Condemning the recent rise in antisemitic violence and harassment targeting Jewish Americans, standing in solidarity with those affected by antisemitism, and for other purposes.

Bill: 118-hres-527
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Molinaro, Marcus J. [R-NY-19]
Introduced: 2023-06-20
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Latest action: action_date: 2023-06-20
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.

Summaries:
action_date: 2023-06-20
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution condemns all forms of antisemitism as a threat to democracy and overall safety and well-being for Jewish Americans.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 527 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 20, 2023 Mr. Molinaro (for himself, Mr. Moskowitz , Mr. Schneider , and Mr. Fitzpatrick ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary , and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned RESOLUTION Condemning the recent rise in antisemitic violence and harassment targeting Jewish Americans, standing in solidarity with those affected by antisemitism, and for other purposes.

Whereas antisemitism remains a significant concern for Jewish Americans and Jews around the world; Whereas, in 2022, the Anti-Defamation League reported there were more than 3,500 antisemitic incidents throughout the United States; Whereas this is the highest number of reported antisemitic attacks on record, attacks have taken the form of harassment, assaults, and vandalism such as multiple swastikas and an image of Adolf Hitler found on a student’s door at Stanford University; Whereas a commencement speech delivered by a law school graduate at the City University of New York called for a revolution against Zionism and perpetuated antisemitic conspiracies and tropes such as Zionist influence over political world order and control over financial support of the College; Whereas, in recent years, there has been an alarming rise in attacks against Jewish individuals and institutions, such as schools and synagogues, examples, including— (1) a firebomb attack on a synagogue in Bloomfield, New Jersey; (2) shootings of 2 Jewish men as they walked home from their synagogues in Los Angeles, California; (3) a hostage crisis during Shabbat services in Colleyville, Texas; and (4) the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Whereas the Anti-Defamation League 2022 report found that antisemitic incidents occurred in all 50 States and the District of Columbia; Whereas American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) 2022 State of Antisemitism in America report found that of Jews in the United States— (1) 41 percent said the status of Jews in the United States is less secure than a year ago, up from 31 percent in 2021; (2) 4 in 10 changed their behavior in at least one way out of fear of antisemitism; and (3) 1 in 5 felt somewhat or very unsafe when attending Jewish institutions because of antisemitism; Whereas, according to a study conducted by the Anti-Defamation League, New York State leads the Nation in antisemitic incidents, with assaults at a record high; Whereas antisemitic rhetoric found on mainstream social media platforms can be linked to dozens of incidents across the country; Whereas various antisemitic content on social media platforms has allowed younger generations to be more exposed to antisemitic rhetoric and ideas, including hateful speech towards Jews, disinformation about the Holocaust, and incitement of violence against the Jewish community; Whereas the Holocaust was a harrowing event in human history, resulting in the murder of 6,000,000 Jews, in addition to many other minorities targeted by the Nazi regime; Whereas teaching the history of the Holocaust is an essential part of education in schools, and it is imperative that students understand the facts and significance of this event; Whereas AJC’s 2022 State of Antisemitism in America Report found that only 53 percent of Americans over the age of 18 answered correctly that approximately 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust, while 20 percent explicitly said they were not sure; Whereas Holocaust denial and distortion, including intentional efforts to undermine the truth and impact of the Holocaust, causes great harm to individuals and communities affected by the event, dishonors those who were persecuted and murdered, and exacerbates hate and intolerance toward the Jewish community; Whereas preserving the history of the Holocaust and confronting Holocaust distortion and denial are critical to preventing and combating antisemitic ideology and rhetoric; and Whereas comprehensive Holocaust education in schools plays a fundamental role in understanding and confronting antisemitism and all forms of hate: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1) unilaterally condemns all forms of antisemitism as a threat to democracy and overall safety and well-being for Jewish Americans, and stands in solidarity with those affected by antisemitism at home and abroad; (2) recommits to combating antisemitism in all forms; (3) calls upon all Members of Congress to denounce and combat all forms of antisemitism, emphasize the need to raise awareness about the dangers of antisemitism, and encourage leaders across this country to speak out against it; and (4) pledges to advance accurate Holocaust education and counter Holocaust denial and distortion, commemorate the victims of the Holocaust, and ensure that lessons of the tragedy are not forgotten.