[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6218-6219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF A BILL TO COMMISSION A STATUE OF ELIE WIESEL TO BE 
                         PLACED IN THE CAPITOL

                                  _____
                                 

                            HON. STEVE COHEN

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 28, 2017

  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of legislation I 
introduced earlier today with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to 
commission a statue or bust of Elie Wiesel to be installed in the 
Capitol.
  This legislation is especially timely as we commemorate Yom Ha'Shoah, 
Holocaust Remembrance Day, this week.
  If enacted, this legislation would direct the Joint Committee on the 
Library to obtain a statue or bust of Elie Wiesel for placement in the 
United States Capitol.
  Elie Wiesel was born in Romania in 1928. In 1944, at the age of 
fifteen, Wiesel was deported to Auschwitz, and later to Buchenwald 
where he was released in April 1945.
  Following the war, Wiesel became a journalist and wrote about his 
experiences during the Holocaust. His memoir, Night, has been 
translated into over 30 languages. Throughout his life, he fought 
vocally against indifference, intolerance, and injustice. Wiesel 
received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.
  Elie Wiesel was one of the greatest moral forces in the world. He was 
in the same class as Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King,

[[Page 6219]]

Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi. Wiesel was brilliant, pure, honest, and 
courageous.
  I met Elie Wiesel when I was a Tennessee State Senator and he was 
honored at Vanderbilt. It was particularly special for me to meet Elie 
Wiesel as he was the inspiration for my passing legislation to create 
the Tennessee Holocaust Commission in 1984.
  Elie Wiesel made it his life's work to remind and educate others on 
the horrors of the Holocaust. He spent his life encouraging others to 
learn from this tragic chapter in the history of humanity. He 
continually told people to never forget.
  This addition to the Capitol would be a continuous reminder to 
``never forget.''
  His voice was strong and is sorely missed. He was one of my heroes.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

                          ____________________