2010 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 10-030 BY SENATOR(S) Bacon, Carroll M., Foster, Hudak, Shaffer B., Boyd, Brophy, Cadman, Gibbs, Harvey, Heath, Hodge, Johnston, Keller, Kester, King K., Kopp, Lundberg, Mitchell, Morse, Newell, Renfroe, Romer, Sandoval, Scheffel, Schultheis, Schwartz, Spence, Steadman, Tapia, Tochtrop, White, Whitehead, Williams; also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Kefalas, Acree, Apuan, Balmer, Baumgardner, Benefield, Bradford, Casso, Court, DelGrosso, Ferrandino, Fischer, Frangas, Gagliardi, Gardner B., Gardner C., Gerou, Hullinghorst, Judd, Kagan, Kerr A., Kerr J., King S., Labuda, Lambert, Levy, Liston, Looper, May, McCann, McFadyen, McKinley, McNulty, Merrifield, Middleton, Miklosi, Murray, Nikkel, Pace, Peniston, Pommer, Primavera, Priola, Rice, Riesberg, Roberts, Ryden, Scanlan, Schafer S., Solano, Sonnenberg, Soper, Stephens, Summers, Swalm, Tipton, Todd, Tyler, Vaad, Vigil, Waller, Weissmann, Carroll T. CONCERNING THE DECLARATION OF APRIL 11TH THROUGH 18TH, 2010, AS "HOLOCAUST AWARENESS WEEK". WHEREAS, Prejudice, bigotry, racism, and hate have been the cause of conflict, war, and mass atrocities throughout history; and WHEREAS, Adolph Hitler and the Nazi regime were able to exploit severe economic hardships in the aftermath of World War I to foster prejudice, bigotry, and hatred toward a group that had historically been used as scapegoats throughout Europe; and WHEREAS, The Holocaust is a defining event of the 20th century for many people in the Western world because of Nazi atrocities, which included the attempt to exterminate the Jewish population of Europe; and WHEREAS, During the Holocaust, at least 11 million people were brutally murdered, including 6 million Jewish Europeans, along with other marginalized groups such as Soviet POWs, ethnic Poles, political and religious dissenters, intellectuals, homosexuals, and Gypsy Roma; and WHEREAS, It is imperative that we make younger generations aware of the horrors that occurred in the past so that living and future generations may never forget the tragic lessons to be learned from the organized, government-sponsored mass killings of the Holocaust; and WHEREAS, These lessons of that era are becoming more difficult to teach as survivors continue to pass away and, consequently, first-hand accounts are becoming more scarce; and WHEREAS, It is also important to remember, honor, and emulate those righteous people who risked their lives to save thousands of innocent people during the Holocaust and to learn from their legacy of courage, selflessness, and hope; and WHEREAS, Many courageous people have been honored with the designation of "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority, for their acts of bravery in saving lives of Jewish Europeans during the Holocaust, reminding us today of our personal obligations to stand up against prejudice and discrimination; and WHEREAS, In 1948, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognized that "the inherent dignity and. . . the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world"; and WHEREAS, The Declaration also states that the "disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people"; and WHEREAS, Pursuant to the Declaration, "Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms"; and WHEREAS, Sixty-five years later, too many of the world's nations have not learned the lessons of the Holocaust, as demonstrated by continuing ethnic cleansing and mass killings in so many parts of the world such as the Darfur region of Sudan, Rwanda, and Bosnia; and WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of families, educators, our many diverse faith communities and their leaders, humanitarians, public officials, and the media to understand and teach the lessons to be learned from the Holocaust as both a political and human tragedy; and WHEREAS, It is also the responsibility of all concerned citizens to raise awareness and take action regarding current and potential genocides and organized mass killing and extermination; now, therefore, Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Sixty-seventh General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein: (1) That we, the members of the General Assembly, proclaim the week of April 11th through April 18th, 2010, as "Holocaust Awareness Week"; and (2) That we declare that the people of the state of Colorado should use these days to teach and remember the great injustices and genocides in the past, and to commit to preventing such tragedies in the future. Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to the Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado, the Mountain States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League, the Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action, the Colorado Agency for Jewish Education, the Holocaust Awareness Institute at the University of Denver's Center for Judaic Studies, and the Colorado Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. ____________________________ ____________________________ Brandon C. Shaffer Terrance D. Carroll PRESIDENT OF SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES ____________________________ ____________________________ Karen Goldman Marilyn Eddins SECRETARY OF CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE THE SENATE OF REPRESENTATIVES