[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 51 (Friday, March 23, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  PERMITTING USE OF ROTUNDA FOR A CEREMONY COMMEMORATING THE DAYS OF 
                REMEMBRANCE OF VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 21, 2007

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. 
Con. Res. 66, which authorizes the use of the rotunda of the Capitol 
for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance 
of victims of the Holocaust.
  The Holocaust was not a random act of mass murder but a systematic 
campaign of genocide carried out by the Nazis against the Jews. The 
world must never forget the more than six million Jews who perished in 
the Holocaust. In total, the victims accounted for more than 60 percent 
of the pre-World War II Jewish population of Europe.
  We must never forget the evil acts that happened during that era and 
continue the fight against racism, intolerance, bigotry, prejudice, 
discrimination and anti-Semitism in every form today.
  More than 60 years later, the Holocaust is still a presence, and 
there are living memorials all over the world dedicated to the memory 
of those who lost their lives in one of history's darkest hour and to 
the continuing education to conquer prejudice, hatred, and injustice.
  As we authorize the rotunda of the Capitol to be used on April 19, 
2007 for a ceremony as part of the commemoration for the days of 
remembrance of victims of the Holocaust, let us also be careful not to 
repeat history. We remember the atrocities that surround us today in 
the Darfur region of Sudan. It is right that we should gather at the 
rotunda to remember a period of such unspeakable horror that it will 
never be forgotten and which we must never again allow to happen.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 66 and 
authorize the use of the rotunda of the Capitol to commemorate those 
who perished in the Holocaust.

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