[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8674-H8678]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE AND WORK OF SIMON WIESENTHAL
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 248) honoring the life
and work of Simon Wiesenthal and reaffirming the commitment of Congress
to the fight against anti-Semitism and intolerance in all forms, in all
forums, and in all nations, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Con. Res. 248
Whereas Simon Wiesenthal, who was known as the ``conscience
of the Holocaust'', was born on December 31, 1908, in
Buczacz, Austria-Hungary, and died in Vienna, Austria, on
September 20, 2005, and he dedicated the last 60 years of his
life to the pursuit of justice for the victims of the
Holocaust;
Whereas, during World War II, Simon Wiesenthal worked with
the Polish underground and was interned in 12 different
concentration camps until his liberation by the United States
Army in 1945 from the Mauthausen camp;
Whereas, after the war, Simon Wiesenthal worked for the War
Crimes Section of the United States Army gathering
documentation to be used in prosecuting the Nuremberg trials;
Whereas Simon Wiesenthal's investigative work and expansive
research was instrumental in the capture and conviction of
more than 1,000 Nazi war criminals, including Adolf Eichmann,
the architect of the Nazi plan to annihilate European Jewry,
and Karl Silberbauer, the Gestapo officer responsible for the
arrest and deportation of Anne Frank;
Whereas numerous honors and awards were bestowed upon Simon
Wiesenthal, including the Congressional Gold Medal, honorary
British Knighthood, the Dutch Freedom Medal, the French
Legion of Honor, the World Tolerance Award, and the Jerusalem
Medal;
Whereas the Simon Wiesenthal Center was founded in 1977 in
Los Angeles and named in honor of Simon Wiesenthal to promote
awareness of anti-Semitism, monitor neo-Nazi and other
extremist groups, and help bring surviving Nazi war criminals
to justice;
Whereas, in 1978, inspired in part by the work of Simon
Wiesenthal, the Congress enacted a law to deny citizenship
and Federal benefits to former Nazis, and the Office of
Special Investigations of the Department of Justice has since
conducted more than 1,500 investigations, won 101 cases, and
blocked the immigration of 170 individuals, and the work of
the Office continues;
Whereas, in keeping with the efforts of Simon Wiesenthal,
many governments have responded to the growing tide of anti-
Semitism worldwide, elected leaders have spoken out against
anti-Semitism, and law enforcement officials and prosecutors
have aggressively pursed the perpetrators of anti-Semitic
acts; and
Whereas Simon Wiesenthal's legacy teaches that the
perpetrators of genocide cannot and will not be allowed to
hide from their crimes: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) honors the life and work of Simon Wiesenthal to
memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and to bring the
perpetrators of crimes against humanity to justice;
(2) reaffirms its commitment to the fight against anti-
Semitism and intolerance in all forms, in all forums, and in
all nations; and
(3) urges all members of the international community to
facilitate the investigation and prosecution of surviving
Nazi war criminals and to continue documenting and collecting
information on Nazi war crimes for archival and historical
purposes.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as a cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 248, I am very pleased to
bring this timely resolution before the House today. I thank the
sponsor of the resolution, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman)
and the leadership of the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Hyde) of
the Committee on International Relations, as well as the gentleman from
California (Mr. Lantos), a Holocaust survivor himself, for crafting
this measure in honor of an extraordinary man who has passed from our
midst, Simon Wiesenthal.
Known as the ``Conscience of the Holocaust,'' Mr. Wiesenthal deserves
recognition and the deepest respect by the Congress of the United
States.
Simon Wiesenthal died at the age of 97 in Vienna, Austria on
September 20, 2005. A Ukrainian architect and civil engineer by
training, he survived five Nazi death camps during World War II. Yet,
he lost a staggering 89 relatives in the Holocaust.
Mr. Wiesenthal lived by his own words. ``There is no freedom without
justice,'' he would say. Living in Europe, almost literally among the
ashes of the 6 million victims of the Holocaust, he began the tedious
work of tracing and tracking war criminals who had been overlooked by
the first waves of prosecutions by the allies and the new European
governments. He worked meticulously and judiciously, sticking to the
evidence at hand and avoiding any sensationalism. This occasionally
brought him in conflict with others, but that was his way.
The killers who managed Hitler's factories of death could never rest.
Simon Wiesenthal was tireless in his pursuit of them. His dedication
and dogged determination was instrumental in the capture and conviction
of Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Nazi plan to annihilate
European Jewry, as well as Karl Silberbauer, the Gestapo officer who
committed many heinous crimes including the arrest of Anne Frank.
While many Nazis eluded immediate justice at the end of World War II,
many did not escape it forever, thanks to Simon Wiesenthal. Today, as
we fight anti-Semitism across the OSCE region, Europe and the Middle
East and in Asia, we remember his legacy and act on the lessons of the
Holocaust. His noble work was fueled by a passion for justice that has
and will inspire others.
In the United States, his example and inspiration led to the
establishment of the Office of Special Investigations which allowed war
criminals who found their way to our shores to be brought to justice.
As noted in the resolution, Mr. Speaker, the Simon Wiesenthal Center,
which has offices in L.A., Paris, New York, Toronto, Miami, Jerusalem
and Buenos Aires, which has become a leading institution in advocating
both remembrance and tolerance so as to help prevent future genocides,
was named in his honor. The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Paris, I would
point out to my colleagues, testified at two Helsinki hearings that I
chaired, and we inducted Shimon Samuels, who provided expert testimony
on the deterioration of respect for Jews in Europe, the United States
and Canada. Also, I would point out to my colleagues that the dean of
the Simon Wiesenthal Center participated this past June in the U.S.
delegation to the Cordoba OSCE Conference on Anti-Semitism and Other
Forms of Intolerance.
Mr. Speaker, Congress honored Simon Wiesenthal with a Gold Medal, and
he won countless other forms of recognition from grateful individuals
in governments from around the world.
Simon Wiesenthal confronted humanity with the truth about those who
masterminded and carried out the Holocaust. As a testament to the
memory of the millions of victims, he gave meaning to the words ``never
again'' by helping us to learn from the lessons of the past. Now that
he has passed away, we must resolve to continue his work, as is urged
upon us in this resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues to support
this very important resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res.
248, a resolution honoring the life and courageous work of my friend,
Simon Wiesenthal, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to commend my colleague from California (Mr.
Waxman) for introducing this resolution,
[[Page H8675]]
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for his support in bringing it
to the floor so quickly, and I want to express a special thanks to my
good friend from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) who has been an indefatigable
fighter for all the causes that Simon Wiesenthal fought for and
fighting against the monstrous hatred to which Simon Wiesenthal
dedicated his life against.
Mr. Speaker, when Simon Wiesenthal died on September 20, the world
lost one of its great heroes of the last century. He was the conscience
of the Holocaust who labored heroically for decades to make certain
that history will not forget that nightmare, nor let its perpetrators
escape justice. He did this, as he said, not just for the Holocaust
victims like himself, but for his grandchildren, because if one
generation's criminals go unpunished, their descendents will conclude
that they too can literally get away with murder.
Simon was a personal friend of mine who inspired my wife Annette who,
like me, is also a Holocaust survivor, in her efforts on behalf of
another giant of righteousness and decency, Raoul Wallenberg, the
Swedish diplomat who saved the lives of tens of thousands of Hungarian
Jews during the Nazi era.
Wallenberg disappeared after the Soviet Army seized Hungary in 1945.
Over 30 years later, it was Simon Wiesenthal who announced at a press
conference in 1977 that Wallenberg was alive and imprisoned in Siberia.
That announcement reenergized my wife Annette to intensify her search
for Wallenberg and to obtain his release.
Mr. Speaker, Simon Wiesenthal was a survivor who lived through
numerous cruel, forced marches and imprisonment in many concentration
camps. As all who experienced that unimaginable nightmare, he was
deeply changed by the experience of the Holocaust.
When American forces liberated this emaciated young man from the
Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, he weighed a little over 90
pounds.
Rather than continue with his pre-war profession of architecture,
Wiesenthal made it his life's work to pursue justice for victims who
could not do this for themselves. Through his untiring efforts, some
1,100 Nazi war criminals were tracked down and brought to justice. Some
of these represented the holocaust's most egregious and monstrous
perpetrators. They include Karl Silberbauer, the Gestapo officer who
arrested and sent to her death young Anne Frank of Amsterdam; Franz
Stangl, the vicious and brutal commandant of the Sobibor and Treblinka
death camps; and perhaps the most notorious of all, Adolf Eichmann, the
Nazi SS commander who was the person primarily responsible for
formulating and carrying out Hitler's ``final solution'' for the Jewish
people. It was Eichmann who arrived in Budapest in July of 1944 to
eliminate the Jewish population of Hungary, and he succeeded in large
measure.
Wiesenthal's tireless work as a Nazi hunter was undertaken to
demonstrate that those who commit crimes against humanity will face
justice. He preached vigilance so that never again would the world
witness the tragedy of the Holocaust and be complicit through inaction.
Wiesenthal helped in the establishment of two important institutions.
First, in 1947, he founded the Jewish Documentation Center in Linz,
Austria, from which he conducted his own relentless search for
perpetrators of Nazi crimes against humanity; and then in 1977, he gave
inspiration to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Holocaust memorial
foundation that established the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
That museum focuses its work on the prosecution of Nazi war criminals,
the commemoration of the events of the Holocaust, teaching tolerance of
all mankind and fighting against bigotry and anti-Semitism.
Mr. Speaker, my wife Annette and I will miss our visits with Simon
Wiesenthal, but he has left us with a proud legacy through his
vigilance, through his bravery, through his determination and through
his passionate commitment to justice.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting
this legislation today and in honoring this titan of justice who
reminded us that mass murder must never go unpunished. We remember a
great man who taught us that solemn commemoration is what true
remembrance means.
Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Waxman), the author of this resolution.
Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Simon Wiesenthal, a
tireless champion of justice for the victims of the Holocaust and for
all humanity.
As a survivor of the Holocaust, Simon Wiesenthal called his life a
miracle. One often wondered whether it was by strength, providence or
simple luck that he survived 12 gruesome concentration camps, but when
he emerged from Mauthausen, liberated by American troops, he pledged to
dedicate his survival to the fight for justice for Nazi victims.
{time} 1645
He began with painstaking detective work in the War Crimes Section of
the U.S. Army, gathering documentation to be used in the prosecution of
the Nuremberg trials. His meticulous archival research became a key
building block for the Yad Vashem archive in Jerusalem.
And when the Iron Curtain fell and the allied powers tired of
tracking Nazi war criminals, Simon Wiesenthal pressed on. He helped
locate Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Final Solution, who was put
on trial and hanged in Israel.
His efforts also led to the capture of Nazi war criminals living here
in the United States. His success inspired the creation of the Office
of Special Investigations at the Justice Department to seek their
denaturalization and deportation.
For Mr. Wiesenthal, the pursuit of war criminals and hate groups was
an integral part of Holocaust remembrance. The genocide of millions
could not be mourned properly while the murderers walked free. The cry
of ``never again'' could not be fulfilled if the world did not act
against neo-Nazis and other extremists who continue to foment hatred
and violence.
I am especially proud that my district in Los Angeles is home to the
Simon Wiesenthal Center, a leading voice in Holocaust education and the
fight against anti-Semitism, racism, and extremism.
With offices around the world, the Wiesenthal Center has actively
worked with UNESCO and the OSCE individual nations and regional
institutions to fight increasing anti-Semitism in Europe and expose
hate groups on the Internet.
The center's Museum of Tolerance opened in 1993 and has welcomed over
4 million visitors to its permanent collection on the Holocaust and
contemporary exhibits on Rwanda, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia.
These programs are all part of Simon Wiesenthal's legacy as a hero to
the victims of the Holocaust, the survivors, and future generations.
As we mourn his passing, let us reaffirm our commitment to honor his
courage and conviction and continue his life's work.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Simon Wiesenthal, a tireless
champion of justice for the victims of the Holocaust and for all
humanity.
As a survivor of the Holocaust, Simon Wiesenthal called his life a
miracle. He often wondered whether it was by strength, Providence, or
simple luck that he survived 12 gruesome concentration camps. But when
he emerged from Mauthausen, liberated by American troops, he pledged to
dedicate his survival to the fight for justice for Nazi victims.
He began with painstaking detective work in the War Crimes Section of
the United States Army, gathering documentation to be used in the
prosecution of the Nuremberg trials. His meticulous archival research
became a key building block for the Yad Vashem archive in Jerusalem.
And when the Iron Curtain fell and the allied powers tired of
tracking Nazi war criminals, Simon Wiesenthal pressed on. He helped
locate Adolf Eichman, the architect of the ``Final Solution,'' who was
put on trial and hanged in Israel. He tracked down the Gestapo officer
who arrested and deported Anne Frank to prove wrong the early Holocaust
deniers who claimed her story was untrue.
His efforts also led to the capture of Nazi war criminals living here
in the United States. His success inspired the creation of the Office
of Special Investigations at the Justice Department to seek their
denaturalization and deportation.
To date, OSI has won 101 cases. Its most recent victory came in
August when a U.S.
[[Page H8676]]
District Court in Chicago revoked the citizenship of a member of a
Nazi-sponsored Ukrainian unit that decimated the Jewish community of
Lvov.
For Mr. Wiesenthal, the pursuit of war criminals and hate groups was
an integral part of Holocaust remembrance. The genocide of millions
could not be mourned properly while the murderers walked free. The cry
of `Never Again' could not be fulfilled if the world did not act
against neo-Nazis and other extremists continuing to foment hatred and
violence.
I am especially proud that my district in Los Angeles is home to the
Simon Wiesenthal Center--a leading voice in Holocaust education and the
fight against anti-Semitism, racism and extremism.
With offices around the world, the Wiesenthal Center has actively
worked with UNESCO, the OSCE, individual nations and regional
institutions to fight increasing anti-Semitism in Europe and expose
hate groups on the Internet.
The Center's Museum of Tolerance, opened in 1993, has welcomed over 4
million visitors to its permanent collection on the Holocaust and
contemporary exhibits on Rwanda, Sudan, and the former Yugoslavia.
Thousands of students, teachers, and law enforcement officers have
participated in the Museum's ``Tools for Tolerance'' program to combat
hate crimes, prejudice, and bias in our own communities.
These programs are all part of Simon Wiesenthal's legacy as a hero to
the victims of the Holocaust, the survivors, and future generations.
As we mourn his passing, let us reaffirm our commitment to honor his
courage and conviction and continue his life's work.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to yield 3 minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cardin) who has been an
indefatigable fighter against discrimination of all types during his
entire congressional career.
(Mr. CARDIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from California
(Mr. Lantos) for being the leader in this body for us never to forget
the Holocaust and the lessons of the Holocaust.
Let me thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for his
leadership on the Helsinki Commission and on the International
Relations Committee and speaking up about intolerance and fighting all
forms of discrimination.
I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) for his leadership
in bringing forward this resolution so that we can spend a few moments
to commemorate the life of Simon Wiesenthal.
As has been pointed out, Simon Wiesenthal was a survivor from the
Holocaust. He lost 89 relatives to the Holocaust and then decided to
devote his life to bringing those responsible for the Holocaust to
justice. As a result of his work, many people were brought to trial and
held accountable for their roles in the Holocaust. It established a
legacy that we will never allow people who are responsible for crimes
against humanity to go unpunished.
Today, we have permanent centers for tolerance that Simon Wiesenthal
was responsible for establishing. I have the honor of being the ranking
Democrat on the Helsinki Commission. The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Smith) is our chairman. We are inspired by Mr. Wiesenthal's work in our
fight to end all forms of intolerance and discrimination, including
anti-Semitism; and we worked with Simon Wiesenthal in mind to establish
international priorities to fight anti-Semitism. Our conference in
Berlin in 2004 and the OSCE's 2005 conference in Cordoba, Spain in
which the Simon Wiesenthal Center was a leading participant, all this
helps develop the legacy of Simon Wiesenthal.
Civilized nations must pursue all those who promote or carry out acts
of anti-Semitism, intolerance, or crimes against humanity. Politicians,
teachers, and community leaders have an obligation to speak out against
promoters of hate. Only through our continued vigilance can we ensure
justice, deter future war crimes, and send the message that political
and military leaders that promote or condone acts of genocide will face
prosecution to the fullest extent of the law. This is how we should
remember and honor Simon Wiesenthal's legacy.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).
Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Waxman) and particularly the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos).
Mr. Wiesenthal's living spirit must have soared to hear the gentleman
from California (Mr. Lantos) speak on this resolution.
Simon Wiesenthal spent most of his adult life in pursuit of justice,
the justice that is achieved through accountability. And while many of
us would like to believe that all people are at heart decent and God-
fearing, the reality is that evil does exist among us. And it is that
threat of justice being served, of people's deeds and people themselves
being held accountable that in fact does deter evil, and thus is an
instrument that we can use to reduce suffering and to save lives. And
that is what Simon Wiesenthal's life's work was designed to do.
I would like to just use some of his own words because I think they
are fitting in the context of this resolution. He said: ``I am someone
who seeks justice, not revenge.'' He said: ``When history looks back, I
want people to know the Nazis were not able to kill millions of people
and get away with it. This is a warning for the murderers of tomorrow
that they will never rest. When we cannot through some action warn the
murderers of tomorrow, then millions of people will die for nothing.
And 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 but I will be able to say `I did not forget you.' ''
And just one last thing. On the Austrian policeman who was arrested
for the murder of Anne Frank because of Mr. Wiesenthal's dogged
determination, he said: ``My most hard work, and I am very proud of
this case, was to find the man who arrested Anne Frank. The Family
Frank was like 10,000 other families, but Anne Frank became a symbol of
the million murdered children. And I tell it to the father of Anne
Frank, the diary of his daughter had a bigger impact than the entire
Nuremberg trial. Why? Because people identified with the child. This
was the impact of the Holocaust. This was a family like my family, like
your family and so you could understand this.''
Simon Wiesenthal was a mere mortal human being. But his legacy and
his lessons should be immortal for all our sakes.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, just to conclude, I would especially like to thank the
gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), as I said earlier, a Holocaust
survivor himself, for his very clear and unambiguous statement in
support of human rights globally, but especially as it relates to a
very disturbing trend with regards to anti-Semitism, and for his eulogy
today, on the floor, to his dear friend, Simon Wiesenthal.
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House
Concurrent Resolution 248, honoring the life and achievements of Mr.
Simon Wiesenthal, the world's most successful Nazi-hunter and advocate
for religious tolerance.
In the history of mankind, few events are as deplorable,
unconscionable, and unrepeatable as the Holocaust. During this period,
Nazi Germany imprisoned, enslaved, tortured, and eventually murdered 11
million Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, political dissidents, and others.
Mr. Simon Wiesenthal, a Polish Jew, was one of those individuals
imprisoned by the Nazis. After being taken from his home and his wife
Cyla, Wiesenthal successfully escaped one concentration camp, only to
be recaptured. Suspecting his wife was dead, and thousands of people
dying beside him, Wiesenthal courageously survived.
After the United States and our allies defeated the Axis Powers in
World War II, many thousands of Nazis fled Germany, knowing full well
that they would face justice for their unthinkable crimes if they
remained. Many Nazis established new identities and lived their lives
with a secret so hideous they told no one.
Upon liberation by the Allies, Wiesenthal reunited with Cyla and
regained his health, and immediately dedicated his efforts to bringing
Nazi war-criminals to justice. He was instrumental in aiding the U.S.
Army's prosecution
[[Page H8677]]
of many prominent Nazi criminals at the International Military Tribunal
in Nuremberg, Germany. To prosecute the countless Nazis who had evaded
the law, Wiesenthal, along with several other Holocaust survivors,
founded the Jewish Documentation Center in Austria to collect and
prepare evidence for future trials. Over the years, Wiesenthal honed
his expertise in researching, tracking, and ultimately capturing Nazi
criminals scattered throughout the world so they could face trial.
Though the world community had collaborated to protect against future
genocides, Wiesenthal personally strived to meet this goal. As one of
the foremost speakers on the subject, he educated people around the
world about the Holocaust and the prevention of genocide and
intolerance. In 1977, the Simon Wiesenthal Center was established to
further pursue the prosecution of hiding Nazi criminals, monitor anti-
Semitism, and promote religious and racial tolerance.
On September 20, 2005, Simon Wiesenthal passed away of natural
causes. He had led an extraordinary life as a Holocaust survivor,
educator, political activist, and humanitarian. By the time he retired
in 2003, he and his colleagues had brought over one thousand hiding
Nazi war criminals to justice. For decades, these Nazis thought they
were above the law and would avoid trial. Wiesenthal and others proved
that no crime so horrific goes unpunished, and there is no escaping
their responsibility. Wiesenthal also succeeded in keeping the memories
of the Holocaust alive and teaching others to embrace diversity, so
future genocides may be prevented.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that Simon Wiesenthal embodies the ideals that
are so important to the United States: a commitment to justice, a
common good based on tolerance, and ensuring a secure future by
educating our youth. For his achievements, the United States has
already awarded Wiesenthal the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the
Congressional Gold Medal of Honor, and many other honors. This
resolution reinforces the United States' utmost respect and admiration
for Simon Wiesenthal, who bravely endured through history's darkest
hour to give justice to those who perished in the Holocaust. Though
Simon Wiesenthal has passed on, the United States must continue to
pursue the noble endeavors he championed, and give hope to victims of
injustice of the past, present, and future.
I would like to thank Representative Henry Waxman for introducing
this resolution. I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 248 and
always remember and honor Simon Wiesenthal.
Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con.
Res. 248, honoring the life of Simon Wiesenthal, and thank my good
friend, the gentleman from California, Mr. Waxman, for authoring this
important resolution. We were all saddened to hear recently that Mr.
Wiesenthal passed away at the age of 96.
Mr. Wiesenthal overcame great trials to become one of the few
fortunate enough to survive the slaughter of 6 million people during
the Holocaust. He did not escape unscathed as, tragically, 89 members
of his family perished at the hands of the Nazis.
Almost immediately upon being liberated by an American military unit
on May 5, 1945, Mr. Wiesenthal dedicated his life to tracking down and
bringing to justice Nazi war criminals. Initially working for the
Army's Office of Strategic Services and Counter-Intelligence Corps, and
later operating the Jewish Historical Documentation Center in Vienna,
Mr. Wiesenthal is credited with obtaining the information necessary to
apprehend more than 1,100 war criminals. As Rabbi Marvin Hier, Dean of
the Simon Wiesenthal Center, described him, ``Simon Wiesenthal was the
conscience of the Holocaust.''
Among the most egregious mass murderers that he helped apprehend was
Adolf Eichman, who, as a member of the Gestapo, supervised the
execution of the Jewish ``Final Solution.'' Mr. Wiesenthal also was
responsible for aiding in the captures of Karl Silberbauer, the Gestapo
officer who arrested Anne Frank; Franz Stangl, the commandant of the
Treblinka and Sobibor concentration camps in Poland; and Hermine
Braunsteiner, who supervised the killings of hundreds of children and
who had found refuge in the United States.
Mr. Speaker, while Mr. Wiesenthal devoted the majority of his life to
bringing Nazi criminals to justice, he did so not out of the need for
revenge, but the need for atonement. Mr. Wiesenthal's goal was to bring
these genocidal crimes out of the shadows. He felt a duty to those who
had died to ensure that the memory of what had transpired would not be
forgotten. He also felt a duty to teach future generations the lessons
of the past so that they would not be repeated. Simon Wiesenthal
Centers span the globe, and are valuable venues to teach America's
youth about tolerance and understanding, as well as this important
lesson: evil men can perpetuate ghastly crimes when the world chooses
to permit it.
Mr. Speaker, only one who had witnessed such atrocities could
shoulder the burden and carry the respect necessary to continue this
quest for justice over so many decades. While Mr. Wiesenthal's friends
and family sacrificed their lives in the death camps of the Nazis, Mr.
Wiesenthal sacrificed his life to ensuring their memories would live
forever.
In his memoirs, Mr. Wiesenthal quotes what one Nazi officer told him
late in World War II, ``You would tell the truth [about the
concentration camps] to the people in America. And you know what would
happen, Wiesenthal? They wouldn't believe you. They'd say you were mad.
Might even put you into an asylum. How can anyone believe this terrible
business--unless he has lived through it?''
Mr. Speaker, Simon Wiesenthal lived through it. He made us believe
it. And we will never forget it. That will be his eternal legacy.
Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con.
Res. 248, a resolution honoring the memory and legacy of Simon
Wiesenthal, a man known as the ``conscience of the Holocaust.''
Wiesenthal was relentless in the pursuit of justice for victims of the
Holocaust and the eradication of anti-Semitism around the globe.
Born on New Year's Eve in 1908, Simon Wiesenthal spent the bulk of
his life fighting for those who, like him, had suffered unspeakable
wrongs at the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators across Europe.
He was interned at the Janwska concentration camp in 1941 and survived
twelve different camps until his liberation from the Mauthausen camp in
1945. From that moment until his passing on September 20, 2005, Simon
Wiesenthal dedicated his life to fighting for those who perished in the
Holocaust.
He was a man of indomitable spirit and courage, and even greater was
his resolve after the war. Almost immediately after leaving Mauthausen,
Simon Wiesenthal set out to collect and prepare evidence for the War
Crimes Section of the United States Army for use in the Nuremberg
trials, thus beginning his lifelong work as a Nazi hunter.
Over the past 60 years, Wiesenthal's research and investigative work
led to the capture and conviction of more than 1,000 Nazi war
criminals, including the infamous Adolf Eichmann. Simon Wiesenthal was
the recipient of countless awards, including honorary British
Knighthood, the Dutch Freedom Medal, the French Legion of Honor, the
World Tolerance Award, and the Congressional Gold Medal.
When some of Wiesenthal's fellow survivors asked him why he decided
to become a Nazi hunter, he looked down at the flames of the Sabbath
candles from that particular Friday evening and said, ``My dear
friends, do you know what I see in the glow of the candles? I see the
souls of our six million brothers and sisters. And one day when our
lives are over, they will come to all of us and they will ask us, what
have you done? You, my dear friend, will tell them that you went into
construction to build homes. And you will say you went into the jewelry
business. And you became a manufacturer of clothes. But I will have the
privilege of saying to them, `I have never forgotten you.' ''
Mr. Speaker, we will never forget Simon Wiesenthal and his many years
in pursuit of justice for victims of the Holocaust. I thank the
gentleman from California for introducing this resolution, and I urge
my colleagues to support it.
Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, today we honor the life 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. I am proud to be a
cosponsor of H. Con. Res. 248, which we are considering on the floor
today.
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
[[Page H8678]]
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.
Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H. Con. Res. 248, which
honors the life of Simon Wiesenthal, and appreciate the gentleman from
California, Mr. Waxman, for bringing this resolution to the floor.
Mr. Wiesenthal lived through one of the darkest eras of world
history. Yet out of the suffering he and millions of other Jews
experienced, he found purpose by dedicating the last 60 years of his
life to the pursuit of justice for the victims of the Holocaust.
Simon Wiesenthal was determined to ensure that those who exacted
horrific crimes on their fellow man be held accountable. If a former
Nazi war criminal was not caught and brought to justice, Mr.
Wiesenthal's dogged work ensured they would live their life in fear of
being caught. The bottom line is war criminals should not be allowed to
live out their lives with impunity and Mr. Wiesenthal worked to see
this would not happen.
Simon Wiesenthal's legacy sends a message that continues to be heard
around the world--perpetrators of genocide cannot and will not be
allowed to hide from their crimes. His memory is forever preserved in
the work of The Simon Wiesenthal Center, which was founded in 1977 to
promote awareness of anti-Semitism, monitor neo-Nazi and other
extremist groups, and help bring surviving Nazi war criminals to
justice. The Center has done tremendous work in his name, including
opening the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles in 1993, which has
received over two million visitors, and making major contributions to
the June 2005 Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Conference on AntiSemitism and on Other Forms of Intolerance.
I join with all of colleagues in recognizing Simon Wiesenthal's
compassionate commitment to justice and urge passage of this
resolution.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution, H. Con. Res. 248, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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