Senate Resolution 42
By: Senators Kirkpatrick of the 32nd, Albers of the 56th, Brass of the 6th, Bearden of the
30th, Watson of the 1st and others
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing January 27, 2025, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS, the Holocaust was the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation
of European Jews by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and 1945, resulting
in the murder of six million Jews as well as the oppression and deaths of millions of others,
including Roma, people with disabilities, and Poles; and
WHEREAS, in 1998, HB 1664 was passed by the Georgia state legislature, establishing the
Georgia Commission on the Holocaust as a permanent state agency charged with creating
educational programs for Georgia citizens and operating as a secular, non-partisan entity; and
WHEREAS, the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust is tasked with preserving the
memory of the Holocaust, promoting public understanding of its history, and reminding
citizens to remain vigilant against hatred, racism, antisemitism, persecution, and genocide;
and
WHEREAS, January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, is
observed as International Holocaust Remembrance Day to memorialize the six million
Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution; and
WHEREAS, January 27, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz,
a critical time to honor the victims, survivors, and liberators while recognizing the lessons
of Holocaust history amidst an alarming global rise in antisemitism; and
WHEREAS, located in German-occupied Poland, Auschwitz consisted of three camps,
including Birkenau, a killing center where over a million victims were systematically
murdered by individuals and professionals involved in its operation; and
WHEREAS, trains carrying Jews from across Nazi-occupied and allied Europe regularly
arrived at Auschwitz, where its leadership and workers conducted these systematic killings
over nearly five years; and
WHEREAS, in mid-January 1945, as Soviet forces approached Auschwitz, SS units forcibly
evacuated nearly 60,000 prisoners on death marches under brutal winter conditions, resulting
in thousands of deaths from starvation, exposure, and violence; and
WHEREAS, on January 27, 1945, the Soviet army liberated Auschwitz, freeing the
remaining 7,000 prisoners, many of whom were sick and dying, and ending the camp's
operation; and
WHEREAS, we, the people of Georgia, join communities throughout the world in
commemorating International Holocaust Remembrance Day and honoring the victims,
survivors, and liberators of the Holocaust.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body
recognize January 27, 2025, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed
to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public and the
press.