First Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED
LLS NO. R25-0965.01 Asia Alosa x4829
SJR25-022
Senate Committees House Committees
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 25-022
C
ONCERNING REMEMBRANCE OF THE HOLOCAUST.101
WHEREAS, Genocide begins not with violence but with words;1
and2
WHEREAS, Prejudice, bigotry, bias, and racism have been the3
causes of conflict, war, and mass atrocities throughout human history; and4
WHEREAS, Observing an individual moment of silence for each5
Jewish victim of the Holocaust would take over 11 years; and6
WHEREAS, The English word "holocaust" derives from Greek7
words meaning "whole" (holos) and "burnt" (kaustos) and generally8
describes destruction on a mass scale. "Holocaust" as a proper noun9
specifically refers to the state-sponsored persecution and mass murder of10
European Jews and others at the direction of the German Nazi11
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
Michaelson Jenet and Ball,
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Woodrow and Weinberg,
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law. government between 1933 and 1945; and1
WHEREAS, The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in2
January 1933, asserted that Germans were racially superior and that Jews3
and others were inferior and an alien threat to the so-called German racial4
community; and5
WHEREAS, The Nazis used antisemitism as a political weapon to6
gain popular support, blaming Jews for all of Germany's hardships,7
including the country's defeat in World War I, the economic depression,8
and the threat of Bolshevik communism; it made little difference that the9
Nazis' accusations were blatantly contradictory and their so-called facts10
were fabricated; and11
WHEREAS, Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its12
collaborators murdered 6 million Jews (two out of every three Jews who13
lived throughout Europe), 1.5 million of whom were children, as well as14
5 million other civilians, including Sinti people, Roma people, people15
with intellectual or developmental disabilities, gay men, Jehovah's16
Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and political dissidents; and17
WHEREAS, We recall that in the aftermath of World War II,18
Israel, a close ally and friend of the United States, became a refuge for19
many survivors who endured the ravages of the Holocaust, and it has20
remained a sanctuary for Jews worldwide seeking safety ever since; and21
WHEREAS, We gratefully acknowledge the more than 28,00022
non-Jews who, at great risk to themselves, saved Jews from extermination23
during the Holocaust and have been designated Righteous Among the24
Nations by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center; and25
WHEREAS, Today, as we mourn the loss of those who were killed26
and consider the terrible experiences of those who suffered and lived27
through the Holocaust, we note that antisemitic acts are not a thing of the28
past: According to the Anti-Defamation League's annual audit of29
antisemitic incidents, anti-Jewish incidents surged to historic levels in30
2024, with a total of 9,354 incidents of anti-Jewish harassment,31
vandalism, and assault reported across the United States. In Colorado,32
there were 279 reported anti-Jewish incidents in 2024, which is the33
highest level recorded in more than 40 years and a 41 percent increase34
since 2023. Colorado ranked ninth among states in 2024 for the most35
reported antisemitic incidents. Globally, there has also been an increase36
SJR25-022
-2- in antisemitic incidents; many Jews feel more isolated and vulnerable as1
a result; and2
WHEREAS, Today, while we remember the Holocaust, we focus3
our attention on the passing of Holocaust survivors who provided4
firsthand accounts of the terrors they endured, leaving their children and5
grandchildren as the last generations to know the stories of the Holocaust6
directly from those who lived through it; and7
WHEREAS, While we are fortunate that several organizations in8
Colorado are dedicated to retelling the stories of the Holocaust and other9
genocides, it is not enough; far too many people, including most students,10
need more opportunities to learn about these atrocities so they are not11
repeated. To mitigate the issue, on July 8, 2020, Governor Polis signed12
into law House Bill 20-1336, requiring the satisfactory completion of a13
course that includes Holocaust and genocide studies as a condition of14
high school graduation in public schools; and15
WHEREAS, We recognize the tremendous investment and16
preparation that Colorado school districts, administrators, and, foremost,17
classroom educators are putting forth to implement and support House18
Bill 20-1336 as they ensure the phrase "We remember" will carry19
meaning and merit for generations of Colorado students; and20
WHEREAS, It is our responsibility to bear witness to the truth of21
the horrors of the Holocaust, its many lessons, and to prevent hateful22
words from building up like the bricks that built Auschwitz; now,23
therefore,24
Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventy-fifth General Assembly25
of the State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:26
27
That we, the members of the General Assembly:28
(1) Remember the Holocaust;29
(2) Promote antibias, bullying prevention, and Holocaust and30
genocide education programs in school districts and universities to31
prevent antisemitic incidents that target Jewish students, including32
targeting based on their actual or perceived support of the state of Israel;33
and34
SJR25-022
-3- (3) Declare that the people of Colorado should understand the1
power of words, remember the great injustices of the past, and commit to2
preventing such atrocities in the future.3
Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent4
to the Jewish Community Relations Council of JEWISHcolorado; the5
Mountain States Regional Office of the Anti-Defamation League; the6
Coalition Against Global Genocide; the Holocaust Awareness Institute at7
the University of Denver's Center for Judaic Studies; the Interfaith8
Alliance of Colorado; the Mizel Museum; the Denver Parks and9
Recreation Department's Babi Yar Park; the Mountain States office of the10
Jewish National Fund; the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in11
Washington, D.C.; the Colorado Holocaust Educators; and the University12
of Colorado at Boulder Program in Jewish Studies.13
SJR25-022
-4-