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103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 156

Concerning the dedication of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 17, 1993

Mr. YATES introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred jointly

to the Committees on House Administration and Natural Resources

JOINT RESOLUTION

Concerning the dedication of the United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum.

Whereas, in 1980, the Congress of the United States established the United States Holocaust Memorial Council

(Public Law 96–388, dated October 7, 1980) by unanimous vote and mandated it with the creation of a permanent living memorial museum to the victims of the Holocaust;

Whereas, through the great generosity and unstinting efforts

of thousands of individuals from all walks of life, the

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has now been

built on Federal land with private contributions and will

be officially dedicated on April 22, 1993;
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Whereas, this institution will underscore the ideals of human

rights and individual liberty this Nation was founded

upon, as expressed by President George Washington in

1790, when he declared that the United States had created ‘‘a government which to bigotry gives no sanction,

to persecution no assistance’’;

Whereas, four administrations and every Congress since

1980, and especially Members of Congress and individuals who have served on the Council and officials of the

United States Departments of State, the Interior, and

Education, have joined with the American public in

bringing this institution to life; and

Whereas, this museum signifies national dedication to remembering the Holocaust, and will serve as the Nation’s

leading educational facility to teach current and future

generations of Americans about this tragic period of

human history and its implications for our lives and the

choices we make as individuals and societies against

crimes based on hate and prejudice regarding race, religion, and sexual preference: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 That the One Hundred Third Congress officially com4 memorates the opening and recognizes the historic impor5 tance of this unique institution as it takes its place among

6 the other great memorials and museums in our Nation’s

7 Capital that honor the democratic precepts this Nation is

8 based upon; and be it further
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1 Resolved, That Congress encourages all citizens of the

2 United States, and all who come to Washington, District

3 of Columbia, to visit the Museum and avail themselves of

4 the opportunities presented within its walls to learn about

5 the past and to contemplate the moral responsibilities of

6 citizenship; and be it further

7 Resolved, That, in remembrance of those who per8 ished in the Holocaust; in tribute to the survivors who

9 came to the United States to build a new life, and who,

10 with their families, have contributed so much to the fabric

11 of our diverse society; in recognition of heroic American

12 soldiers who liberated prisoners of Nazi camps; in recogni13 tion of the anonymous bravery of rescuers from many

14 lands who had the courage to care and placed their own

15 lives in peril to help others in need; and in hope that

16 Americans will learn from this museum the need to remain

17 vigilant against bigotry and oppression; we welcome the

18 United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to the center

19 of our American heritage and state now, in recognition

20 of the Museum’s motto, that for the dead and the living

21 and those yet to be born, we do bear witness.

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