HR0933 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0933 LRB104 22076 ECR 38218 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of Representatives wish to commend the City of Crest Hill on the occasion of the 84th anniversary of the dedication of the Lidice Memorial; and

WHEREAS, Lidice was a small Czechoslovakian village located in the region of Bohemia and Moravia, formerly occupied by Nazi Germany during World War II; and

WHEREAS, Reinhard Heydrich, a high-ranking Nazi official, was killed as the result of a top-secret British and Czechoslovak operation in June 1942; and

WHEREAS, In retaliation for the assassination and as a result of false accusations leveled against two local families, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler ordered the total annihilation of Lidice as collective punishment on June 9, 1942; and

WHEREAS, On that evening, Nazi forces entered Lidice, separating the men and boys over the age of 15 from the women and remaining children; the 173 men and boys were held in farm buildings and, at 7:00 a.m. on June 10, were shot by an execution squad in groups of ten; and

WHEREAS, An additional 20 townspeople were rounded up from work and sent to Prague, Czechoslovakia, where they were executed at a shooting range; and

WHEREAS, The women of Lidice were shipped to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, the largest concentration camp for women within Germany's pre-war borders, where they endured forced labor, medical experimentation, and execution in gas chambers; and

WHEREAS, The children of Lidice suffered a harrowing fate, being deported to Lodz, Poland to be evaluated for potential "Germanization" under Nazi racial laws; nine children were selected for "Germanization" through the Lebensborn Program, while approximately 80 other children deemed unsuitable were brutally murdered, believed by historians to have been executed in a gas chamber at the Chelmno killing center; the 14 youngest infants and babies were placed in orphanages, with only eight surviving the war; and

WHEREAS, The entire village and landscape of Lidice was ploughed flat by the Nazis, and its destruction was broadcast to the world as propaganda; and

WHEREAS, Adolf Hitler's attempt at total elimination instead transformed Lidice and the story of its people into an international symbol of resistance against Nazi brutality and depravity that endures to this day; and

WHEREAS, Just two days after the horrific brutality against the people of Lidice began, Dominic Romano, developer of what was then known as the Stern Park subdivision, became the first person in the world to rename his development after Lidice in honor of the martyred village, dedicating it on July 12, 1942, establishing a monument, and later rededicating it during a visit by exiled Czechoslovakian President Edvard Benes in May 1943; and

WHEREAS, The town of Lidice, Illinois was incorporated into the City of Crest Hill in 1960, establishing an enduring bond as Lidice's sister city; and

WHEREAS, Following the destruction of the original monument by vandals in 1995, a larger granite monument, plaza, and park were built through the generosity of the Czechoslovakian American Congress and global donations, and the memorial was subsequently enhanced through the multigenerational volunteerism of Crest Hill mayors and elected officials, local businesses, Eagle Scouts, and civic organizations; and

WHEREAS, In unity with the Park of Peace and Friendship in Lidice, Czech Republic, the City of Crest Hill planted 82 rose bushes to mirror the village's thousands of roses, explicitly honoring the memory of the 82 innocent children of Lidice who were slain; and

WHEREAS, Located at Hosmer Lane and Prairie Avenue, the Lidice Memorial stands today as a jewel of Crest Hill and as a vital destination stop for visitors along U.S. Route 66, serving as a critical demonstration of unity and resistance to tyranny for Czechoslovakians, veterans, Jewish people, and the many peoples who suffered under Nazi depravity; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we commend the City of Crest Hill on the 84-year anniversary of the dedication of the Lidice Memorial, and we express our deepest gratitude to Crest Hill and its residents for their multigenerational dedication to maintaining such a worthy, globally-recognized endeavor; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge remembrance of the martyred Village of Lidice by Illinoisans, Americans, and people across the world as a moment in history that should never be forgotten; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to Mayor Raymond R. Soliman of the City of Crest Hill as a symbol of our esteem and respect.