Jim Hogue: Texas needs a holocaust and genocide commission

03:24 PM CST on Tuesday, February 17, 2009

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/viewpoints/stories/DN-hogue_18edi.State.Edition1.24a555b.html

The American soldiers who entered the Nazi concentration camps in 1945 were appalled and sickened by the horrors that they uncovered. They forced German civilians from the surrounding areas to tour the camps and to witness the terrible atrocities that were done in their backyards, in their names, by their own government.

This was a teaching moment. The Americans who liberated Europe from the genocidal policies of the Nazi regime believed that if people were exposed to what went wrong and if people could see how we ought not to behave toward other human beings, people could learn valuable lessons about how we should be acting today.

For more than 60 years, we have relied on the presence of Holocaust survivors to be our reminder about the threats and dangers that they personally witnessed and about the ones that we don't want anyone else to ever have to face again. The march of time means that we will need to find new ways to carry on their legacies in the future.

Texas needs a holocaust and genocide commission to advise, assist, support and encourage quality programs to educate everyone, especially students, now and in the future. Learning about the Holocaust and genocide teaches us important lessons that are neither automatic nor self-evident and need to be taught anew to each generation.

Senators Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, have introduced Senate Bill 482 in the Texas Legislature to enable us to do just that.

SB 482 would create an advisory commission whose members would be appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and the speaker of the House. A part-time employee would coordinate the commission's business.

The commission would:

•Raise awareness statewide by providing advice and assistance to public and private primary schools, secondary schools and institutions of higher education regarding implementation of Holocaust and genocide courses of study and awareness programs.

•Serve as a clearinghouse for new educational initiatives and best practices, relying on volunteers, including survivors of the Holocaust and genocides, liberators and defenders of the victims, scholars and members of the clergy. These experts will share verifiable knowledge and experiences, and support commemorations on recognized memorial days.

•Provide a platform for the next generations to meet the opportunities of the future through a thorough understanding of the past. The commission offers a great opportunity to ensure that our neighbors and our children will learn to make better and more responsible decisions when confronted with injustices and atrocities – regardless of whether they are committed half a globe away or in our own back yards.

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance has joined with the other Holocaust museums in El Paso, Houston and San Antonio, as well as other groups to support this legislation.

We are mindful that a different world cannot be made by indifferent people. The passage of SB 482 gives us an excellent opportunity to make a significant difference.

Jim Hogue is president of the Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance and may be contacted through