[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6000]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ERIC CANTOR

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 25, 2006

  Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Yom Hashoa, 
Holocaust Memorial Day.
  Yom Hashoa is a day set aside on the Jewish calendar to recall with 
great reverence and respect the lives of the millions of victims of the 
Holocaust.
  More than 60 years ago, a maniacal dictator rose to power in Europe, 
and darkness fell upon the earth. Through a doctrine of hatred and 
destruction, he slew blameless, pure and innocent, men, women and 
children. The Nazis were intent on performing a systematic annihilation 
of the Jewish people. Their brutal endeavor to commit genocide was no 
more evident than in their zeal for murdering children.
  It is a heinous crime to destroy a people's past and to annihilate 
their future. One can only imagine the contributions to the world lost 
by this act of genocide, not only for our generation but for the future 
generations that will now never exist.
  For the survivors, the Holocaust did not end with liberation. Like 
the marks on their arms, their lives were forever marked by this 
atrocity. Those who survived faced the enormous challenge of rebuilding 
their lives. Many succeeded, others did not, but all would remember the 
horror of the crimes that were perpetrated against them. Survivors who 
suffered this hell are a living testament to the depths of evil to 
which man can fall. We must never again allow such a monstrous crime by 
man to be committed again.
  We read in Sefer Yeshayahu, the book of Isaiah:

       In my house and within my walls, I shall give them a Yad 
     Vashem--a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; 
     an eternal, imperishable name will I give them.

  On Thursday, in the United States Capitol Rotunda, we will observe 
Yom Hashoa. Through our observance, we create a human monument assuring 
that these innocent victims will not be forgotten. We here in the 
United States, the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther 
King, are privileged to enjoy the greatest freedom known to man. We 
must never allow ourselves to take these freedoms for granted. We must 
never forget the genocide and human rights abuses that have occurred 
and, sadly, continue to occur around the world. We must not remain 
silent. We must dedicate ourselves to continuing to educate people 
around the globe about the horrors of the Holocaust. We must be 
eternally vigilant that such intolerance never happens again.

     God full of mercy who dwells on high
     Grant perfect rest on the wings of Your Divine Presence
     In the lofty heights of the holy and pure who shine as the 
           brightness of the heavens to the souls of the men, 
           women and children who were slaughtered, burned and 
           murdered during the Holocaust for the sanctification of 
           your name,
     who have gone to their eternal rest
     let us pray for the elevation of their souls.
     May their resting place be in the Garden of Eden.
     Therefore, the Master of mercy will care for them under the 
           protection of His wings for all time
     And bind their souls in the bond of everlasting life.
     God is their inheritance and may they rest in peace and let 
           us say Amen.

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