Jim Costa: “Last month we commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is important that we always take note because, sadly, genocide…”

“Last month we commemorated Holocaust Remembrance Day. It is important that we always take note because, sadly, genocide and anti-Semitism continues to exist in the 21st century. As the philosopher George Santayana once explained: Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. Yes. An important episode in the history of the Holocaust is the story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat, who was the consular general in Bordeaux, France, in the late 1930s, 1940, and 1941. As a Portuguese diplomat in Bordeaux, France, at the outset of the Second World War, Sousa Mendes is credited with saving the lives of tens of thousands of European Jews fleeing the Holocaust. As a proud Portuguese American and the co-chair of the Congressional Portuguese Caucus, I am glad that later this year we will be hosting a screening of the film, ``Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story,'' in partnership with the Sousa Mendes Foundation. {time} 1045 We must learn from our history so that the atrocities of the past are never repeated in the future. We remember, and we pledge to never, ever forget. Speaking of atrocities, sadly, they do continue to exist around the world. This week, we will have an opportunity, as Congress, to go on record to discuss the challenges of the civil war going on in Yemen and America's participation in that effort. It is high time Congress reassert itself in terms of our checks and balances.…”