WHEREAS, The concentration and extermination camp at Auschwitz, the largest built of 6 camps, was liberated 70 years ago on January 27, 1945; and
WHEREAS, The United Nations designated January 27 as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, when the world body recalls and commemorates the Nazi destruction of 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million children, with the intent to prevent a future Holocaust; and
WHEREAS, Of the 1.1 million people who were killed at Auschwitz during the Holocaust, 1 million were Jewish; and
WHEREAS, Approximately 11 million people were killed during the Holocaust, of which 6 million were Jewish; and
WHEREAS, According to these numbers, Auschwitz was the site of 1 out of every 6 deaths during the Holocaust; and
WHEREAS, Those who survived Auschwitz lived through one of the 20th century's worst hate crimes against humanity; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia have a long and rich Jewish history dating back to the 1600's; and
WHEREAS, Over 200,000 people who self-identify as Jewish currently live in Greater Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, There are over 350 Holocaust survivors living in the Greater Philadelphia area; and
WHEREAS, Remembering the innocent victims of the Holocaust will benefit all citizens of Philadelphia in promoting cultural acceptance; and
WHEREAS, Philadelphia strives to protect all heritages and cultures that make up its whole; and
WHEREAS, President Obama has acknowledged and paid tribute to the millions of Jews and millions of others murdered by the Nazi's during this time; and
WHEREAS, Honoring the survivors of Auschwitz and the Holocaust will promote tolerance and respect during a time when anti-semitism and acts of violence are still prevalent and on the rise in other areas of the world today; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in Poland during World War II, on January 27, 1945, and recognizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
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