IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 364 

Condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and reaffirming the support of Congress for the mandate of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat 

Anti-Semitism, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 27, 2009 

Mr. KLEIN of Florida (for himself, Mr. PENCE, Mr. BERMAN, Ms. ROSLEHTINEN, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. MCMAHON, 

Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. 

KIRK, Mr. KAGEN, Mr. ELLISON, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. HOLT, Mr. GRAYSON, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. HALL of New York, Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York, Mr. POE of 

Texas, Mr. LANCE, Mr. LAMBORN, Mr. HENSARLING, Mr. WOLF, and 

Mr. ROHRABACHER) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and reaffirming the 

support of Congress for the mandate of the Special 

Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, and for 

other purposes. 

Whereas in 2004, Congress passed the Global Anti-Semitism 

Review Act, which established an Office to Monitor and 

Combat Anti-Semitism, headed by a Special Envoy to 

Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, which provides Congress with the Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism Report, most recently in 2004 and 2008; 

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Whereas according to the Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism Report released by the Department of State’s Office 

of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, ‘‘[o]ver the last decade, United States embassies 

and consulates have reported an upsurge in anti-Semitism’’; 

Whereas anti-Semitic acts committed and recorded in 2008 

and 2009 include violent attacks and death threats 

against Jews, as well as gun violence, arson, graffiti, 

stoning, and other desecration of Jewish communal property and places of worship; 

Whereas the U.S. Department of State and other foreign governments and multilateral institutions have noted the 

challenge of gathering data on anti-Semitism, particularly 

in more closed societies with limited victims’ rights; 

Whereas the 2008 Department of State Contemporary Global 

Anti-Semitism Report notes the growth of comparisons of 

Israeli policy to that of the Nazis and that, despite growing efforts by governments to promote Holocaust remembrance, the Holocaust is frequently invoked as part of 

anti-Semitic harassment as a rhetorical means to threaten and offend Jews; 

Whereas since the commencement of Israel’s military operation in Gaza on December 27, 2008, a substantial increase in violence, including physical and verbal attacks, 

arson and vandalism against synagogues, and desecration 

of cemeteries and Holocaust memorial sites have been reported; 

Whereas interspersed with expressions of criticism of Israeli 

policy and actions, anti-Semitic imagery and comparisons 

of Jews and Israel to Nazis have been widespread at 

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demonstrations against Israel’s action around the United 

States, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America; 

Whereas placards held at many demonstrations across the 

globe have compared Israeli leaders to Nazis, accused 

Israel of carrying out a ‘‘Holocaust’’ against Palestinians, 

and equated the Jewish Star of David with the Nazi 

swastika; 

Whereas demonstrations have included chants of ‘‘death to 

Israel’’ or expressions of support for suicide terrorism 

against Israeli or Jewish civilians; 

Whereas Jewish communities face an environment in which 

the convergence of anti-Semitic sentiment and demonization of Israel in the media and the public debate have 

fostered a hostile environment and a sense of insecurity 

in these countries; 

Whereas incitement to hatred, discrimination, and violence 

against Jews continues in some state-run media, particularly in the Middle East, where government-owned, government-sanctioned, or government-controlled publishing 

media promulgate anti-Jewish stereotypes, such as the 

myth of the Jewish blood libels in editorial cartoons and 

articles, and produce Arabic translations of anti-Semitic 

tracts such as ‘‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’’ and 

‘‘Mein Kampf’’; 

Whereas some governments fail to respond adequately to 

anti-Semitic incidents including attacks on Jewish citizens, monuments, building, and cemeteries; 

Whereas the latest incidents in Venezuela include an incident 

on January 30, 2009, when the Tiferet Israel synagogue 

in Caracas was attacked by armed men who destroyed religious objects, spray-painted ‘‘Jews, get out’’ on the synWWOODS2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS

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agogue walls, and stole a computer database with the 

congregation’s personal information, and an incident on 

February 26, 2009, when assailants threw an explosive at 

a Jewish community center in Caracas; 

Whereas, on January 6, 2009, Hamas leader, Mahmoud alZahar, argued that Jewish children and Jewish people 

around the world are ‘‘legitimate’’ targets for murder; 

Whereas Iran’s leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied 

that the Holocaust ever occurred and has called Israel a 

‘‘filthy bacteria’’ and a ‘‘disgraceful blot’’ that should be 

‘‘wiped off the map’’; 

Whereas, on February 24, 2009, Libya’s leader, Muammar 

Gaddafi, falsely accused Israel of being among the countries fueling the violence in Darfur’s Sudan region; 

Whereas, on January 13, 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy of 

France ‘‘utterly condemned the unacceptable violence 

. . . against individuals, private property, and religious 

buildings’’ and assured ‘‘that these acts would not go 

unpunished’’; 

Whereas, on January 28, 2009, Argentine Justice and Security Minister Anibal Fernandez pledged to take action 

against anti-Semitism in Argentina; 

Whereas the Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin announced on January 14, 2009, that he would investigate 

allegations of anti-Semitism and incitement to hatred and 

violence at anti-Israel demonstrations; and 

Whereas, on February 25, 2009, Prime Minister Gordon 

Brown became the first world leader to sign the London 

Declaration on combating anti-Semitism, which calls on 

governments and parliamentarians to engage in education, community outreach, training, threat identificaWWOODS2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS

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tion, and other measures and adopt proven and best 

practice methods of countering antisemitism: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns any and all official and unofficial 

3 sanctioning of anti-Semitic activity by any govern4 ment; 

5 (2) expresses its commitment to continue to 

6 make it a priority to fight anti-Semitism and to pro7 mote tolerance at home and abroad; 

8 (3) urges all governments to take all steps nec9 essary to eradicate anti-Semitism and to promote re10 ligious tolerance; 

11 (4) applauds those foreign leaders who have 

12 condemned anti-Semitic acts and calls on those who 

13 have yet to take firm action against anti-Semitism 

14 in their countries, to do so; 

15 (5) reaffirms its support for the mandate of the 

16 Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semi17 tism; and 

18 (6) urges the Secretary of State to— 

19 (A) maintain the fight against anti-Semi20 tism as a United States foreign policy priority 

21 and to convey United States concern in bilateral 

22 meetings; 

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1 (B) urge governments to ensure that ade2 quate laws are in place to punish anti-Semitic 

3 violence as well as establish mechanisms to 

4 monitor, investigate, and punish anti-Semitic 

5 incidents; 

6 (C) swiftly appoint the Department of 

7 State’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat 

8 Anti-Semitism; 

9 (D) ensure that the Department of State’s 

10 Annual Country Reports on Human Rights 

11 Practices and International Religious Freedom 

12 Reports continue to document anti-Semitic inci13 dents, as required by the Global Anti-Semitism 

14 Review Act, including— 

15 (i) acts of physical violence against, or 

16 harassment of, Jewish people, and acts of 

17 violence against, or vandalism of, Jewish 

18 community institutions, such as schools, 

19 synagogues, or cemeteries, that occurred in 

20 each country; 

21 (ii) the responses of the governments 

22 of those countries to such actions; 

23 (iii) the actions taken by such govern24 ments to enact and enforce laws relating to 

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1 the protection of the right to religious free2 dom of Jewish people; 

3 (iv) the efforts by such governments 

4 to promote anti-bias and tolerance edu5 cation; and 

6 (v) instances of propaganda in govern7 ment and nongovernment media that at8 tempt to justify or promote racial hatred 

9 or incite acts of violence against Jewish 

10 people; 

11 (E) provide necessary training and instruc12 tion for personnel of United States embassies 

13 and missions to analyze and report on anti-Se14 mitic incidents as well as the response of gov15 ernments to those incidents and to support vic16 tims; 

17 (F) ensure that United States efforts to 

18 train law enforcement personnel and prosecu19 tors abroad incorporate tools to address anti20 Semitism; and 

21 (G) engage with the Organization for Secu22 rity and Cooperation in Europe and support its 

23 efforts to monitor and address anti-Semitism, 

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1 including through support for its law enforce2 ment and civil society training programs. 

Æ 

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