WHEREAS, The Holocaust was a tragedy of proportions the world had never before witnessed; and

WHEREAS, More than 80 years have passed since the tragic events that we now refer 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, Jews were the primary victims of the Holocaust, but they were not alone. Millions of 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, We must 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 suffering; and

WHEREAS, We must teach our children, and future generations, that the individual and communal acts of heroism during the Holocaust serve as a powerful example of how our nation and its citizens can, and must, respond to acts of hatred and inhumanity; and

WHEREAS, We must always remind ourselves of the horrible events of the Holocaust and remain vigilant against antisemitism, racism, hatred, persecution, and tyranny of all forms lest these atrocities be repeated; and

WHEREAS, In recent years, public displays of antisemitism and antisemitic violence have increased dramatically in California and around the world, and since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, and the resulting war, there has been a staggering proliferation of hate targeting the Jewish community and Jewish community institutions; and

WHEREAS, We, the people of the State of California, should actively rededicate ourselves to the principles of equality, human rights, individual freedom, and equal protection under the laws of a just and democratic society; and

WHEREAS, Each person in California should set aside moments of their time every year to give remembrance to those who lost their lives in the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, The United States Holocaust Memorial Council recognizes the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, including Holocaust Remembrance Day, known as Yom HaShoah; now, therefore, be it