[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E655-E656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

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                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2006

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 63rd 
anniversary the Warsaw Ghetto uprising. Today is Holocaust Remembrance 
Day, or in Hebrew, Yom HaShoah--Day of the Destruction. The 
``destruction'' is an apt description of the horrific crime that 
resulted in the deaths of six million Jews and destroyed families and 
communities across Europe.
  In remembering the unspeakable horror of the Holocaust, we must 
recommit ourselves to ensuring that this tragedy never happens again 
and to fighting the precursors that led to this mass genocide--the 
bigotry of anti-Semitism, the discriminatory Nurenberg Laws, and the 
blind eye that the world turned for far too long. We honor the memory 
of those that suffered, and we pray for a world free from such hatred 
and despair.
  The Jewish people have a long history of persecution and redemption. 
This month, the Jewish people celebrated Passover--a commemoration of 
the Exodus when the Jews received their freedom and were redeemed after 
400 years of enslavement. This cycle of persecution and redemption has 
continued over the thousands of years since then, and in the years 
following the Holocaust, the Jewish people were redeemed through the 
founding of the State of Israel.
  The nation was founded on principles of democracy and freedom, and 
has maintained these ideals in the face of the ongoing terrorism that 
continues to plague its people. However, despite these attacks on its 
people, this Jewish State continues to serve as haven for persecuted 
Jews and since World War II, has taken in entire communities from the 
former Soviet Union, South Africa, Ethiopia, Argentina, and throughout 
the world.
  Immediately following the liberation of the concentration camps, we 
pledged to ourselves, never again. Never again will the world stand 
idly by while individuals are being slaughtered solely for their race, 
religion or ethnicity. But in the years since then, we have seen 
atrocities committed in Bosnia, Rwanda and Kosovo and a genocide is 
still ongoing in Darfur. Today, I rise on this solemn day to remember 
these brutal acts of genocide and recommit myself to this pledge, never 
again.

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