Authorizing the Use of Emancipation Hall for A Ceremony As Part of the Commemoration of the Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust
Floor Speech
I thank my friend and colleague, Chairman Steil, for his comments.
I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 25. Historically, this resolution authorizing the use of Emancipation Hall for a ceremony to honor victims of the Holocaust has been considered and agreed to by the House with unanimous consent because there was universal agreement that debate on this issue was unnecessary. I don't know what has changed necessitating the debate in the 118th Congress, but I fully support the measure, nonetheless.
We are considering this legislation at a time when acts of hatred and anti-Semitism are on the rise, not just around the world but here in the United States.
Perhaps even more troubling, anti-Semitism has begun an insidious creep into what was once considered mainstream ideologies and institutions.
On January 6, in a failed attempt to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and to subvert democracy and the rule of law, violent insurrectionists stormed the halls of the Capitol, some wearing clothing emblazoned with vile anti-Semitic slogans and imagery.
This is not some distant memory that happened in a faraway country. It happened right here in this very building, in this very Chamber, just 2 years ago. That is why it is so important we reject hate and authoritarianism at every turn to prevent its malignant spread.
This resolution does just that by allowing us to honor the memory of more than 11 million people, including 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust. It affirms our commitment to combating anti-Semitism in all its forms and ensures that we never forget the atrocities of the past lest they are repeated.
I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 25, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Chair's explanation of why we are doing this. I certainly appreciate the gentleman from Tennessee and his hard work.
I represent a community, Rochester, New York, which has a significant Jewish population I have worked with for decades, and I talked just a couple of weeks ago at Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester about the rise of anti-Semitism in communities across the United States, so I appreciate the opportunity for us to talk about the increase; how we must do everything we can to make sure that we not only remember the past, but are cognizant in the present of all the challenges.
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Mr. MORELLE. Mr. Speaker, I will close by again thanking the chairman for bringing the resolution forward and thanking my colleagues for offering it. We stand in strong support of it.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 25, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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