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JOINT RESOLUTION COMMEMORATING THE HOLOCAUST AND HUMAN RIGHTS CENTER OF MAINE'S LEGISLATIVE AWARENESS DAY AND YOM HASHOAH, THE DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
WHEREAS, from 1933 to 1945, 6,000,000 Jews were murdered in the Holocaust as part of a state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation program of genocide, and millions of other people suffered as victims of Nazism, such as the handicapped, political dissidents and many others for racial, ethnic or national reasons; and
WHEREAS,  the people of the State of Maine should always remember the atrocities committed by the Nazis so that such horrors are never repeated and the history of the Holocaust offers an opportunity to reflect on the moral responsibilities of individuals, societies and governments; and
WHEREAS,  the people of the State of Maine should always remember those who liberated the Nazi concentration camps, some of whom lost their lives and others of whom have experienced lifelong emotional suffering, as holding an honored place in our history; and
WHEREAS,  the people of the State of Maine should continually rededicate themselves to the principle of equal justice for all people, remain eternally vigilant against all tyranny and recognize that bigotry provides a breeding ground for tyranny to flourish; and
WHEREAS,  the national community, pursuant to an Act of Congress, will be commemorating the week of May 1 through May 8, 2011 as the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, including the Day of Remembrance, known as Yom HaShoah, May 1, 2011; and
WHEREAS,  it is appropriate for the people of the State of Maine to join in this international commemoration and April 26, 2011 has been designated as the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine's Legislative Awareness Day; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED: That We, the Members of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Legislature now assembled in the First Regular Session, on behalf of the people we represent, pause in solemn memory of the victims of the Holocaust and in honor of the survivors, rescuers and liberators, urge everyone to recommit themselves to the lessons of the Holocaust through the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine's Legislative Awareness Day and the international week of commemoration and express our common desire to continually strive to overcome prejudice and inhumanity through education, vigilance and resistance; and be it further
RESOLVED: That suitable copies of this resolution, duly authenticated by the Secretary of State, be transmitted to the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine and the United States Holocaust Memorial Council in Washington, D.C. on behalf of the people of the State of Maine.