House of Delegates recognizes International Holocaust Remembrance Day, honors two survivors and advocates

The Maryland House of Delegates observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day and adopted a resolution honoring two people who shared family histories of the Holocaust.

The resolution, presented on the floor during the Jan. 24 session, recognized survivors and descendants who have worked to preserve testimony about the Holocaust and to teach against hatred and intolerance.

A delegate speaking from the floor said, "Today, with heavy hearts, we remember the 6,000,000 Jews and millions of others murdered during the Holocaust. In the horrors of that history, when so many groups were targeted because of their identities, we recognize the destructive prejudices that drive people apart. May we never forget these atrocities. May we always remember those who were lost." The remarks were made during the House's formal recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The resolution specifically honored Lou Poharilis, described on the floor as a survivor from Lvov (present-day Lviv, Ukraine) who was separated from his family at age 5, hidden in an attic, survived forced labor and ultimately came to the United States; and Alison Bumwalt, whose grandmother survived Auschwitz and who is identified in the remarks as a member of the Baltimore Jewish Council Speaker's Bureau and senior vice president of the Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore. The delegate noted the survivors and their families "courageously share their personal stories of the Holocaust, ensuring that the horrors of that event are never forgotten and reminding us all of the resilience of the human spirit."

The resolution text read in the chamber offers the House's "sincerest congratulations" to the honorees and directs that the resolution be presented in January 2025.

The recognition came as part of the House's floor proceedings and included brief biographical details about each honoree and their public service in Maryland. The floor remarks tied the observance to a broader admonition against hatred and a call to remember victims and survivors.