Rep. Brown Celebrates House Passage of Bipartisan Bill Designating the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial as a National Memorial

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Shontel M. Brown (OH-11) issued the following statement after the passage of her first stand-alone bill, H.R. 7618, to designate Bedford Heights’ own Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial as a national memorial in Ohio’s 11th Congressional District.

“I am pleased and humbled that the House has unanimously adopted H.R. 7618 to recognize the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial, located in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a national memorial,” said Rep. Brown. “This critical, bipartisan legislation, my first stand-alone bill to pass the House, ensures that the Kol Israel Memorial receives the recognition it deserves as likely the oldest of its kind in the United States. At a time of rising antisemitism, it is more important than ever to remember the history of the Holocaust and to learn from it.”

The commemorative, bipartisan bill was introduced by Rep. Brown in April with cosponsors Reps. Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Tim Ryan (OH-13), Joyce Beatty (OH-03), Dave Joyce (OH-14), Troy Balderson (OH-12), Anthony Gonzalez (OH-16) and Mike Carey (OH-15). Ohio Senators Sherrod Brown and Rob Portman introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

“The Kol Israel Memorial Foundation educates Ohioans about the horrors of the Holocaust and preserves the memories of its victims,” said Senator Brown. “When we pass that knowledge on to future generations, we recommit ourselves to ensuring it never happens again, and to fighting for a more just and peaceful world. I am proud that Kol Israel is one step closer to becoming a national memorial.”

“We must never forget the horrors of the Holocaust and the enormous suffering endured by the Jewish people. The Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial was erected six decades ago in Northeast Ohio to honor the victims of the Holocaust and to serve as a lasting reminder of the evil that occurred,” said Senator Portman. “I am pleased our bipartisan, bicameral legislation to designate Kol Israel as a National Memorial has now passed the House and look forward to it coming to the Senate floor for a vote.”

“Sixty years after it was first unveiled, the U.S. House of Representatives has now taken action to formally recognize the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial as the sacred national monument it truly is,” said Rep. Kaptur. “Each successive generation must fully understand the horrors of the Holocaust and the Nazi regime – and today we take a step forward to honor the memories of those lost and preserve their legacies for all time to come.”

“I am thrilled we have passed our bipartisan legislation to designate the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial as a national memorial,” said Rep. Ryan. “This designation will support the Foundation’s crucial and enduring work of preserving the memory of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and serve as a solemn reminder of our obligation to speak out and act against hate and injustice.”

“It is with great pride that I voted to designate the Kol Israel Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a national memorial,” said Rep. Beatty. “As we witness continued violence and unfettered destruction on the global political stage, the need to honor and remember victims of genocide is all the more pressing. National Holocaust education is vital if we hope to live up to the promise of ‘Never Again.’”

“The Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial is now one step closer to being designated as a national memorial,” said Rep. Joyce. “By passing our bill today, the U.S. House of Representatives took action to honor the memory of the Jewish men, women and children murdered during the Holocaust. I was proud to join my fellow Ohioans on both sides of the aisle in introducing this important, bipartisan legislation and will continue working to fulfill our promise of Never Again.”

“One of the best ways to honor the 6 million lives lost during the Holocaust is by vowing to never allow anti-Semitism to take root again, through education,” said Rep. Balderson. “This legislation is an opportunity to remember those who perished, teach future generations about the dangers of bigotry, and recommit us all to combating anti-Semitism. I’m proud to join my colleagues in this effort to elevate the designation of Ohio’s own Kol Israel Foundation Memorial.”

“Today we celebrate the passage of H.R. 7618 and look forward to designating Ohio’s Kol Israel Foundation Memorial as a national memorial,” said Rep. Mike Carey. “As a nation we must continue to educate future generations about the horrors of the Holocaust and reaffirm our commitment to never allow such atrocities to occur again. This national memorial will show the world that antisemitism and hatred of all kinds have no place in our society. Thank you to Congresswoman Brown, my fellow cosponsors, and every member of the House who voted in favor of this important legislation.”

“We at KIF are thrilled that the House has approved this legislation.  We greatly appreciate the efforts of Representative Shontel Brown and the 27 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives for their support of the National Memorial recognition committee,” said Mark Frank, former president of Kol Israel Foundation and chair of the National Memorial request. “Truly their personal attention to our cause exceeded any expectations that Kol Israel members, past and present, could ever have dreamed of when the Memorial was conceived.”

The bill now awaits floor action in the Senate. In July, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed the companion measure by unanimous consent.

Background:  

Erected in 1961 by survivors of the Holocaust residing in Northeast Ohio, the Kol Israel Holocaust Memorial is likely the first and oldest Holocaust memorial in the U.S. For more than 60 years, the Kol Israel Foundation has looked after the memorial, which has the ashes of Jewish victims and other tokens of remembrance buried at its base.

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