[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 27, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1953]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LEGACY OF SIMON WIESENTHAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 27, 2005

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and work 
of an incredible soldier for justice, the late Simon Wiesenthal.
  For over fifty years, Mr. Wiesenthal sought justice for the six 
million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. Over his long career he is 
credited with bringing more than 1,100 war criminals to trial.
  Mr. Wiesenthal had been imprisoned in twelve Nazi death camps, and 
lost 89 relatives in the Holocaust. His pursuit of war criminals was a 
personal one, but it was a mission of justice, not vengeance. After the 
American liberation of the Mauthausen death camp in Austria where 
Wiesenthal was imprisoned-- he weighed just 99 pounds when he was 
freed--he decided to dedicate himself to seeking justice and ensuring 
that the Holocaust would never be forgotten.
  Many have called him the `conscience' of the Holocaust. In many 
respects, though, he was the conscience of the world. When governments 
would not act on their own, he forced them to act. When others forgot 
or were anxious to forget the victims of the Holocaust, he kept alive 
the memories of Nazi atrocities and demanded that those responsible be 
held accountable for their actions.
  Mr. Wiesenthal was born near Lvov in present-day Ukraine. He was 
educated in Prague and Warsaw, and apprenticed in Russia before 
returning home to open an architectural office. Shortly thereafter, war 
broke out. The Russians and Germans invaded Lvov and terror ensued.
  After the war, Wiesenthal, based in a small apartment, began his 
quest for justice. He is best known for his efforts that led to the 
capture of Adolf Eichmann, the former SS leader who presided over the 
Nazi's extermination program.
  Wiesenthal's career brought him many international awards and 
distinctions. In 1995, he was made an honorary citizen of Vienna. He 
was a published writer and maintained office hours at the Jewish 
Documentation Center he founded, even after turning 90.
  Mr. Speaker, I pay tribute to, a man of immense courage and 
dedication. His passing reminds us of the importance of remembering the 
victims of the Holocaust, demanding that perpetrators of crimes against 
humanity be held accountable, and combating intolerance wherever it 
exists.
  In these efforts, one man's life truly made a difference.

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