III
113th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 227
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 17, 2013
Mr. Menendez (for himself and Mr. Kirk) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
September 30, 2013
Reported by Mr. Menendez, without amendment
October 4, 2013
Considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the heroic rescue of Danish Jews during the Second World War by the Danish people.
Whereas, in the fall of 1943, the Nazis occupied Denmark and issued orders that the Danes deport all Danish Jews to concentration camps where the Jews would eventually be exterminated;
Whereas the Danish people, as a result of the Nazi mandate, refused to accept the prosecution of the Jews and began a mission of mercy on October 1, 1943, smuggling Jews across the Oresund Strait to neutral Sweden via small boats and fishing cutters;
Whereas the Danish rescuers unselfishly risked their own lives, avoiding German patrols for weeks during the rescue operations;
Whereas approximately 90 percent of the Danish Jews were saved from certain death at the hands of the Nazis by the sheer courage and compassion demonstrated by the Danes; and
Whereas it is imperative that future generations continue to remember and understand what happened so that the horrors of the Holocaust will never be repeated: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
recognizes and commemorates the bravery and valor of those Danes who participated in the 1943 rescue operations that saved the lives of 7,300 Jews who would otherwise have perished in Nazi concentration camps; and
declares that the world owes a great debt to these Danes who did not turn a blind eye on the dangers that faced Jews under Nazi occupation and continue to serve as inspiration to others in times of difficulties and challenges.