in 1939, edith rogers sponsored a bill in congress -- again, she was a house republican -- she sponedh a senate democrat. the democratic senator from new york. it was a bill that would have admitted 20,000 jewish kids, kids under the age of 14 from gnat ji germany. this was february, 1939. again, the united states did not get into world war ii until 1941 but their bill would have let 20,000 jewish kids in germany escape the nazis and come to the united states. kids only, under the age of 14. congress voted it down. the following year, the united states turned back a ship carrying 900 german jews who were fleeing for their lives. coast guard in florida tailed the ship. we turned them back. hundreds of people who were on board that ship who were turned away, hundreds of them ended up getting murdered in nazi concentration camps because we would not give them safety here. on holocaust remembrance day, americans remember experiences like that as part of our own culpability, as part of our own failure as a country. after world war ii, we came up with a new approach, a new policy that we, a

. >>> edith rogers, one of the first women to ever serve in congress, she was a republican, her husband had been a member of congress and when her husband died she ran for his seat. she was only the sixth woman to ever serve in congress. she was the first woman to ever serve in congress from massachusetts. and while she was in congress she was one of the first elected officials in the united states to speak out during world war ii about hitler's persecution of the jews in germany. she spoke out even before the united states got into world war ii. in 1939, edith rogers sponsored a bill in congress -- again, she was a house republican -- she sponsored a bill with a senate democrat. the democratic senator from new york. it was a bill that would have admitted 20,000 jewish kids, kids under the age of 14 from nazi germany. this was february, 1939. again, the united states did not get into world war ii until 1941 but their bill would have let 20,000 jewish kids in germany escape the nazis and come to the united states. kids only, under the age of 14. congress voted it down. the following year