Schakowsky Commemorates Holocaust Remembrance Day

SCHAKOWSKY COMMEMORATES HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY

WASHINGTON, DC–Today, U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) participated in the National Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance in the Capitol Rotunda. Congresswoman Schakowsky also entered the following statement into the Congressional Record on Monday, April 16th in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day
U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky

April 16, 2007

Madam Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I would like to take a moment to send my prayers and condolences to the entire Virginia Tech community. The nation and world is mourning with you. The United States Congress stands at your side.

As today is Holocaust Remembrance Day, I would like to extend special recognition to one of the 32 victims of this unbelievable catastrophe. Liviu Librescu, 76 at the time of his death, had known tragedy since childhood. When Romania joined forces with Nazi Germany in World War II, the young Librescu was interned in a labor camp, and then sent along with his family and thousands of other Jews to a central ghetto in the city of Focsani. Hundreds of thousands of Romanian Jews were killed by the collaborationist regime during the war, yet Liviu Librescu survived.

Liviu Librescu was an internationally respected aeronautics engineer and a lecturer at Virginia Tech for 20 years. He saved the lives of several students by blocking the gunman before he was gunned down in the shooting.

I know that Professor Librescu would join me in expressing solidarity with Jews across this nation and around the world in honoring Holocaust Remembrance Day, or as it is known in Hebrew, Yom HaShoah.

My district, the 9th Congressional District of Illinois, is home to the largest concentration of survivors in the State of Illinois and perhaps in the country, and this day holds deep meaning for those individuals and the entire community.

Recent events in the Middle East and around the world underscore the importance of this day. Anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric and demonstrations continue in numerous countries. The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has threatened to use nuclear weapons to wipe Israel off the face of the map.

With anti-Semitism on the rise we must be reminded that ``Never Again'' is not a guarantee, but a pledge that we must uphold through education, dialogue, and determination. It also reminds us that we must continue to strengthen the U.S. commitment to the security of Israel. Moreover, we must redouble our efforts to bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

"Never Again'' means that we must combat hate wherever it exists. While the Holocaust was a unique incident, a genocide is taking place right in front of our eyes in the Darfur region of Sudan. In February 2006 I traveled to Darfur where President Bush and the U.S. Congress have officially acknowledged ``genocide'' is taking place. The conflict has spilled across international borders and hundreds of thousands have fled into Chad. The window to provide security and hope is narrowing. According to the Commander of the African Union forces who briefed the participants of my Congressional Delegation in Darfur, "There is no sense of urgency outside.''

As a Jew, I cannot sit idle while these atrocities continue to unfold in Darfur. The lessons from the Holocaust have taught us that we must never turn a blind eye to terror or discrimination. We must demand that our government hold those who carry out acts of needless brutality accountable. I believe that everyone should take a moment today to consider the role of the U.S. in the prevention and prosecution of genocide.

The Holocaust was the most horrific human atrocity the world saw during the last century and perhaps in the history of the planet. Millions of Jews and others were brutalized, raped, beaten, dehumanized, enslaved, robbed, and murdered. While it is hard to grasp how terrible those events must have been, what all of our children, and we must do is to listen to the stories of those few remaining survivors of the Holocaust and ensure that their stories and their suffering are a permanent part of history.

Today we honor and mourn those who perished. We vow to live our lives in a way that pays tribute to their memory and ensures others will not suffer their fate. Thank you Madam Speaker.