WIESENTHAL

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                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2005

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, today we mourn the passing of Simon 
Wiesenthal, a man who dedicated his life to the search of fugitive Nazi 
war criminals. The ideals of truth and justice guided his effort to 
fight anti-Semitism and as we mourn, we are reminded of our commitment 
to these ideals as part of our duty to humanity.
  Simon Wiesenthal was born on December 31, 1908 in Buczacz, Galicia, 
then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and now part of Ukraine. He 
received a degree in architectural engineering in 1932 from the 
Technical University of Prague, and in 1936 he began working at an 
architectural office in Lvov; he did not, however, continue his career 
in architecture. Three years later, with the partition of Poland and 
the flood of the Red Army in Lvov, Simon Wiesenthal began losing family 
members to German brutality. After escaping several near-death 
situations himself, in 1945 Simon Wiesenthal was liberated by American 
forces from the concentration camp of Mauthausen in Austria.
  After almost giving up, Simon Wiesenthal regained his strength and 
redefined his life's task as a quest for justice. He did not vow to 
fight for vengeance. Instead, the goal of his noble cause was to create 
a historical memory that would prevent any repetition of the horrible 
atrocities committed during the Holocaust.
  He was instrumental in tracking down fugitive Nazis, and a 
significant component of his mission was to pressure governments around 
the world to continue their pursuit and persecution of war criminals. 
The Simon Wiesenthal Center, an international Jewish human rights 
organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust 
carries on his legacy.
  Simon Wiesenthal was committed to the remembrance of those who he 
feared would be forgotten, and today we become committed to remembering 
him. While in Vienna in 1993, Simon Wiesenthal said, ``To young people 
here, I am the last. I'm the one who can still speak. After me, it's 
history.'' To continue his mission, we must not forget this history. We 
must continue to fight for the same principles that defined Simon 
Wiesenthal's objective. It is troubling that even today one of the most 
notorious sentiments of the Second World War--anti-Semitism--has yet to 
be eradicated. It is our duty to combat anti-Semitism and all religious 
bigotry whenever and wherever it arises.
  When asked why he chose to search for Nazi war criminals instead of 
continuing a career in architecture, Simon Wiesenthal responded: 
``You're a religious man. You believe in God and life after death. I 
also believe. When we come to the other world and meet the millions of 
Jews who died in the camps and they ask us, `What have you done?' there 
will be many answers. You will say, `I became a jeweler.' Another will 
say, `I smuggled coffee and American cigarettes.' Still another will 
say, `I built houses,' but I will say, `I didn't forget you.' ''
  And today, we must unite to say that we will not forget Simon 
Wiesenthal and we, as strong and responsible human beings, will carry 
forth his mission.

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