April 22, 2004
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG AND ELIE WIESEL TO SPEAK AT NATIONAL DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE OBSERVANCE
Commemoration Marks 60th Anniversary of Deportation of Hungarian Jews
WASHINGTON, DC — From Sunday, April 18, through Sunday, April 24, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will lead the nation in week-long observances in memory of the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of others who perished under Nazi tyranny. This year’s national commemoration takes place in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Thursday, April 22, at 11:00 a.m., and will also commemorate the 60th Anniversary of the deportation of Hungary’s Jews that began in Spring 1944. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is scheduled to deliver the keynote address. Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate and Founding Museum Chairman, Elie Wiesel, will deliver remarks.
“Every year we remember the Holocaust, and this year we remember the tragedy of the destruction of Hungary’s Jews—carried out with ruthless efficiency even when German military defeat was so close,” states Fred S. Zeidman, Chairman, United States Holocaust Memorial Council. “It is a stark reminder that for the Nazis, the war against the Jews was as important as military victory, and while a handful, such as Raoul Wallenberg, acted to save lives, most people did nothing. The Museum memorializes those who perished and in honoring Raoul Wallenberg and other rescuers, asks visitors to consider their responsibilities to the present and future.”
The Rotunda observance also recognizes the American troops who liberated the Nazi concentration camps by opening with a procession of flags from each liberating unit. Six candles are lit by a Holocaust survivor accompanied by a member of Congress. This year, Judea Pearl, father of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, will participate in the lighting. This year’s candle lighters are:
- Hon. Susan M. Collins and Rabbi Arthur Schneier
- Hon. Christopher Smith and Tswi Herschel
- Hon. Joseph I. Lieberman and Andrew Laszlo
- Hon. Steven LaTourette and Ivan Becker
- Hon. Tom Lantos and Randolph Braham
- Judea Pearl and Henry Greenbaum
Other commemorative events are being held across the country during the Week of Remembrance. On Monday, April 19, Holocaust Museum visitors were invited to the Museum’s Hall of Remembrance to read aloud the names of Holocaust victims. Holocaust survivors and Museum staff also participated.
Since opening to the public in April 1993, the Museum has welcomed more than 20 million visitors, including more than 6 million schoolchildren. A public-private partnership, the Museum is a federal institution whose educational activities and outreach are made possible through private donations. More than 250,000 individuals, foundations, and corporations helped build the institution and currently support its programs and operations. For more information on the Museum’s 10th Anniversary activities, visit www.ushmm.org.
