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Alabama House adopts Yom HaShoah resolution, honors state Holocaust survivors
Summary
The Alabama House of Representatives on April 22 adopted a resolution recognizing Yom HaShoah and honoring four Alabama Holocaust survivors who died in the past year; the House welcomed survivor Jack Schachter and members of the Alabama Holocaust Commission for remarks on education and commemoration.
The Alabama House of Representatives adopted a resolution April 22 recognizing Yom HaShoah and honoring Holocaust survivors who lived in Alabama.
The resolution, read and introduced on the House floor by Representative David Faulkner, notes the statewide Yom HaShoah commemoration to be held April 22, 2025 by the Alabama Holocaust Commission and lists survivors who died in the past year: Bernie Ekt, Robert May, Charles Victor Pollock and Genia Safianova. The House adopted the resolution by voice vote; Speaker: “All those in favor adopt the resolution, say aye.”
Dan Puckett, head of the Alabama Holocaust Commission, told the chamber the commission is focused on expanding Holocaust education and teacher training after the state board of education updated social studies standards. “I was fortunate this year, in January to represent the commission and the state of Alabama at Auschwitz in the eightieth anniversary of the liberation,” Puckett said, describing recent commission work and the need for ongoing teacher training.
The House invited Holocaust survivor Jack Schachter to the floor; Schachter and family members attended the session. Rabbi Boraz and other faith leaders offered remarks. The resolution also affirms the legislature’s commitment to remember sites and terms tied to the Holocaust — including Dachau, Bergen-Belsen, Buchenwald and Auschwitz — and calls for continued public programming to preserve the history for future generations.
The resolution was considered and adopted as a simple recognition; the House added the body as cosponsors by unanimous consent after adoption.
The Alabama Holocaust Commission urged the Legislature and the public to continue funding and participating in teacher training so schools statewide can teach the Holocaust under the recently adopted standards.
The commemoration and the resolution are intended as an educational and memorial action; no appropriations or regulatory changes were included in the resolution.
