WHEREAS, The Holocaust was a tragedy of proportions the world had never before witnessed, and more than 70 years have passed since the tragic events now referred to as the Holocaust transpired, in which the dictatorship of Nazi Germany murdered 6,000,000 Jews as part of a systematic program of genocide known as “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question”; and

WHEREAS, While Jewish people were the primary victims of the Holocaust, they were not alone, as 5,000,000 other people were murdered in Nazi concentration camps as part of a carefully orchestrated, state-sponsored program of cultural, social, and political annihilation under the Nazi regime; and

WHEREAS, It is appropriate and fitting to recognize the heroism of those who resisted the Nazis and provided assistance to the victims of the Nazi regime, including the many American soldiers who liberated concentration camps and provided comfort to those who were suffering; and

WHEREAS, By teaching children and future generations about the individual and communal acts of heroism during the Holocaust, those actions may serve as a powerful example of how the nation and its people can diligently respond to acts of hatred and inhumanity; and

WHEREAS, By reminding each other about the horrible events of the Holocaust, people may remain vigilant against antisemitism, racism, hatred, persecution, and tyranny of all forms to ensure that these atrocities will never be repeated; and

WHEREAS, While public displays of antisemitism and antisemitic incidents have increased dramatically in California and around the world in recent years, the people of California may actively rededicate themselves to the principles of equality, human rights, individual freedom, and equal protection under the laws of a just and democratic society; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council recognizes the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, including the Day of Remembrance known as Yom Hashoah, and encourages each person in California to set aside moments of their time every year to give remembrance to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, In the words of Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and nationally recognized scholar, a memorial unresponsive to the future would violate the memory of the past; now, therefore, be it