Sam Gejdenson: “Mr. Speaker, it is a small irony that I am here today as the ranking Democrat on this committee. Both my parents…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is a small irony that I am here today as the ranking Democrat on this committee. Both my parents survived the Holocaust in Europe. My father's village was liquidated. Certainly after Pearl Harbor, my mother was lucky enough to flee her homeland and was saved in much of the war in Kazakhstan and other deep parts of Russia. It is, for me, a particularly important statement to make to the world not simply to remember the cruelty that occurred, but also to recognize the incredible courage of those who survived, who shortly after these dark days, went out, formed families, moved their families. Many of them came to the United States to create new lives and meet new challenges. But it would not be enough if we simply have this historic event just to remember, because we all need to learn a lesson where hatred and bigotry and prejudice existed. Hitler had many victims, not just the Jews; gays, gypsies and others were also victims of Hitler's torture, terror and death. I would hope, as we continue this tradition, we also continue to remember that hatred is not dead among us today, and we need to continue that fight.”