State Leaders Honor Holocaust Survivors during Commemoration
State leaders honored holocaust survivors Tuesday at the Capitol.
It was part of this year’s 2019 ‘Days of Remembrance’ Commemoration.
Between 1941 and 1945, some 6 million Jews died tragically at the hands of Nazi, Germany during the Holocaust.
In the Old House Chamber Tuesday, their lives were remembered.
“We also must speak out against bigotry, against racism, against hate in all of their forms,” chair of the Alabama Holocaust Commission Dr. Dan J. Puckett says.
Five holocaust survivors living in Alabama were in attendance.
During the ceremony, they lit candles, sang songs, and remembered the horror they lived through.
Auburn men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl was the guest speaker.
“I came to let them know that we appreciate their fight and their struggle and their survival and to tell their stories still,” Pearl says.
Governor Kay Ivey signed a proclomation, declaring Tuesday as a day of remembrance.
She says it’s a day to show the support the state has for the survivors living in this U.S.
“In a country that was built on freedom of religion, we should always view our places of worship as sanctuaries, not as a place to fear,” Ivey says.
While the Holocaust was the focus, recent events in New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and Pittsburgh have highlighted hate crimes against religion.
Pearl says those events should diminish the progress we have made.
“There’s so much more good in this world than there is evil, and we need to celebrate that good,” Pearl says. “But at the same time, we need to identify who our enemies are and we need to make sure that we stay safe.”
Currently the state of Alabama provides funds for the Alabama Holocaust Commission to support education.
It is used to increase funding and raise awareness.
After the ceremony, those survivors were also honored on the House floor.
Legislators passed a resolution recognizing the Yom Hashoah Commemoration, which honors the lives lost during the Holocaust.
The Alabama Holocaust Commission was founded in 19-99 by state legislators to bring Holocaust awareness and education to Alabama residents.
