[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 46 (Tuesday, April 9, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E402]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. LOIS FRANKEL

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2013

  Ms. FRANKEL of Florida. Mr. Speaker, yesterday morning the State of 
Israel came to a standstill as a siren signaling one minute of silence 
pierced through the daily lives of Israelis. For one minute, highways 
came to a stand-still and phone conversations fell silent. This moment 
of silent reflection occurs every year on Yom Hashoa, Holocaust 
Remembrance Day, in order to honor the memory of the six million Jews 
systematically murdered at the hands of the Nazis.
  Yom Hashoa serves as more than just a day of remembrance, though. 
Each passing year the remaining number of survivors becomes fewer and 
fewer. South Florida has seen this first hand. Just last month, 
Holocaust Survivors of South Florida--once one of the nation's largest 
survivor groups with a peak membership at over 1,400 survivors--was 
forced to close its doors due to a rapidly dwindling number of members.
  At its final board meeting, the group gave $15,000 to the Holocaust 
Documentation and Education Center, highlighting the importance of 
teaching the lessons of the Holocaust to our future generations. The 
organization's president expressed her hope ``that through education, 
history would not repeat.''
  So today, I commit myself to learning the lessons of the past. I join 
my colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives by honoring the 
living memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Together, we will stand 
against any resurgence of anti-Semitism, and against all forms of 
hatred and prejudice.

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