H.R. No. 559 R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Amid world events that continue to bear witness to 1-2 the universal and eternal desire for freedom and the right of 1-3 self-determination, it is appropriate to pause today, April 19, 1-4 1993, on the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising, and remember 1-5 the price that people have been forever willing to pay to be free 1-6 and to enjoy the blessing we hold dear; and 1-7 WHEREAS, Fifty years ago, the world watched in incredulous 1-8 horror as one of the darkest chapters in the history of humankind 1-9 unfolded during the bleak years of World War II; in the spring of 1-10 1943, while the war touched people in seemingly every corner of the 1-11 world, the small remnant of Warsaw's once large and thriving Jewish 1-12 population was engaged in its own desperate struggle to survive and 1-13 to maintain its own basic humanity; and 1-14 WHEREAS, Reviled, persecuted, and hunted with relentless 1-15 hatred by the Nazis, the heroic residents of Warsaw's Jewish 1-16 ghetto, which before the war had numbered approximately half a 1-17 million residents but which in the unspeakable horror of the 1-18 Holocaust had been reduced to only 55,000 brave souls, rose up as 1-19 one to resist the inhumanity to which they were being subjected; 1-20 and 1-21 WHEREAS, Despite the fear and starvation they had suffered 1-22 for years, along with the daily persecution that had been their lot 1-23 since the beginning of the war, a small band of insurgents began on 1-24 April 19, 1943, one last heroic struggle to lift the yoke of 2-1 tyranny, political oppression, and racial injustice, knowing full 2-2 well the odds against them in the form of a cruelly efficient 2-3 German war machine; and 2-4 WHEREAS, For a few brief moments, the uprising succeeded as 2-5 men, women, and children willing to make the ultimate sacrifice, 2-6 and with nothing else to lose, joined in the struggle; incredibly, 2-7 the uprising lasted five weeks as the fierce Jewish resistance in 2-8 the Warsaw ghetto both surprised and enraged the Nazis; and 2-9 WHEREAS, After reducing the ghetto to nothing more than 2-10 rubble, the Nazis finally were able to put down the uprising, but 2-11 their hollow and shameful victory ultimately proved to be 2-12 short-lived, and in the end it has been the victims of atrocity who 2-13 have emerged stronger in faith, determination, and resolve, and who 2-14 are honored today by a world still mindful of the need to ensure 2-15 that such horrors are no longer possible; and 2-16 WHEREAS, While some anniversaries afford many opportunities 2-17 for rejoicing, reminding us of the milestones we have passed in our 2-18 journey, others, less happy, are important to note because they 2-19 remind us of lessons we cannot forget; a people dedicated to the 2-20 principles of civil liberty, personal freedom, and justice for all, 2-21 we Texans recognize our kinship with freedom-loving people 2-22 everywhere and join with them in remembering this day; now, 2-23 therefore, be it 2-24 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 73rd Texas 2-25 Legislature hereby commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw 2-26 Uprising and extend our heartfelt condolences to all of those who 2-27 lived and suffered through this dark chapter in the history of 3-1 mankind so that they may know that their suffering has not been in 3-2 vain. 3-3 vain. 3-4 Greenberg 3-5 H.R. No. 559 3-6 _______________________________ 3-7 Speaker of the House 3-8 I certify that H.R. No. 559 was adopted by the House on April 3-9 19, 1993, by a non-record vote. 3-10 _______________________________ 3-11 Chief Clerk of the House