Title: A resolution commemorating the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution recognizes the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht and honors Jewish victims of the Holocaust. The resolution expresses support for increased awareness of the Holocaust and the eradication of anti-Semitism internationally.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 417 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 417

 Commemorating the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of 
                             Broken Glass.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 12, 2019

 Mr. Murphy submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                   the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of 
                             Broken Glass.

Whereas November 9, 2019, through November 10, 2019, marks the 81st anniversary 
        of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass;
Whereas Kristallnacht began as a pogrom authorized by Nazi party officials and 
        was carried out by members of the Sturmabteilungen (commonly known as 
        the ``SA''), the Schutzstaffel (commonly known as the ``SS''), and the 
        Hitler Youth;
Whereas Kristallnacht marked the first large-scale anti-Semitic operation of the 
        Nazi Party and a crucial turning point in Nazi anti-Semitic policy;
Whereas, during Kristallnacht, synagogues, homes, and businesses in Jewish 
        communities were attacked, resulting in murders and arrests of Jewish 
        people in Germany and in Austrian and Czechoslovakian territories 
        controlled by the Nazis;
Whereas the events of Kristallnacht resulted in the burning and destruction of 
        267 synagogues, the looting of thousands of businesses and homes, the 
        desecration of Jewish cemeteries, the murder of 91 Jews, and the arrest 
        and deportation of 30,000 Jewish men to concentration camps;
Whereas the shards of broken glass from the windows of synagogues, Jewish homes, 
        and Jewish-owned businesses ransacked during the violence that littered 
        the streets gave the pogrom the name of Kristallnacht, commonly 
        translated as the ``Night of Broken Glass'';
Whereas Kristallnacht--

    (1) proved to be a crucial turning point in the Holocaust, marking a 
shift from a policy of removing Jews from Germany and German-occupied lands 
to murdering millions of people; and

    (2) was a tragic precursor to the Second World War;

Whereas, despite numerous global efforts to eradicate hate, manifestations of 
        anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance continue to harm societies 
        on a global scale; and
Whereas, in 2018--

    (1) anti-Semitic acts in France increased by more than 70 percent 
compared to the previous year, according to data from the Government of 
France; and

    (2) anti-Semitic crimes in Germany, which include hate speech, 
increased by 20 percent, according to data from the Government of Germany;

Whereas, because hate crimes in the European Union are generally under reported, 
        the real figures on anti-Semitism in France, Germany, and other states 
        in the European Union are likely much higher;
Whereas, while the United States has made progress towards addressing anti-
        Semitism, recent events demonstrate that much work remains;
Whereas, in 2017, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 1,986 anti-Semitic 
        incidents across the United States, including physical assaults, 
        vandalism, and attacks on Jewish institutions, which represents a 57-
        percent increase compared to anti-Semitic incidents recorded in 2016;
Whereas recent anti-Semitic acts in the United States include--

    (1) the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, in October, 2018; and

    (2) the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in Poway, California, 
in April, 2019;

Whereas, according to the Anti-Defamation League, since the Tree of Life 
        Shooting occurred, at least 13 White supremacists have been arrested for 
        their alleged roles in terrorist plots, attacks, or threats against the 
        Jewish community in the United States; and
Whereas Kristallnacht teaches mankind how hate can proliferate and erode 
        societies and serves as a reminder that the United States must advance 
        global efforts to ensure that barbarism and mass murder never occur 
        again: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht;
            (2) pays tribute to the more than 6,000,000 Jewish people 
        killed during the Holocaust and the families affected by the 
        tragedy;
            (3) continues to support United States efforts to address 
        the horrible legacy of the Holocaust and combat manifestations 
        of anti-Semitism domestically and globally; and
            (4) will continue to raise awareness and act to eradicate 
        the continuing scourge of anti-Semitism at home and abroad, 
        including through work with international partners, such as--
                    (A) the Organization for Security and Co-operation 
                in Europe (referred to in this resolving clause as the 
                ``OSCE'');
                    (B) the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Unit of 
                the OSCE; and
                    (C) the Personal Representative on Combating Anti-
                Semitism of the OSCE.
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