[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 120 (Thursday, September 22, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1930]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE OF SIMON WIESENTHAL

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 22, 2005

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of 
Simon Wiesenthal, beloved husband and father, author, Holocaust 
survivor, Jewish activist, and tireless pursuer of justice who passed 
away yesterday at the age of 96.
  Mr. Wiesenthal was born and raised in Buczaz in what is now known as 
the Ukraine. There he pursued a career in architectural engineering 
until he was taken to a forced labor camp in 1941. For the next four 
years Mr. Wiesenthal was transferred between twelve concentration camps 
until he arrived at Mauthausen concentration camp in northern Austria. 
He remained in Mauthausen until May 5, 1945 when the camp was liberated 
by the American army.
  In 1947 Mr. Wiesenthal opened the Jewish Historical Documentation 
Center for the purpose of collecting evidence for trials against Nazi 
war criminals. Mr. Wiesenthal worked diligently for the rest of his 
life in the pursuit of any and all Nazis responsible for Holocaust 
atrocities. Mr. Wiesenthal is credited with aiding in the capture of 
over 1,100 Nazi war criminals. Most notable amongst these arrests are 
Adolf Eichmann, an architect and implementer of Hitler's ``Final 
Solution,'' and Franz Stangl, the commandant at Treblinka where an 
estimated 800,000 Jews died.
  Mr. Wiesenthal received many honors including: decorations from the 
Austrian and French resistance movements, the Austrian Cross of Honor 
of the Sciences and Arts, the Dutch Freedom Medal, honorary knighthood 
from the United Kingdom, the United Nations League for the Help of 
Refugees Award, the Luxembourg Freedom Medal, the French Legion of 
Honor, and the U.S. Congressional Gold Medal.
  Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance 
of Simon Wiesenthal, whose dedication to the pursuit of justice has 
ensured that the atrocities of the Holocaust will never be forgotten. I 
extend my deepest condolences to the family of Simon Wiesenthal, 
members and employees of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the community 
of Holocaust survivors. Mr. Wiesenthal will surely be remembered in 
history for his tireless dedication to justice and his commitment to 
fighting prejudice and honoring those who lost their lives to the 
horrors of the Holocaust.

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