Permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 236) permitting the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Con. Res. 236, a resolution to allow the Capitol Rotunda to be used on April 15 for the purpose of the annual congressional ceremony to commemorate the Holocaust. The congressional commemoration of the Holocaust is a poignant reminder of the atrocities committed by the Nazis and the harrowing experiences of the survivors.

This year, we will be celebrating the heroism of those who liberated the Nazi death camps. The theme for this year's ceremony, Stories of Freedom: What You Do Matters, highlights the experience of Allied soldiers who risked their lives for the cause of freedom.

The stories of these soldiers that many of us have heard are inspiring. These soldiers confronted evil and physically saw despair in the eyes of every survivor they encountered. And these soldiers gave the survivors hope. The actions of these liberators changed the lives of the survivors and the course of human history.

Last year, on Veterans Day, I participated in a ceremony that honored American World War II veterans, including Dr. Bernard Metrick of Boca Raton, Florida, who helped liberate a subcamp of Buchenwald while serving in the 8th Armored Tank Division. Dr. Metrick will be joining me in Washington in April to participate in the Days of Remembrance. What Dr. Metrick did, what all of the Allied liberators did, mattered back then, and each and every one of us must learn from their lessons. What we do matters. And that is the message that this ceremony will inspire: What you do matters.

This is both our individual and collective responsibility. Never again can we allow a Holocaust to occur on our watch. All my life, I personally have felt moved to spread the message of ``Never Again.'' In the Florida Legislature when I served, I passed legislation to mandate Holocaust education in our Florida public schools so that students from all walks of lives and backgrounds could learn the lessons of the Holocaust.

Here in Congress in my capacity as cochair of the Congressional Task Force Against Anti-Semitism, I worked with my cochairman, Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana, to organize an annual visit to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for Members of Congress and their families. This is a unique form of Holocaust education, where the museum serves as a teaching tool to educate U.S. Representatives who have not been to the museum before about how the Holocaust is relevant to their lives and the lives of their constituents.

I am grateful to Speaker Pelosi for appointing me to serve on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Commission with other Members of the House and Senate and other citizens around the United States, and I hope to advance the cause of Holocaust education in this new role.

I would also like to thank Chairman Brady and Ranking Member Lungren for moving this resolution to the floor today. As a sponsor of this legislation and a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, I would like to thank the other cosponsors of this legislation: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, Congressman Steve LaTourette of Ohio, Congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia, and, of course, Congressman Henry Waxman, who worked closely with me on this resolution.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to attend the ceremony on April 15 in the Capitol Rotunda so that we may mourn those who perished and recognize those who sacrificed so much for freedom in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Mr. Harper of Mississippi for his very supportive words and his heartfelt support of this important bipartisan resolution. I look forward to being at the event with you in the Rotunda.

Mr. Speaker, again, I just thank the Chamber for their support and look forward to the opportunity of again supporting this very important event in the Rotunda.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this very important resolution. Under Congress' direction, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has organized and annually led the National Days of Remembrance ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda. The theme chosen by the museum this year is Stories of Freedom: What You Do Matters.

What we do does matter, Mr. Speaker. On occasions like this, there aren't appropriate enough words to share on behalf of the millions of victims of the Holocaust. Yet we here today and those in the Rotunda next month will once again commemorate the lives taken and the lives that suffered due to the unspeakable brutality and evil of that dark moment in history.

Mr. Speaker, this year is the 65th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Sixty-five years have passed since the doors were opened and the inhumane was laid bare for human eyes.

Just as the theme this year is What You Do Matters, so it mattered what others did then. We think of those like Oskar Schindler, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and so many others who did their part in this effort; heroic efforts, which forever mattered to the lives they saved and the truth they pursued, some to their own death.

Mr. Speaker, we too must do our part in this body and uphold the ideals upon which our Nation was founded. This ceremonial Days of Remembrance reminds us what happens when the rule of law and the commitment to ordered liberty upon which it rests are defiled. Let us also remember that this ceremony is not reflective of one event or one tragedy. We remember the entire scope of mankind's history and use it as a reminder that human life is precious, and that we must never allow a travesty like this to ever happen again.

Through this resolution and this commemoration, we remember the Night of Broken Glass, the Warsaw ghetto uprising, the methodical devouring and destruction of a whole continent, and the labor, concentration, and death camps as Auschwitz, Treblinka and Buchenwald, to name only a few. May our actions and may our remembrance honor the courage and bravery shown by the millions murdered only seven decades ago.

Mr. Speaker, just as our 34th President, General Eisenhower, made sure the things he had seen were not quickly forgotten, may this year's ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda be a solemn and fitting reminder of the victims of the Holocaust. I am pleased to support this bipartisan resolution, and encourage the support of my colleagues.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 236, to permit the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

It has been over 60 years since the Holocaust. For many of the survivors, the Holocaust remains an everyday reality. Year-round the Jewish people persistently teach and inform others about the horrors of the Holocaust. The Days of Remembrance is one day in the year when special effort is made to remember those that endured, struggled and died. Six million Jews were murdered and many families were completely devastated.

There are many ways in which this day is observed. Generally the Day of Remembrance, or Yom Hashoah, has been observed with candle lighting, speakers, poems, prayers, and singing. Six candles are lighted to represent the six million individuals who lost their lives and Holocaust survivors speak about their experiences or share in the readings.

This Congress established the Days of Remembrance as our nation's annual commemoration of the Holocaust. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a lasting living memorial to the victims and Congress has authorized that the museum will take the lead in commemorating the Days of Remembrance and also to encourage and sponsor suitable ceremonies throughout the United States.

This concurrent resolution is an affirmation of our continued support as we stand together with our Jewish brothers and sisters. Also, it allows for the Holocaust Memorial Museum to continue the annual commencement of the Days of Remembrance by initiating the week, which starts April 11, this year, with a memorial service in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The Holocaust Memorial Museum has been organizing and leading the national Days of Remembrance ceremony in the Rotunda since 1982; and it is my desire to maintain this tradition.

Mr. Speaker, the resolution before us allows for the use of the rotunda of the Capitol for the annual commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust. The Holocaust is one of the most shameful and horrifying events of human history. As we stop to reflect on this heinous event, let it serve as a reminder that there is no room for prejudice, oppression and hatred. As Americans and world citizens, it is important that future generations be called upon to remember the atrocities of the Holocaust and the similarities in the hate crimes we see today.

Despite hatred, the human spirit is unwavering in the face of adversity. History has shown us that in times of despair, humanity prevails and always, always looks towards a brighter future.

There is no better place than the United States Capitol rotunda to embody the reverence and dignity so deserved in honoring the victims of the Holocaust. The United States Capitol has stood as a symbol of freedom and liberty, and a symbol of hopes and dreams. It is important, Mr. Speaker, that as we recognize one of the most notable tragedies in human history, we honor the memory of those who died so senselessly and pledge anew to stop atrocities like genocide, from occurring again.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we move to H. Con. Res. 236.

I now ask unanimous consent the concurrent resolution be agreed to, and the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, with no intervening action or debate.