In solemn recognition of the week of April 12 through April 19, 2015 as the annual remembrance of the Six Million Jewish Martyrs who perished during the Holocaust.

WHEREAS, Seventy 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, This year, we commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the end of World War II when American forces liberated Buchenwald, one of the largest concentration camps, on April 11, 1945. More than 20,000 prisoners were liberated that day. Concentration camps at Dora-Mittelbau, Flossenberg, and Dachau were also liberated by American forces in April, 1945. Although the Germans had attempted to empty the camps of survivors and cover up the atrocities, Allied soldiers came upon thousands of bodies, stacked liked firewood; and

WHEREAS, Holocaust deniers continue to spew lies despite the physical evidence left behind, including photographs captured by liberators, the meticulous records of the Nazis, as well as the testimony of survivors. It is incumbent on the world to teach our children the lessons of the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, The Days of Remembrance is not only an opportunity for us to remember the suffering, but is a call to conscience to make sure that we don't stand silently, contributing to the suffering of others; and

WHEREAS, The people of the City of Philadelphia should continually rededicate themselves to the principle of equal justice for all people; and

WHEREAS, The people of the City of Philadelphia should remain eternally vigilant against all tyranny, and recognize that bigotry provides a breeding ground for tyranny to flourish; 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 19, 2015 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 CITATION, THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Does hereby recognize the week of April 12 through April 19, 2015 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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