[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 47 (Wednesday, April 10, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E414]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE INTRODUCTION OF THE SIMON WIESENTHAL HOLOCAUST EDUCATION ACT

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                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 10, 2013

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate 
Holocaust Remembrance Week, I am pleased to reintroduce the bipartisan 
Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Act, along with Representatives 
Rangel, Waxman, Pierluisi, and Grimm.
  Named for the honored Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal, who spent 
his life working for justice for those murdered by the Nazis and to 
hunt down those who perpetrated such atrocities, this legislation would 
provide federal grants to educational organizations to teach students 
about the Holocaust. Through grants from the Department of Education, 
Holocaust organization programs would be able to apply for funds to 
improve the awareness and understanding of the Holocaust through 
classes, seminars, conferences, educational materials, and teacher 
training.
  We must ensure that we learn from the legacy of previous generations 
of Holocaust survivors. Over 11 million people, including 6 million 
European Jews as well as gypsies, the disabled and mentally ill, 
homosexuals, and others, were systematically and brutally murdered in 
the Holocaust as the Nazis swept across Europe, destroying entire 
villages and communities.
  More than half a century later, persecution and murder on the basis 
of religion, ethnicity, and sexuality continue across the globe. We 
need programs in our schools that allow students to learn about the 
consequences of intolerance and hate, so that we can truly say, ``never 
again.''
  The Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Assistance Act is a positive 
step toward that end. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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