WHEREAS,  from 1933 to 1945, 6,000,000 Jews were murdered in the Holocaust as part of a state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation program of genocide, and millions of other people suffered as victims of Nazism, such as the handicapped, political dissidents and many others for racial, ethnic or national reasons; and

WHEREAS,  the people of the State of Maine should always remember the atrocities committed by the Nazis so that such horrors are never repeated, and the history of the Holocaust offers an opportunity to reflect on the moral responsibilities of individuals, societies and governments; and

WHEREAS,  the people of the State of Maine should always remember those who liberated the Nazi concentration camps, some of whom lost their lives and others of whom have experienced lifelong emotional suffering, as holding an honored place in our history; and

WHEREAS,  the people of the State of Maine should continually rededicate themselves to the principle of equal justice for all people, remain eternally vigilant against all tyranny and recognize that bigotry provides a breeding ground for tyranny to flourish; and

WHEREAS,  the national community, pursuant to an Act of Congress, will be commemorating the week of April 17, 2017 to April 24, 2017 as the Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, including the Day of Remembrance, known as Yom HaShoah, April 24, 2017; and

WHEREAS,  it is appropriate for the people of the State of Maine to join in this international commemoration, marking 72 years since the end of World War II and the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camps; now, therefore, be it