Never Again Education Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, today, we honor International Holocaust Remembrance Day and commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp.

Today, an Auschwitz survivor from my district, Vladimir Munk from Plattsburgh, returned to Auschwitz after surviving the atrocities there.

We remember the Holocaust, the 6 million Jewish victims, and the many others who experienced the very worst of humanity, knowing that it is our duty to tell their stories and speak their names so that such depravity never again touches mankind.

Sadly, the hate and anti-Semitism that fueled the horrors of the Holocaust has not been extinguished from all corners of the globe or driven out of every heart.

In recent months, we have seen a startling rise in anti-Semitism and vicious high-profile attacks on Jewish life across the country, tearing at the very fabric of our society.

It has been little over a year since the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, which was the deadliest attack on Jewish life in our Nation's history.

Just last month, a Beverly Hills synagogue was vandalized, a machete- wielding assailant terrorized a Hanukkah celebration in my home State of New York, and a gunman targeted a kosher grocery store in Jersey City.

As we condemn these horrific acts, we must also ensure that our children understand the dangers of rising anti-Semitism and that they recognize its history.

Yet, as the number of living Holocaust survivors and eyewitnesses continues to decline, studies show that the Holocaust is fading from public memory. By educating students about the horrors of the Holocaust, we can take proactive measures to reject the hate and bigotry that is fueling this dangerous trend.

I am proud to be leading H.R. 943, the Never Again Education Act, with my colleague from New York, Carolyn Maloney, as this legislation could not come at a more crucial time.

Our bipartisan bill, which has nearly 300 cosponsors in the House, will provide teachers throughout the country with the resources and training they need to teach our children the important lessons of the Holocaust and the consequences of intolerance and hate. It will amplify the important work being done by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, leveraging a combination of public and private funds to develop and disseminate high-quality Holocaust education resources, which can then be adopted by our local schools and included in their curriculum.

This bill has the support of more than 1,800 Holocaust survivors from 38 States, nearly every State with living Holocaust survivors, as well as 350 organizations from all across the country.

Its consideration today is the result of passionate advocacy from its supporters and the bipartisan efforts from the Education and Labor Committee.

Madam Speaker, I strongly encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 943, the Never Again Education Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon).

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Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Joyce).

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Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Ohio an additional 1 minute.

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Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close.

Madam Speaker, more than 70 years ago, people around the world pledged to never again stand by in silence as an oppressed people were annihilated. As years continue to pass since the horrors and atrocities of the Holocaust, it is clear that we must do more to honor the victims and carry them on in our memories.

In fact, a recent survey found that two-thirds of millennials cannot identify what Auschwitz was or name a single concentration camp, and over one-third of all Americans surveyed believe that fewer than 2 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust.

Today, on the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we have the opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to remembrance, that we remember.

H.R. 943, the Never Again Education Act, will give States and schools the resources to incorporate Holocaust education into their classrooms, ensuring that all students of the next generation understand the evils and poison of the Holocaust. In doing so, this bill helps honor the legacy of Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel.

By shining a light on the horrors of the Holocaust and educating our youth about the dangers of anti-Semitism, we further our commitment to Wiesel's call for ``never again.''

I thank Mrs. Maloney for her decades of leadership on this bill and for working on the improvements that we are voting on today, and I thank all of those who have worked on this important issue.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

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