[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 66 (Thursday, April 20, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S1305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 167--RECOGNIZING THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED 
                    STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

  Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Rosen, and Mr. Scott of South 
Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 
agreed to:

                              S. Res. 167

       Whereas, on April 26, 1993, the United States Holocaust 
     Memorial Museum (referred to in this preamble as the 
     ``Museum'') opened to the public as a permanent living 
     memorial museum to the victims of the Holocaust, following 
     dedication ceremonies days earlier with the President of the 
     United States, the President of the State of Israel, the 
     Chairman of the Holocaust Memorial Council Harvey Meyerhoff, 
     and 1986 Nobel Peace Prize winner and Holocaust survivor Elie 
     Wiesel;
       Whereas, for 3 decades, the Museum has been teaching both 
     the history of the Holocaust and the lessons learned from the 
     Holocaust, including lessons about the fragility of 
     democracy, the power of propaganda, and the dangers of 
     hatred, antisemitism, and inaction, to members of the public, 
     especially youth, from all walks of life, including members 
     of underserved communities;
       Whereas the aim of the Museum's educational work is to 
     promote self-reflection and critical thinking about the roles 
     and responsibilities of individuals in the world today and 
     catalyze actions to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and 
     promote human dignity;
       Whereas, during its first 30 years, the Museum has welcomed 
     over 47,000,000 visitors, including millions of 
     schoolchildren and more than 100 heads of state;
       Whereas the Museum has enabled hundreds of Holocaust 
     survivors to share their experiences with tens of thousands 
     of students and the public at the Museum, online, and across 
     the country;
       Whereas the Museum has conducted its educational outreach 
     in multiple ways, having--
       (1) built the world's most comprehensive collection of 
     Holocaust documentation and a state-of-the-art facility to 
     preserve that collection and make it digitally accessible;
       (2) launched the world's leading online authority on the 
     Holocaust, the 20-language Holocaust Encyclopedia, which 
     served 25,000,000 visitors in 2022;
       (3) built a robust social media presence that has raised 
     awareness of the Holocaust and related antisemitism and that 
     in 2022 had 2,300,000 followers, 306,000,000 views, and over 
     56,000,000 engagements;
       (4) created Experiencing History, the primary resource on 
     the Holocaust for college and university instructors and 
     their students across multiple disciplines on campuses 
     nationwide;
       (5) created foundational guidelines for teaching about the 
     Holocaust and served thousands of teachers nationwide with 
     professional development trainings and classroom resources 
     that emphasize the pivotal role of antisemitism in creating 
     the environment that led to the Holocaust;
       (6) traveled exhibitions throughout the country on topics 
     such as the ``1936 Berlin Olympics'', ``Nazi racial 
     science'', ``Nazi propaganda'', and ``Americans and the 
     Holocaust'';
       (7) sponsored programs for thousands of law enforcement 
     agents, military personnel, and members of the judiciary to 
     examine the roles of their counterparts during the Holocaust 
     and reflect on their own roles today in preserving democracy;
       (8) supported development of the vital field of Holocaust 
     studies, including the research and teachings of hundreds of 
     scholars in the United States and abroad, and foundational 
     publications like the ``The Encyclopedia of Camps and 
     Ghettos, 1933-1945''; and
       (9) opened the International Tracing Service Archives, 
     which enables the Museum to provide thousands of survivors 
     and their families with historic documentation pertaining to 
     their individual wartime experiences;
       Whereas the Museum has become a well-respected 
     international resource, having--
       (1) worked with European Union officials and European 
     governments in Eastern and Western Europe to advance policies 
     and institutions devoted to preserving the memory and 
     relevance of the Holocaust in perpetuity;
       (2) raised awareness of the Holocaust in parts of the 
     Middle East and held the first Holocaust remembrance 
     ceremonies in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt; and
       (3) helped establish the field of genocide prevention, 
     becoming a resource for policymakers and raising public 
     awareness of populations currently threatened by genocide and 
     mass atrocities, such as the Uyghurs, Rohingya, and Yezidis;
       Whereas, more than 75 years after the Holocaust, 
     antisemitism continues to be expressed publicly around the 
     world through the proliferation of hate speech, 
     disinformation, and conspiracy theories that lead to hate 
     crimes and violence, both in the United States and abroad;
       Whereas, in 2022, the United Nations General Assembly 
     adopted, by consensus, a resolution that condemns Holocaust 
     denial and encourages the development of programs meant to 
     educate future generations on the horrors of the Holocaust 
     and antisemitism;
       Whereas, on June 14, 2021, the Senate unanimously adopted a 
     resolution unequivocally condemning the recent rise in 
     antisemitic violence and harassment targeting Jewish 
     individuals in the United States and standing in solidarity 
     with those affected by antisemitism; and
       Whereas the Museum aims to be a global leader in bringing 
     awareness of the Holocaust to audiences worldwide, promoting 
     the relevance of the Holocaust for new generations, building 
     the field of Holocaust education in the United States, and 
     protecting the truth of the Holocaust: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates all those who were responsible for the 
     creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and 
     all those who have turned that vision into a living and 
     growing memorial and educational resource accessible to the 
     people of the United States and the world;
       (2) condemns antisemitism as a particularly pernicious form 
     of hate and racial and religious bigotry and calls on the 
     United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to continue its 
     critical work, in-person and online, educating the public 
     about the dangers of antisemitism and the origins of the 
     Holocaust;
       (3) encourages leaders and all individuals in the United 
     States and around the world to utilize the resources 
     available from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 
     and speak out against manifestations of antisemitism, 
     bigotry, and hatred against Jewish individuals and 
     communities, including growing online antisemitic harassment, 
     abuse, Holocaust denial, and conspiracy theories;
       (4) supports and encourages educational and community-based 
     programs that counter antisemitism and hate, as well as those 
     that advance educational programs about the Holocaust and 
     provide support for Holocaust survivors;
       (5) commits to continue to raise awareness and act to 
     eradicate the continuing scourge of antisemitism in the 
     United States and abroad;
       (6) designates April 26, 2023, as ``United States Holocaust 
     Memorial Museum Day''; and
       (7) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the chair of 
     the United States Holocaust Museum Memorial Council and a 
     copy to the director of the United States Holocaust Memorial 
     Museum.

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