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House of Representatives
Session of 2015 - 2016 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: April 11, 2016 10:51 AM
From: Representative Dan Frankel and Rep. Mark B. Cohen, Rep. Robert Freeman, Rep. Aaron D. Kaufer, Rep. Steven J. Santarsiero, Rep. Michael H. Schlossberg
To: All House members
Subject: Resolution – Designating May 2 through May 8, 2016 as the “Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust” and May 5, 2016, as “Holocaust Remembrance Day” in Pennsylvania.
 

In the near future, we will introduce a resolution proclaiming the week of May 2 through 8, 2016, as "Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust" and May 5, 2016 as “Holocaust Remembrance Day” in the Commonwealth. As in years past, it is our sincere hope you will join us in this important effort.

The Holocaust was one of the darkest chapters in human history. The word “Holocaust” is Greek in origin and means “sacrifice by fire.” To the Nazis, Jewish men, women and children were deemed “inferior” and a threat to society. During the first six years of Adolph Hitler's dictatorship in Germany, from 1933 until the outbreak of war in 1939, Jews felt the effects of more than 400 decrees and regulations that restricted all aspects of their public and private lives. By the time Germany invaded Poland in 1939, there were six concentration camps under Nazi authority, with more on the way. In 1941, the first death camp opened in Poland.

The atrocities of this time period cannot be downplayed. In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe stood at more than nine million. By 1945, the Nazis and their collaborators killed nearly two out of every three European Jews as part of their "Final Solution.” Nazis also targeted other minority groups deemed inferior including Soviet prisoners of war, gay men and women, Jehovah’s Witnesses, mentally and physically disabled individuals, Communists, and trade unionists. Not surprisingly, the horrors of this time continue to have an impact on our lives and the world in which we live.

As Americans, we must be fully on guard against any acts of perceived genocide, hate or discrimination. By continuing to call attention to the horrible atrocities committed by the Nazis during World War II, we can hopefully fulfil the promise of “never again.”



Introduced as HR833