06-R 215

2006 -- H 8030

Enacted 04/25/06

 

H O U S E  R E S O L U T I O N

MEMORIALIZING "HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY" ON APRIL 25, 2006

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Lewiss, Long, Fox, Rose, and Costantino

     Date Introduced: April 25, 2006

 

 

     WHEREAS, Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah), commemorated on April 25,

2006, is a solemn day of remembrance honoring the victims of the Holocaust and those who

showed resistance and heroism during and after this horrendous period in world history. The

central theme this year is "Legacies of Justice" which recognizes and honors the courage of the

men and women who gave testimony during the trials of Nazi war criminals; and

     WHEREAS, Holocaust is the term used to refer to the period in world history from 1933

to 1945, before and during World War II, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazis systemically and

barbarically persecuted and murdered nearly six million Jews and another five million non-Jews

throughout Europe because they perceived these people to be "racially inferior," and "life

unworthy of life"; and

     WHEREAS, The horror and anguish of such infamous killing grounds as Aushwitz,

Buchenwald, Dachau and Belson, which today house the unnatural quiet and ghostly calm of

somber rows of sanitized barracks and rusting ovens, stand as speechless memorials to the eleven

million victims who were slaughtered during the Nazi's horrific program of genocide; and

     WHEREAS, We will always remember and never forget the millions who died for who

they were, how they worshipped, what they believed in, who they loved, and for those who were

killed because of their strength, their differences or their physical disabilities. We are proud,

humbled, and honored to memorialize their amazing courage and their enormous sacrifices; and

     WHEREAS, The citizens of Rhode Island, having our own rich heritage of resistance and

intolerance for those who would trample individual liberty and dignity, applaud the courageous

efforts of the ghetto residents for whom day to day survival was a relentless struggle. Their brave

actions in April and May of 1943 stand as testimony to a rare and indomitable human spirit and

extraordinary courage exhibited in the darkest hours of man's inhumanity; and

     WHEREAS, This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day is a time to applaud those men

and women who demonstrated monumental valor and humanity; a day to recognize and

congratulate all those who had the strength of character to rebuild their lives and a brighter future

for their children; a day to acknowledge the individuals, who stood as testament against anyone

who would try to revise or deny this horrendous period in world history; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

Providence Plantations hereby commemorates "Holocaust Remembrance Day" on April 25, 2006.

We call upon our fellow citizens to join us in acknowledging and applauding the men and women

who courageously spoke as witnesses to the atrocities committed during the Holocaust so that this

dark time in world history will never be forgotten or repeated; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the United States Holocaust Museum, the

Rhode Island Holocaust Museum, the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island and the Jewish

Community Center of Rhode Island.

   

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LC03023

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