2014
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 14-1015
       
       BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Rosenthal and Gardner, Becker, Buck,
       Buckner, Conti, Coram, Court, DelGrosso, Dore, Duran, Everett,
       Exum, Fields, Fischer, Foote, Garcia, Gerou, Ginal, Hamner,
       Holbert, Hullinghorst, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Kraft-Tharp,
       Labuda, Landgraf, Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, May, McCann,
       McLachlan, McNulty, Melton, Mitsch Bush, Moreno, Murray,
       Navarro, Nordberg, Pabon, Peniston, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola,
       Rankin, Ryden, Saine, Salazar, Schafer, Scott, Singer, Stephens,
       Swalm, Szabo, Tyler, Vigil, Waller, Williams, Wilson, Wright,
       Young, Ferrandino;
       also SENATOR(S) Crowder and Ulibarri, Aguilar, Balmer,
       Baumgardner, Brophy, Cadman, Grantham, Guzman, Harvey,
       Heath, Herpin, Hill, Hodge, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr,
       King, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Newell, Nicholson, Renfroe,
       Rivera, Roberts, Scheffel, Schwartz, Steadman, Tochtrop, Todd,
       Zenzinger, Carroll.
       
          CONCERNING THE DECLARATION OF APRIL 28, 2014,
       THROUGH MAY 4, 2014, AS HOLOCAUST AWARENESS WEEK. 
       
          WHEREAS, Prejudice, bigotry, racism, and hate have been the cause
       of conflict, war, and mass atrocities throughout history; and
       
          WHEREAS, The Nazi regime was able to exploit severe economic
       hardships in the aftermath of World War I to foster prejudice and hatred
       toward a group that had historically been used as scapegoats throughout
       Europe, culminating in the attempt to exterminate the Jewish population
       in Europe, widely known as the Holocaust; and
       
          
       
       
       
          
       
          WHEREAS, During the Holocaust, at least 11 million people were
       brutally murdered, at least 6 million of whom were Jewish people; and
          
          WHEREAS, Other marginalized groups, such as Soviet prisoners of
       war, ethnic Poles, political and religious dissenters, intellectuals,
       homosexuals, children and adults with disabilities, and Roma, were
       victims of the Holocaust; and
       
          WHEREAS, It is imperative that we and future generations never
       forget the tragic lessons learned from the organized,
       government-sponsored mass killings of the Holocaust; and
       
          WHEREAS, The lessons of the Holocaust are becoming more difficult
       to teach as survivors continue to pass away and, consequently, first-hand
       accounts become 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 acts of
       bravery in saving the lives of Jewish people during the Holocaust,
       reminding us today of our personal obligations to stand up against
       prejudice and discrimination; and
       
          WHEREAS, As a common standard of achievement for all people and
       nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948
       (Declaration) adopted by the United Nations asserts that "recognition of
       the inherent dignity and of 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 notes that "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 cooperation with the United Nations,
       the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights
       and fundamental freedoms"; and
       
          WHEREAS, Over half a century after the conclusion of World War
       II, too many of the world's nations have not learned the lessons of the
       Holocaust, as demonstrated by recent episodes of ethnic cleansing,
       genocides, crimes against humanity, and mass killings in so many parts
       of the world, including Syria, Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, and the Sudan;
       and
       
          WHEREAS, Museums throughout this country and Israel, such as the
       Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, the Museum of Tolerance currently
       under construction in Jerusalem and the United States Holocaust
       Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and archives and collections,
       such as the Mazal Holocaust Collection, which was recently donated to
       the University of Colorado and is the world's largest privately owned
       archive, attest to the atrocities of the past and the need to educate future
       generations in order to prevent similar events in the years ahead; and
       
          WHEREAS, It is the responsibility of families, educators, and the
       many diverse religious communities around the world as well as political
       leaders, humanitarians, public officials, and the media to recognize the
       Holocaust as both a political and human tragedy and to spread that
       knowledge to our younger and future generations; and
       
          WHEREAS, It is imperative that all concerned citizens raise
       awareness and take action regarding current and potential instances of
       genocide, organized mass killing, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against
       humanity; now, therefore,
       
          
       
          Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Sixty-ninth
       General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the Senate concurring herein:
       
          That we, the members of the General Assembly:
       
          (1)  Proclaim the week of April 28, 2014, through May 4, 2014, as
       "Holocaust Awareness Week"; and
       
          (2)  Declare that the people of Colorado should use these days to teach
       and remember the great injustices of the past and to commit to preventing
       such political and moral atrocities in the future.
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       the Jewish Community Relations Council of JEWISHcolorado (formerly
       known as 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, the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado,
       the Mizel Museum, and Babi Yar Park.
       
       
       
       
       _________________________________________________________
       Mark Ferrandino                       Morgan Carroll
       SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE                    PRESIDENT OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Marilyn Eddins                        Cindi Markwell
       CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE                SECRETARY OF
       OF REPRESENTATIVES                        THE SENATE