HJR 1027

                                                                        2026
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1027
BY REPRESENTATIVE(S) Weinberg and Woodrow, Bacon, Barron,
Boesenecker, Bradfield, Brown, Caldwell, Camacho, Carter, Duran, Espenoza,
Feret, Flanell, Garcia, Gilchrist, Goldstein, Hamrick, Hartsook, Jackson,
Johnson, Keltie, Lieder, Lindsay, Lukens, Mabrey, Marshall, Martinez, Mauro,
McCluskie, McCormick, Nguyen, Paschal, Phillips, Richardson, Rydin, Sirota,
Slaugh, Stewart K., Stewart R., Suckla, Taggart, Velasco, Willford, Winter T.,
Woog, Zokaie, Bradley, Brooks, Clifford, DeGraaf, English, Froelich, Gonzalez
R., Joseph, Luck, Rutinel, Smith, Story, Titone;
also SENATOR(S) Weissman and Ball, Amabile, Baisley, Benavidez, Bridges,
Bright, Carson, Catlin, Cutter, Danielson, Daugherty, Exum, Frizell, Gonzales
J., Hinrichsen, Jodeh, Kipp, Kirkmeyer, Kolker, Lindstedt, Liston, Marchman,
Mullica, Pelton B., Pelton R., Rich, Roberts, Rodriguez, Simpson, Snyder,
Sullivan, Wallace, Zamora Wilson, Coleman.
   CONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE HOLOCAUST.
   WHEREAS, Genocide begins not with violence but with words; and
    WHEREAS, Prejudice, bigotry, bias, and racism have been the causes
of conflict, war, and mass atrocities throughout human history; and
   WHEREAS, Observing an individual moment of silence for each
Jewish victim of the Holocaust would take over 11 years; and
    WHEREAS, The English word "holocaust" derives from Greek words
meaning "whole" (holos) and "burnt" (kaustos) and generally describes
destruction on a mass scale. "Holocaust" as a proper noun specifically
refers to the state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of European
Jews and others at the direction of the German Nazi government between
1933 and 1945; and
   WHEREAS, The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January
1933, asserted that Germans were racially superior and that Jews and
others were inferior and an alien threat to the so-called German racial
community; and
    WHEREAS, The Nazis used antisemitism as a political weapon to
gain popular support, blaming Jews for all of Germany's hardships,
including the country's defeat in World War I, the economic depression,
and the threat of Bolshevik communism; it made little difference that the
Nazis' accusations were blatantly contradictory and their so-called facts
were fabricated; and
    WHEREAS, Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its
collaborators murdered 6 million Jews (two out of every three Jews who
lived throughout Europe), 1.5 million of whom were children, as well as
5 million other civilians who were viewed as enemies or threats to Nazi
ideology; and
    WHEREAS, We recall that in the aftermath of World War II, Israel,
a close ally and friend of the United States, became a refuge for many
survivors who endured the ravages of the Holocaust, and it has remained
a sanctuary for Jews worldwide seeking safety ever since; and
    WHEREAS, We gratefully acknowledge the more than 28,000
non-Jews who, at great risk to themselves, saved Jews from extermination
during the Holocaust and have been designated Righteous Among the
Nations by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, and
acknowledge the efforts of the United States and other Allied Forces who
liberated Nazi concentration camps as World War II was ending; and
    WHEREAS, Today, as we mourn the loss of those who were killed
and consider the terrible experiences of those who suffered and lived
through the Holocaust, we note that antisemitic acts are not a thing of the
past: According to the Anti-Defamation League's annual audit of
antisemitic incidents, anti-Jewish incidents surged to historic levels in
2024, with a total of 9,354 incidents of anti-Jewish harassment,
vandalism, and assault reported across the United States. In Colorado,
there were 279 reported anti-Jewish incidents in 2024, which is the
highest level recorded in more than 45 years and a 42 percent increase
since 2023. Colorado ranked ninth among states in 2024 for the most
PAGE 2-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1027
reported antisemitic incidents. Globally, there has also been an increase
in antisemitic incidents; many Jews feel more isolated and vulnerable as
a result; and
    WHEREAS, Today, while we remember the Holocaust, we focus our
attention on the passing of Holocaust survivors who provided firsthand
accounts of the terrors they endured, leaving their children and
grandchildren as the last generations to know the stories of the Holocaust
directly from those who lived through it; and
    WHEREAS, While we are fortunate that several organizations in
Colorado are dedicated to retelling the stories of the Holocaust and other
genocides, it is not enough; far too many people, including most students,
need more opportunities to learn about these atrocities so they are not
repeated. To mitigate the issue, on July 8, 2020, Governor Polis signed
into law House Bill 20-1336, requiring the satisfactory completion of a
course that includes Holocaust and genocide studies as a condition of
high school graduation in public schools; and
    WHEREAS, We recognize the tremendous investment and preparation
that Colorado school districts, administrators, and, foremost, classroom
educators are putting forth to implement and support House Bill 20-1336
as they ensure the phrase "We remember" will carry meaning and merit
for generations of Colorado students; and
   WHEREAS, It is our responsibility to bear witness to the truth of the
horrors of the Holocaust, its many lessons, and to prevent hateful words
from building up like the bricks that built Auschwitz; now, therefore,
  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the Seventy-fifth
General Assembly ofthe State ofColorado, the Senate concurring herein:
   That we, the members of the General Assembly:
  ( 1) Remember the Holocaust, including survivors Fred Bryner,
Samuel Weinberg, and Silvia Weinberg;
   (2) Promote antibias, bullying prevention, and Holocaust and
genocide education programs in school districts and universities to
prevent antisemitic incidents that target Jewish students, including
PAGE 3-HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 26-1027
targeting based on their actual or perceived support of the state oflsrael;
and
   (3) Declare that the people of Colorado should understand the power
of words, remember the great injustices of the past, and commit to
preventing such atrocities in the future.
   Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
the Jewish Community Relations Council of JEWISHcolorado; the
Mountain States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League; the
Coalition Against Global Genocide; the Holocaust Awareness Institute at
the University of Denver's Center for Judaic Studies; the Interfaith
Alliance of Colorado; the Mizel Museum; the Denver Parks and
Recreation Department's Babi Y ar Park; the Mountain States office of the
Jewish National Fund; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington, D.C.; the Colorado Holocaust Educators; and the University
of Colorado at Boulder Program in Jewish Studies.
Juli~  James Rashad Coleman Sr.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE  PRESIDENT OF
OF REPRESENTATIVES  THE SENATE
Vanessa Reilly  Esther van Mourik
CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE  SECRETARY OF
OF REPRESENTATIVES  THE SENATE
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