Tom Lantos: “Mr. Speaker, as we consider this resolution, a few feet from this Chamber in the presence of members of the Supreme…”

“Mr. Speaker, as we consider this resolution, a few feet from this Chamber in the presence of members of the Supreme Court, our colleagues and a vast number of individuals who are either survivors of the Holocaust or children of survivors, we are commemorating the day that has been set aside for remembering this most heinous of all crimes. It is a sad commentary on the absurdity of our times that an event as profoundly documented as the Holocaust would need to be reemphasized as a reality. One and a half million innocent children were among the 6 million men, women, and little ones who were consumed in the flames of hatred that represented the Holocaust. Learned and simple, rich and poor, young and old, religious and nonbeliever, they were all consumed by the flames of the Holocaust. As the only Member of Congress who is a survivor of the Holocaust, I am calling on all of my colleagues every year to remember this event, not only for its historic significance but so that similar events, comparable events, events of mass destruction of human beings, such as the ones we have seen lately in both Africa and the former Yugoslavia, should not take place.”