Senate Joint Resolution 25-022
Page 1, Line 101Concerning remembrance of the Holocaust.
Page 1, Line 1WHEREAS, Genocide begins not with violence but with words; and
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Page 1, Line 3WHEREAS, Prejudice, bigotry, bias, and racism have been the causes of conflict, war, and mass atrocities throughout human history; and
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Page 1, Line 5WHEREAS, Observing an individual moment of silence for each Jewish victim of the Holocaust would take over 11 years; and
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Page 1, Line 7WHEREAS, The English word "holocaust" derives from Greek
Page 1, Line 8words meaning "whole" (holos) and "burnt" (kaustos) and generally
Page 1, Line 9describes destruction on a mass scale. "Holocaust" as a proper noun
Page 1, Line 10specifically refers to the state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of
Page 1, Line 11European Jews and others at the direction of the German Nazi government between 1933 and 1945; and
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Page 2, Line 2WHEREAS, The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in
Page 2, Line 3January 1933, asserted that Germans were racially superior and that Jews
Page 2, Line 4and others were inferior and an alien threat to the so-called German racial community; and
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Page 2, Line 6WHEREAS, The Nazis used antisemitism as a political weapon to
Page 2, Line 7gain popular support, blaming Jews for all of Germany's hardships,
Page 2, Line 8including the country's defeat in World War I, the economic depression,
Page 2, Line 9and the threat of Bolshevik communism; it made little difference that the
Page 2, Line 10Nazis' accusations were blatantly contradictory and their so-called facts were fabricated; and
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Page 2, Line 12WHEREAS, Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its
Page 2, Line 13collaborators murdered 6 million Jews (two out of every three Jews who
Page 2, Line 14lived throughout Europe), 1.5 million of whom were children, as well as
Page 2, Line 155 million other civilians, including Sinti people, Roma people, people
Page 2, Line 16with intellectual or developmental disabilities, gay men, Jehovah's Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents; and
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Page 2, Line 18WHEREAS, We recall that in the aftermath of World War II,
Page 2, Line 19Israel, a close ally and friend of the United States, became a refuge for
Page 2, Line 20many survivors who endured the ravages of the Holocaust, and it has remained a sanctuary for Jews worldwide seeking safety ever since; and
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Page 2, Line 22WHEREAS, We gratefully acknowledge the more than 28,000
Page 2, Line 23non-Jews who, at great risk to themselves, saved Jews from extermination
Page 2, Line 24during the Holocaust and have been designated Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center; and
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Page 2, Line 26WHEREAS, Today, as we mourn the loss of those who were killed
Page 2, Line 27and consider the terrible experiences of those who suffered and lived
Page 2, Line 28through the Holocaust, we note that antisemitic acts are not a thing of the
Page 2, Line 29past: According to the Anti-Defamation League's annual audit of
Page 2, Line 30antisemitic incidents, anti-Jewish incidents surged to historic levels in
Page 2, Line 312024, with a total of 9,354 incidents of anti-Jewish harassment,
Page 2, Line 32vandalism, and assault reported across the United States. In Colorado,
Page 2, Line 33there were 279 reported anti-Jewish incidents in 2024, which is the
Page 2, Line 34highest level recorded in more than 40 years and a 41 percent increase
Page 2, Line 35since 2023. Colorado ranked ninth among states in 2024 for the most
Page 2, Line 36reported antisemitic incidents. Globally, there has also been an increase
Page 3, Line 1in antisemitic incidents; many Jews feel more isolated and vulnerable as a result; and
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Page 3, Line 3WHEREAS, Today, while we remember the Holocaust, we focus
Page 3, Line 4our attention on the passing of Holocaust survivors who provided
Page 3, Line 5firsthand accounts of the terrors they endured, leaving their children and
Page 3, Line 6grandchildren as the last generations to know the stories of the Holocaust directly from those who lived through it; and
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Page 3, Line 8WHEREAS, While we are fortunate that several organizations in
Page 3, Line 9Colorado are dedicated to retelling the stories of the Holocaust and other
Page 3, Line 10genocides, it is not enough; far too many people, including most students,
Page 3, Line 11need more opportunities to learn about these atrocities so they are not
Page 3, Line 12repeated. To mitigate the issue, on July 8, 2020, Governor Polis signed
Page 3, Line 13into law House Bill 20-1336, requiring the satisfactory completion of a
Page 3, Line 14course that includes Holocaust and genocide studies as a condition of high school graduation in public schools; and
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Page 3, Line 16WHEREAS, We recognize the tremendous investment and
Page 3, Line 17preparation that Colorado school districts, administrators, and, foremost,
Page 3, Line 18classroom educators are putting forth to implement and support House
Page 3, Line 19Bill 20-1336 as they ensure the phrase "We remember" will carry meaning and merit for generations of Colorado students; and
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Page 3, Line 21WHEREAS, It is our responsibility to bear witness to the truth of
Page 3, Line 22the horrors of the Holocaust, its many lessons, and to prevent hateful
Page 3, Line 23words from building up like the bricks that built Auschwitz; now, therefore,
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Page 3, Line 25Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
That we, the members of the General Assembly:
Page 3, Line 27(1) Remember the Holocaust;
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Page 3, Line 29(2) Promote antibias, bullying prevention, and Holocaust and
Page 3, Line 30genocide education programs in school districts and universities to
Page 3, Line 31prevent antisemitic incidents that target Jewish students, including
Page 3, Line 32targeting based on their actual or perceived support of the state of Israel; and
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Page 4, Line 1(3) Declare that the people of Colorado should understand the
Page 4, Line 2power of words, remember the great injustices of the past, and commit to preventing such atrocities in the future.
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Page 4, Line 4Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent
Page 4, Line 5to the Jewish Community Relations Council of JEWISHcolorado; the
Page 4, Line 6Mountain States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League; the
Page 4, Line 7Coalition Against Global Genocide; the Holocaust Awareness Institute at
Page 4, Line 8the University of Denver's Center for Judaic Studies; the Interfaith
Page 4, Line 9Alliance of Colorado; the Mizel Museum; the Denver Parks and
Page 4, Line 10Recreation Department's Babi Yar Park; the Mountain States office of the
Page 4, Line 11Jewish National Fund; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Page 4, Line 12Washington, D.C.; the Colorado Holocaust Educators; and the University of Colorado at Boulder Program in Jewish Studies.