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WHEREAS, Over sixty years ago, six million Jews were murdered in the Nazi Holocaust as part of a systematic program of genocide, and millions of other people suffered as victims of Nazism; and
WHEREAS, In a City replete with reminders of the past stands a memorial to the Six Million Jewish Martyrs who perished at the hands of Nazi persecution. The Monument stands as a striking symbol to all who cherish freedom of religious conviction, equality and the dignity of man; and
WHEREAS, Shortly after survivors of the Holocaust arrived in Philadelphia, they embarked on a sacred mission to perpetuate the memory of the Six Million Jewish Martyrs. At that time, not a single American city had a monument erected to commemorate the victims; Philadelphia was the first and the monument would become a visual reminder of one of the darkest times in human history; and
WHEREAS, The Monument, located at 16th and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, was unveiled and presented to the City of Philadelphia by what is now known as the Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia on April 26, 1964. It is both a tribute to the dead and a reminder to the living of the need for constant vigilance to preserve liberty for all; and
WHEREAS, The granite base of the Monument includes the names of concentration camps, ghettos and death camps with an inscription that reads, Now and forever enshrined in memory are the Six Million Jewish Martyrs who perished in concentration camps, ghettos and gas chambers. In their deepest agony they clung to the image of humanity, and their acts of resistance in the forests and ghettos redeemed the honor of man. Their suffering and heroism are forever branded upon our conscience and shall be remembered from generation to generation; and
WHEREAS, Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia and the Memorial Committee for the Six Million Jewish Martyrs invite all citizens of Philadelphia and the region to join in the commemoration ceremony on April 27, 2014 in front of the Holocaust Monument on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 1:00-2:30 PM; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, By virtue of this Citation, the Council of the City of Philadelphia does hereby recognize the week of April 27 through May 3, 2014 as the Annual Remembrance of the Six Million Jewish Martyrs. We further recognize the horror of the Holocaust, and extend to the Memorial Committee the respect and admiration of this legislative body.
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