Expressing the Sense of The House Regarding Safety and Security of European Jewish Communities

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution regarding the safety and security of Jewish communities in Europe. Seventy years after the Holocaust, we are seeing an alarming spike in anti-Semitic activity and violence targeting Jews throughout Europe. In the past year alone, there have been hundreds of violent acts targeting the Jewish community, including deadly attacks at a kosher supermarket in Paris and the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen.

As a world leader, the United States must make every effort to work with our European partners to keep the Jewish community safe and secure. This resolution does just that by encouraging the United States to work with European governments to create partnerships with Jewish community groups to improve preparedness and responsiveness to anti-Semitic attacks, create open lines of communication to share information about potential threats, expand relationships with local law enforcement, and to help develop baseline security standards for Jewish organizations and facilities. It also urges European allies to appoint senior officials to coordinate efforts to combat anti-Semitism and hold law enforcement accountable for training to monitor and respond to anti-Semitic violence. Additionally, this resolution commends the work of the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism and its efforts in promoting religious freedom around the world.

As a member of the Intelligence Committee and the Bipartisan Task Force on Combating Anti-Semitism, I understand how crucial it is to the stabilization of communities in Europe that we forcefully stand up to anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism does not just impact the Jewish community. When this hatred flourishes, it affects all ethnic, religious, and other minority groups.

Given the urgency of addressing this growing threat, I am proud to have prioritized working to combat the rise in anti-Semitism, leading my colleagues in writing to the Special Envoy calling for the U.S. to continue to be a global leader in combating all forms of hate. My colleagues also joined me in encouraging the United Nations to work with member states to curb anti-Semitism by enacting strong hate crime laws, expanding education on diversity and tolerance in their own countries, and encouraging heads of state to forcefully speak out about the dangers of anti-Semitism.

This resolution furthers these efforts by highlighting the safety and security needs of Jewish communities across Europe and the role our European partners have to play in combatting anti-Semitism. I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in passing this urgent resolution.

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