Statements On Introduced Bills And Joint Resolutions

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS -- (Senate - April 25, 2006)

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By Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself and Mr. DeWine):

S. 2651. A bill to authorize the Secretary of Education to make grants to educational organizations to carry out educational programs about the Holocaust; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the ``Simon Wiesenthal Holocaust Education Assistance Act.'' This important legislation would provide competitive grants for educational organizations to make Holocaust education more accessible and available throughout this Nation.

And I would like to thank my colleague Senator DeWine for cosponsoring this legislation and my former colleague in the House, Congresswoman Maloney, for her leadership on this issue.

This legislation could not come at a more important and solemn day in our lives. Today is Yom Hashoah, a day when we commemorate the approximately six million men, women and children of Jewish faith, as well as millions of others who were persecuted and murdered 65 years ago in a systematic, state sponsored genocide. Today, we also honor those who stood up against the genocide and risked their own lives to save others.

Today we stand in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish faith, and with all people throughout the world, in remembering these tragic events.

And today we honor Simon Wiesenthal who dedicated his life to making sure that those who perpetrated the horrors of the Holocaust were brought to justice.

Sixty-five years may seem like a lifetime away, and generations may have been raised thinking that the Holocaust, and events like it, is from a distant past. But let me be clear--these events are not so distant and are not in the past. In fact, they are in our present.

Just recently, Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hatefully and outrageously declared the Holocaust a ``myth'' and Israel a ``fake regime'' which ``cannot continue to live.''

And just two months ago, an anti-Semitic gang that calls themselves ``the Barbarians'' tortured 23-year-old Ilan Halimi, a young Jewish man, for three weeks before leaving him for dead near a train station in Paris.

It is these events that make us aware of the destructive messages of hate and violence that arise from Holocaust denial. It is these events that show us the importance of Holocaust education, abroad and in our own Nation.

For although some States now require the Holocaust to be taught in public schools, this legislation goes further and makes grants available to organizations that teach students, teachers, and communities the dangers of hate and the importance of tolerance in our society. This legislation would give educators the appropriate resources and training to teach accurate historical information about the Holocaust and convey the lessons that the Holocaust provides for all people.

We must recognize that by remembering the millions who were murdered in the Holocaust, we create a sense of responsibility to stop genocide wherever it takes place. But we must also remember that hate crimes and genocide could, and are still, happening today.

We are reminded, through the deplorable comments made by Iranian President Ahmadinejad against Israel and through the murder of young Ilan Halimi in France that anti-Semitism still exists even 65 years after the Holocaust. The awful acts of murder and rape in Darfur are a horrific example of genocide in the 21st century.

And those who believe that anti-Semitism is an attack that need not be answered by those who are not Jewish do not recognize the consequences of history. In fact, an attack against anyone simply because of race or religion is ultimately the beginning of the unraveling of civilization. It is in our common interest to raise our voices against anti-Semitism and against all hatred and discrimination.

We must fight the chorus of anti-Semitism and fight the fear and the hate. As a Nation proud of our diverse heritage, we must, each of us, take a stand. With our words, but most importantly with our actions, we will turn the tide against this new wave of anti-Semitism. And funding accurate educational programs on the Holocaust is a step toward winning this battle.

In the words of Samantha Power, a renowned expert on genocide, ``the sharpest challenge to the world of bystanders is posed by those who have refused to remain silent in the age of genocide.''

So today, the United States of America stands with Israel and all followers of the Jewish faith in commemorating Yom Hashoah, and condemning all anti-Semitism and hatred. And I am proud to join in the stand against anti-Semitism here and around the world.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

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