IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 39 

Commending countries and organizations for marking the 60th anniversary 

of the liberation of Auschwitz and urging a strengthening of the fight 

against racism, intolerance, bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, and antiSemitism. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 25, 2005 

Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. HYDE, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. HOYER, 

Mr. CANTOR, Mr. TANCREDO, Mr. ACKERMAN, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. 

CARDIN, Mr. CARDOZA, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. CROWLEY, 

Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. DENT, Mr. DICKS, Mr. EMANUEL, 

Mr. ENGEL, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FILNER, Mr. 

FITZPATRICK of Pennsylvania, Mr. GALLEGLY, Mr. GENE GREEN of 

Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. ISRAEL, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. KIRK, Mr. LEACH, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mrs. 

MALONEY, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Minnesota, Mr. MCCOTTER, Mr. 

MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. MEEK of Florida, Mr. MENENDEZ, 

Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. 

PAYNE, Mr. PENCE, Mr. PITTS, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. 

ROYCE, Mr. SAXTON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, Ms. SCHWARTZ of 

Pennsylvania, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, 

Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. TERRY, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, Mr. VISCLOSKY, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. 

WEINER, Mr. WELLER, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. WYNN, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. 

CALVERT, Mr. FRANKS of Arizona, Mr. HONDA, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of 

Texas, Mr. KING of New York, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, and Ms. WATSON) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

JANUARY 25, 2005 

The Committee on International Relations discharged; considered and agreed 

to 
2 

•HRES 39 ATH 

RESOLUTION 

Commending countries and organizations for marking the 

60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and urging a strengthening of the fight against racism, intolerance, bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, and anti-Semitism. 

Whereas on January 27, 1945, the Nazi concentration camp 

at Auschwitz, including Birkenau and other related 

camps near the Polish city of Oswiecim, was liberated by 

elements of the Soviet Army under the command of Field 

Marshal Ivan Konev; 

Whereas, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial 

Museum, at a minimum 1,300,000 people were deported 

to Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945, and of these, at 

least 1,100,000 were murdered at that camp; 

Whereas an estimated 6,000,000 Jews, more than 60 percent 

of the pre-World War II Jewish population of Europe, 

were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators at 

Auschwitz and elsewhere in Europe; 

Whereas in addition, hundreds of thousands of civilians of 

Polish, Roma, and other nationalities, including in particular handicapped and retarded individuals, homosexuals, political, intellectual, labor, and religious leaders, 

all of whom the Nazis considered ‘‘undesirable’’, as well 

as Soviet and other prisoners of war, perished at Auschwitz and elsewhere in Europe; 

Whereas the complex of concentration and death camps at 

Auschwitz has come to symbolize the brutality and inhumanity of the Holocaust; 
3 

•HRES 39 ATH 

Whereas on January 24, 2005, the United Nations General 

Assembly, in response to a resolution proposed by Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, the United States, 

and the European Union, convened its first-ever special 

session marking the liberation of Auschwitz and other 

concentration camps on the 60th anniversary of that 

event; 

Whereas on January 27, 2005, the Government of Poland 

will host a state ceremony at Auschwitz/Oswiecim, Poland, to mark the anniversary of the liberation of the 

camps in which the Presidents of Israel, Germany, Poland, and Russia, and the Vice President of the United 

States, and leaders of many other countries will participate; 

Whereas January 27 of each year is the official Holocaust 

Memorial Day in many European countries, including 

Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Sweden, and 

the United Kingdom, and has been designated by Israel 

as a National Day to Combat Anti-Semitism; and 

Whereas the Department of State in the Report on Global 

Anti-Semitism transmitted to Congress in December 

2004 noted that ‘‘anti-Semitism in Europe increased significantly in recent years’’, ‘‘Holocaust denial and Holocaust minimization efforts’’ have found increasingly overt 

acceptance in a number of Middle Eastern countries, and 

anti-Semitism has appeared ‘‘in countries where historically or currently there are few or even no Jews’’: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) recalls with gratitude the sacrifices made by 

3 Allied soldiers, as well as partisans and underground 
4 

•HRES 39 ATH 

1 fighters, whose service and dedication resulted in the 

2 defeat of the Nazi regime and the liberation of 

3 Auschwitz and other concentration camps during 

4 World War II; 

5 (2) expresses gratitude to those individuals and 

6 organizations that assisted and cared for the sur7 vivors of Nazi brutality and helped those survivors 

8 establish new lives; 

9 (3) commends those countries that are marking 

10 the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, 

11 as well as the United Nations General Assembly and 

12 other international organizations, for honoring the 

13 victims of the Holocaust and using this tragic anni14 versary to increase awareness of the Holocaust; 

15 (4) urges all countries and peoples to strength16 en their efforts to fight against racism, intolerance, 

17 bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, and anti-Semi18 tism; and 

19 (5) urges governments and educators through20 out the world to teach the lessons of the Holocaust 

21 in order that future generations will understand that 

22 racial, ethnic, and religious intolerance and prejudice 

23 can lead to the genocide carried out in camps such 

24 as Auschwitz. 

Æ