Nancy Pelosi and Congressional Delegation Conclude Poland Visit to Mark 75 Years Since Liberation of Auschwitz

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a bipartisan Congressional delegation concluded a visit to Poland to mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau.  Today, the delegation toured Auschwitz-Birkenau, visited the Jewish Community Center of Krakow and paid respects to victims and survivors at the Krakow Ghetto Wall.  The delegation will now proceed to Israel for additional commemorations of this solemn anniversary.  Upon conclusion of the visit to Poland, Speaker Pelosi issued the following statement: 

“Our delegation was deeply moved by our visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau.  We came to commemorate 75 years since its liberation and to reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust will never be repeated.  The sheer magnitude of the evil perpetrated against Jews, Roma, LGBTQ individuals, people with disabilities and others almost defies comprehension.  

“We were joined in laying wreaths at the ‘Death Wall’ outside Block 11 at Auschwitz by Polish House Speaker Elzbieta Witek and Polish Senate Speaker Tomasz Grodzki.  Our delegation thanks both Speaker Witek and Speaker Grodzki for the bipartisan hospitality extended from our arrival to our departure from Poland. 

“In the afternoon, our delegation was honored to visit Krakow’s bustling Jewish Community Center (JCC), where we saw the hope and resurgence of Krakow’s Jewish community.  Our visit was enriched by our conversation with JCC Executive Director Jonathan Ornstein, Rabbi Avi Baumol, and JCC Member Zofia Radzikowska, a Holocaust survivor and stalwart of Krakow’s Jewish community.   

“Lastly, our delegation visited the last remaining portion of the Ghetto Wall in Krakow’s Jewish quarter where our delegation laid roses to honor the victims and survivors of the Holocaust.   

“Our delegation is grateful to U.S. Consul General Patrick Slowinski and the good offices of our Embassy for their efforts in facilitating our visit. 

“Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, we renew our commitment to speak out against anti-Semitism and discrimination whenever and wherever it presents itself.  Never again.