82R25666 JEN-D
By: Gonzalez H.R. No. 1659
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Henry Kellen of El Paso survived the Holocaust and
has built on his experiences to create the El Paso Holocaust Museum
and Study Center; and
WHEREAS, Henry Kellen was born Heniek Kacenelenbogen in Lodz,
Poland, in 1915; after completing university studies in France and
graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1938, he
settled in Kaunas, Lithuania; following the outbreak of World War
II, the area was seized by the Soviet Union and then, in turn, by
Nazi Germany in June 1941; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kellen and all other Jews from the town of Kaunas
were forced to relocate to the Kovno Ghetto; over the next several
years, the Nazis reduced the population of the ghetto by means of
deportations to work and death camps as well as mass executions;
only 1 in 10 Jews in Lithuania survived the Holocaust; and
WHEREAS, Those in the Kovno Ghetto tried to maintain normalcy
as best they could; schools were operated in defiance of Nazi orders
and some individuals, such as Mr. Kellen and his wife, Julia, got
married while confined there; in March 1944, Mr. Kellen witnessed
the kinderaktion, during which the Nazis rounded up and killed
hundreds of babies and children and Mr. Kellen's seven-year-old
nephew, Jerry, narrowly avoided death; with the ghetto being
systematically reduced, Mr. and Mrs. Kellen and Jerry escaped the
following month; they were hidden by Christian farmers named
Andrius and Maria Urbanas until the Soviet army drove the Nazis from
the area; and
WHEREAS, After the war, Mr. Kellen settled in El Paso; he and
his wife initially vowed not to speak of their past, but, as he
entered retirement nearly four decades later, he began to feel an
obligation to those who had not survived as he had; with a small
corner of borrowed space at the Jewish Community Center, Mr. Kellen
began to tell his remarkable story; he met with school, church, and
civic groups to discuss his treatment at the hands of the Nazis; his
talks proved so popular that it soon became apparent that a
dedicated space was needed for a Holocaust museum; and
WHEREAS, Through community support, the museum opened its
doors in 1994; an electrical fire destroyed the original building
in 2001, but the museum continued to operate by visiting schools and
using temporary gallery space; the people of El Paso rallied to help
raise $2.5 million for a new facility, which opened in 2008; and
WHEREAS, In 2009, El Paso mayor John Cook honored Mr. Kellen
with the Conquistador Award, the highest possible accolade that can
be given to an El Pasoan who has made exceptional contributions to
the city; and
WHEREAS, Through the efforts of Henry Kellen, the lessons of
the Holocaust--that hatred and bigotry have no place in the human
endeavor--are being taught to new generations of young Texans, and
his work toward this end has made a lasting and positive difference
in the community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to Henry Kellen for his
establishment of the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center and
for his efforts to heighten awareness of this dark chapter in world
history among the citizens of El Paso and beyond; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for Mr. Kellen as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.