RECOGNIZING JANUARY 27, 2026, AS INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY.

Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Ross Levin & Rep. Heffernan & Rep. Phillips & Rep. Spiegelman & Sen. Sturgeon

Reps. Berry, Gray, Hilovsky, Lynn, Osienski, Romer, Shupe, Kamela Smith, Yearick, Bush, Harris; Sens. Cruce, Hansen, Hoffner, Huxtable, Lockman, Mantzavinos, Pinkney, Seigfried, Sokola, Walsh, Wilson

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 90

RECOGNIZING JANUARY 27, 2026, AS INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY.

WHEREAS, January 27 of each year is the official International Holocaust Remembrance Day as designated by the United Nations, marking the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp; and

WHEREAS, at least 1.3 million people were deported to Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945, and at least 1.1 million people were exterminated there, the vast majority of whom were Jewish; and

WHEREAS, hundreds of thousands of people belonging to other groups that the Nazis considered undesirable, such as individuals with disabilities, Roma, political dissidents, religious leaders, and individuals persecuted for their sexual orientation, were also murdered at Auschwitz; and

WHEREAS, an estimated six million Jewish people, more than sixty percent of the Jewish population of Europe, were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators during the Holocaust; and

WHEREAS, the number of hate crimes against Jews in the United States has risen significantly in recent years, with reported incidents increasing from 683 in 2020 to 1,832 in 2023 and 1,938 in 2024; and

WHEREAS, according to the American Jewish Committee’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, one-third of American Jews report having been the personal target of antisemitism; and

WHEREAS, young people have borne a disproportionate share of these incidents, with forty-one percent of American Jews ages 18 to 29 reporting that they were targeted by antisemitism at least once in the past year; and

WHEREAS, on May 21, 2025, a gunman shot two Israeli Embassy staff members outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., underscoring the real-world consequences of rising antisemitism; and

WHEREAS, incidents of antisemitism have occurred across the State of Delaware and continue to rise locally, nationally, and internationally; and

WHEREAS, educating future generations about the Holocaust and the dangers of intolerance and antisemitism is essential to preventing similar atrocities from occurring again.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Delaware House of Representatives of the 153rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that January 27, 2026, is hereby recognized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the General Assembly encourages Delawareans to observe this day through education, reflection, and remembrance.

SYNOPSIS

This Concurrent Resolution recognizes January 27, 2026, as International Holocaust Remembrance Day and encourages education and remembrance in observance of the day.