Representative Hernandez marks 80th anniversary of Auschwitz liberation, leads moment of silence

Representative Alma Hernandez addressed the Arizona House of Representatives on Jan. 27, 2025 to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp and International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Rep. Hernandez told colleagues that the anniversary was an occasion to remember the millions murdered in the Holocaust and to call attention to the broader patterns of hate that enabled those crimes. "It was millions of Jews who were murdered, innocent people who were murdered just because they were Jewish," she said on the House floor, adding that other groups—including political dissidents, people with disabilities and members of the LGBTQ community—were also targeted and killed.

Hernandez said survivors who remain in Arizona have educated lawmakers and communities and that lawmakers share a duty to ensure such atrocities never happen again. She urged reflection and asked the chamber to observe a respectful silence; the House stood for the moment of silence recorded in the transcript.

Why it matters: the floor remarks positioned the Legislature to recognize Holocaust survivors and the role of education and remembrance in countering hate and protecting vulnerable populations. The observance was ceremonial; no policy action was recorded in the transcript excerpt.

The House then resumed regular business following the moment of silence.