[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 316 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 316
Recognizing that November 2, 2003, shall be dedicated to ``A Tribute to
Survivors'' at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 30, 2003
Mr. Cannon (for himself, Mr. Lantos, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Frost, Mr.
Bell, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Berman, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Crowley, Ms. Schakowsky,
Mr. Israel, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Nadler, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Cantor, Mrs.
Lowey, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr.
Deutsch, and Mr. Ackerman) submitted the following concurrent
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing that November 2, 2003, shall be dedicated to ``A Tribute to
Survivors'' at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Whereas, in 1945, American soldiers and other Allied forces, defeated Nazi
Germany, ending World War II in Europe and the systematic murder of
Europe's Jews and other targeted groups;
Whereas 6,000,000 Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and after World War II
hundreds of thousands of survivors immigrated to the United States,
where in spite of their enormous suffering, they rebuilt their lives,
and embraced and enriched their adopted homeland;
Whereas, in 1978, President Jimmy Carter created the President's Commission on
the Holocaust to make a recommendation regarding ``the establishment . .
. of an appropriate memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust'';
Whereas President Carter said: ``Out of our memory . . . of the Holocaust we
must forge an unshakable oath with all civilized people that never again
will the world stand silent, never again will the world . . . fail to
act in time to prevent this terrible crime of genocide. . . . [W]e must
harness the outrage of our own memories to stamp out oppression wherever
it exists. We must understand that human rights and human dignity are
indivisible.'';
Whereas, in 1979, the Commission recommended ``a living memorial that will speak
not only of the victims' deaths but of their lives, a memorial that can
transform the living by transmitting the legacy of the Holocaust'';
Whereas, in 1980, the United States Congress unanimously passed legislation
authorizing the creation of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
as a ``permanent living memorial'' on Federal land in the Nation's
Capital;
Whereas, in 1983, Vice President George Bush designated the Federal land on
which the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum would be built;
Whereas Vice President Bush said: ``Here we will learn that each of us bears
responsibility for our actions and our failure to act. Here we will
learn that we must intervene when we see evil arise. Here we will learn
more about the moral compass by which we navigate our lives and by which
countries navigate the future.'';
Whereas, in 1985, Holocaust survivors participated in the groundbreaking
ceremony at the site of the future United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum;
Whereas, in 1988, President Ronald Reagan dedicated the cornerstone of the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum;
Whereas President Reagan said: ``We who did not go their way owe them this: We
must make sure that their deaths have posthumous meaning. We must make
sure that from now until the end of days all humankind stares this evil
in the face . . . and only then can we be sure it will never arise
again.'';
Whereas, in 1992, replicas of 2 of the milk cans that hid the Oneg Shabbat
archive under the Warsaw Ghetto were buried beneath the Museum's Hall of
Remembrance, with a Scroll of Remembrance signed by Holocaust survivors;
Whereas, in 1993, President Bill Clinton opened the United States Holocaust
Memorial Museum;
Whereas President Clinton said: ``[T]his museum will touch the life of everyone
who enters and leave everyone forever changed; a place of deep sadness
and a sanctuary of bright hope; an ally of education against ignorance,
of humility against arrogance, an investment in a secure future against
whatever insanity lurks ahead. If this museum can mobilize morality,
then those who have perished will thereby gain a measure of
immortality.'';
Whereas, in 2001, President George W. Bush delivered the keynote address at the
first Days of Remembrance ceremony after he assumed office.
Whereas President Bush said: ``When we remember the Holocaust and to whom it
happened, we must also remember where it happened. . . . The orders came
from men who . . . had all the outward traits of cultured men, except
for conscience. Their crimes showed the world that evil can slip in, and
blend in, even amid the most civilized surroundings. In the end, only
conscience can stop it. And moral discernment, decency, tolerance--these
can never be assumed in any time, or any society. They must always be
taught.'';
Whereas the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has had more than 19,000,000
visitors in the first 10 years of its existence;
Whereas, in 2003, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, on the occasion
of its 10th Anniversary, wishes to pay tribute to America's Holocaust
survivors, who worked tirelessly to help build the Museum and whose
committed support and involvement continue to make the institution such
an extraordinary memorial and a vital part of life in the United States;
and
Whereas the United States Holocaust Museum has a sacred obligation to preserve
and transmit the history and lessons of the Holocaust and, together with
the Holocaust survivors, must ensure that the legacy of the survivors is
passed on to each new generation: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That the Congress--
(1) recognizes that a day shall be dedicated to ``A Tribute
to Survivors'' at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
and shall be devoted to honoring our Nation's Holocaust
survivors, as well as their liberators and rescuers, and their
families;
(2) recognizes that on that day, the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum shall be devoted in its entirety to
special programs about and for the survivors of the Holocaust;
(3) commends the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
for its first decade of education dedicated to the memory of
the victims of the Holocaust;
(4) endeavors to continue to support the vital work of the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; and
(5) requests that this resolution shall be duly recorded in
the official records of the United States Holocaust Memorial
Museum.
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