Mr. Speaker, today I join my colleagues to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.  On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops entered the Nazi concentration camp and freed the prisoners held there.  From the survivors, we have heard heartbreaking tales of cruelty and oppression and now consider Auschwitz a symbol of the brutality of the Nazi regime – a place whose horrors test the bounds of imagination.  

The liberation of Auschwitz was a pivotal moment in ending the Holocaust, during which more than 12 million innocent civilians were murdered, including 6 million Jews.  These people were singled out not because of any wrongdoing, but rather because of their religion, beliefs, birthplace, or personal characteristics.

Sixty years after the end of this attempt to exterminate an entire religion, anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia continue to plague humanity.  Despite the lessons of history, the world has witnessed genocide in Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Yugoslavia, and even recently in Sudan, among other places.  Furthermore, we continue to hear anti-Semitic sentiments coming out of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, and even here at home in America.  Now more than ever, we all must work to understand those of different cultures, races, and religions.  Mutual respect for our differences will lead to the end of hostilities, and only then will the opportunity for world peace exist.

One of our colleagues, the gentleman from California, Mr. Lantos, survived the Holocaust and knows firsthand humankind’s potential for cruelty.  However, he has dedicated his entire life to combating the forces that permit such atrocities, thereby demonstrating humankind’s potential for compassion.  His tireless efforts to fight racism, anti-Semitism, and hatred in all of its forms remind us of our responsibility to protect those in need, both in the U.S. and throughout the world. 

On this important anniversary, I solemnly remember and honor all of those who lost their lives in the Holocaust, thank those that worked for their freedom, and pledge to do all in my power to prevent such evil from ever occurring again.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.