[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 2] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 1534-1535] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]STATEMENT ON H. RES. 1044 COMMEMORATING THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF AUSCHWITZ, A NAZI CONCENTRATION AND EXTERMINATION CAMP, HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE HOLOCAUST, AND EXPRESSING COMMITMENT TO STRENGTHEN THE FIGHT AGAINST BIGOTRY AND INTOLERANCE ______ HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE of texas in the house of representatives Monday, February 22, 2010 Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I stand before you today in support of H. Res. 1044 ``Commemorating the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration and extermination camp, honoring the victims of the Holocaust, and expressing commitment to strengthen the fight against bigotry and intolerance.'' I would like to begin by thanking my colleague Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for introducing this resolution in the House, as it is important that we never forget the horrible atrocities of the Holocaust and that we continue to fight against acts of genocide around the world as well as fight against bigotry and intolerance here at home in the U.S. The Auschwitz concentration camp in present-day Poland was one of the most horrific Nazi extermination camps during World War II. The camp was initially established by the Nazis in 1940 as an army barracks but soon took on a new role as the Nazis began targeting specific groups of people including Jews, ethnic Poles, Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, people with disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other political and religious groups. Between 1940 and 1945 Auschwitz grew into the largest of the Nazi concentration camps in Europe, and consisted of three main camps in addition to 45 other satellite camps around the area. During the Holocaust, more than 6 million Jews and other targeted groups were exterminated by the Nazis, and over 1 million of those killed in the Holocaust were murdered at Auschwitz. As prisoners were taken into Auschwitz, they would pass through an infamous gate that read ``Arbeit macht frei'' or ``Work makes free.'' This statement could not have been further from the truth however. The victims of Auschwitz were systematically exterminated in gas chambers while others were starved to death, tortured, and subjected to forced labor and horrific medical experiments. On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops entered the Auschwitz concentration camp and liberated over 7,000 prisoners from the Nazis. Prior to the arrival of the allied Soviet troops however, many of the Nazis who were responsible for the horrible acts at Auschwitz escaped back into Germany, killing as many prisoners as they could in their escape. Today we honor the victims of the Holocaust who were oppressed and killed by the Nazis at Auschwitz as well as those who were killed at the hands of the Nazis during World [[Page 1535]] War II. Today we also stand with the other victims of genocide across the world and condemn the violent dictators and regimes that carry out these horrible and despicable actions. I would also like to express my appreciation for the soldiers, sailors and airmen who fought against the Nazi tyranny during the Second World War and helped to liberate millions of prisoners from concentration camps across Europe. Because of the actions of these brave men and women, Europe is now a free and democratic society and the world is a much better place. It is important that we never forget the horrible actions that took place during the Holocaust. Furthermore, I would also like to urge countries and leaders across the world to reassess their efforts in fighting racism, intolerance and anti-Semitism. Through providing education and instruction to adults and children alike, we can help to ensure that what happened in Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration and extermination camps is never allowed to happen again. I ask my colleagues for their support of this legislation as well as their support for victims of genocide across the world. I strongly urge you to support this resolution. ____________________