Condemning the Rise of Antisemitism and Calling on Elected Officials to Identify and Educate Others on the Contributions of the Jewish American Community
Floor Speech
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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 382) condemning the rise of antisemitism and calling on elected officials to identify and educate others on the contributions of the Jewish American community, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 382
Whereas the Senate and House of Representatives have recognized many heritage months that celebrate the various communities that form the mosaic of the United States;
Whereas through recognizing and celebrating heritage months, we learn about one another, honor the richness of the diversity of the United States, and strengthen the fabric of society in the United States;
Whereas Jewish American Heritage Month has its origins in 1980, when Congress enacted a Joint Resolution entitled ``Joint Resolution to authorize and request the President to issue a proclamation designating April 21 through April 28, 1980, as `Jewish Heritage Week' '', approved April 24, 1980 (Public Law 96-237; 94 Stat. 338);
Whereas on April 24, 1980, President Carter issued the proclamation for Jewish Heritage Week, and in that proclamation, President Carter spoke about the bountiful contributions made by the Jewish people to the culture and history of the United States;
Whereas Congress has played a central role in recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month since the Senate and the House of Representatives passed resolutions in 2006 and 2005, respectively, urging the President to proclaim the national observation of a month recognizing the Jewish American community;
Whereas since 2006, Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden have all issued proclamations for Jewish American Heritage Month, which celebrates Jewish Americans and encourages all people of the United States to learn more about Jewish heritage and the contributions of Jewish people throughout the history of the United States;
Whereas we recognize the significance of Jewish American Heritage Month as a time to celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans to the society and culture of the United States;
Whereas people of the United States celebrate the rich history of Jewish people in the United States and the more than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to society in the United States;
Whereas the United States has long served as a haven for Jewish people escaping from oppression in search of liberty, justice, and tolerance;
Whereas the Jewish American community dates back to 1654, when a group of 23 Jewish people, fleeing persecution at the hands of the Portuguese Inquisition, fled Brazil and found refuge in what is now New York City;
Whereas Jewish Americans have established deep roots in communities across the United States, and served their neighbors and the United States as loyal and patriotic citizens, always grateful for the safe harbor that the United States has provided for them;
Whereas the Jewish American community has since grown to over 6,000,000 people, representing approximately 2 percent of the population of the United States in 2023;
Whereas Jewish Americans have served in government and the military, won Nobel prizes, led universities and corporations, advanced medicine and philanthropy, created and performed in enduring works of performing and visual art, written great novels, become emblems of justice as members of the Supreme Court of the United States, and so much more;
Whereas Jewish Americans have been subjected to a recent surge in antisemitism as the Anti-Defamation League's (ADL) 2022 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents tracked 3,697 antisemitic incidents in the United States, representing a 36-percent increase from 2021 and the largest number on record since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979;
Whereas the rise in antisemitism is being felt by ordinary people in the United States, as a report by the American Jewish Committee revealed that--
(1) 89 percent of Jewish respondents believe antisemitism is a problem in the United States; and
(2) 4 in 10 Jewish Americans reported changing their behavior in at least 1 way out of fear of antisemitism;
Whereas over the course of the past decade, Holocaust distortion and denial has grown in intensity;
Whereas a 2020 survey of all 50 States on Holocaust knowledge among Millennials and Generation Z, conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, found a clear lack of awareness of key historical facts, including--
(1) 63 percent of respondents did not know that 6,000,000 Jews were murdered during the Holocaust; and
(2) 36 percent of respondents thought that ``two million or fewer Jews'' were killed;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation has aggregated 2021 hate crime data showing that Jewish people remain the single most targeted religious minority in the United States;
Whereas the most effective ways to counter the increase in antisemitic actions are through education, awareness, and the uplifting of Jewish voices, while highlighting the contributions that Jewish Americans have made to the United States; and
Whereas as the strength of a society can be measured by how that society protects its minority populations and celebrates their contributions, it is altogether fitting for the United States to once again mark the month of May as Jewish American Heritage Month: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and combat any and all acts of antisemitism;
(2) takes all possible steps to ensure the safety and security of Jewish American communities; and
(3) calls on the Executive Branch and civic leaders to identify and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish American community
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Mr. ISSA. Res. 382, the bill now under consideration.
Mr. Speaker, Jewish American Heritage Month, first proclaimed by George W. Bush in 2006 and by each successive President since, recognizes the great contribution that the Jewish community has given to this country since its founding. Recognizing this month is particularly important because of the rise of anti-Semitism over the last few years.
Recently, Mr. Speaker, the Judiciary Committee heard testimony regarding anti-Semitism and the violence that has now erupted.
In our hearing, Barry Borgen told the committee about attacks on his son in New York City. Joseph Borgen was targeted simply for wearing his yarmulke and was beaten by several individuals for nothing other than being recognized as an observant Jew. He was kicked, punched, hit, and, in fact, pepper sprayed by his attackers in a horrific attack simply because of his faith.
At this time around the world, we see the rise of anti-Semitism. America for more than half a century, for almost a century, has become the beacon of freedom for the world. In that time, we have had to show the world that anti-Semitism has no place in America and should have no place in the rest of the world.
I want to associate myself with the ranking member's statements. I have served, as long as I have served, with the gentleman from New York. Mr. Nadler has been a leader on this, and this is a bipartisan issue, one that each year we are honored to come before this Congress and renew our statement of solidarity with this community that has, in fact, as the gentleman said, grown in numbers, mostly because they have been persecuted around the world.
This year is no exception. As we speak, the President of Ukraine is being called a Nazi in order to diminish who he is and his faith. It is only in this kind of a world where you can use terms like that as a Russian head of state in order to try to diminish somebody duly elected.
As I said in my opening statement--and I will say it again and again every chance I get--if America does not lead in crushing anti-Semitism and denouncing it, the rest of the world will take it as it is okay to do. We cannot ever again allow what we saw in World War II. We cannot ever again turn a blind eye to the growth of anti-Semitism here or around the world. I stand with my colleague from New York in saying that is more essential this year than ever before.
Mr. Speaker, much will be said on this floor today about anti- Semitism, and it should be, but let us not fail to expand the deliberation on why we have a Jewish American Heritage Month. We don't just have it to combat anti-Semitism. We have it as an awareness of the great contribution that the Jewish community has given to this country from before its birth through today in education and culture, and of that culture, how much the American people do not know about the richness of the family traditions and the like that the Jewish community brings to us.
It is often said, maybe just in passing, that we are a Judeo- Christian society, but many people miss that that small minority represents a great part of who we are as a nation.
As we observe this month, we need to observe this month recognizing the amazing contribution that, as Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, we, in fact, are talking about 2 percent of the population who does far more than you would begin to believe 2 percent can do, Mr. Speaker.
I want to make sure that we all understand that the importance of this month is the importance of the contribution of this community to our society for over 200 years.
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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, this should be the kind of resolution that would be a given, but it is never a given until you say it and say it and say it again.
We say--and we must say--``never again'' about the Holocaust, but we also must say that anti-Semitism has no place in this great country of freedom.
Mr. Speaker, you cannot have freedom of religion unless you have freedom of all religions, and freedom of religion isn't simply that I can practice my religion and denounce the other or that I can have slurs about the other. Religious freedom is the acceptance that we have a God or the right to not have a God, and in so doing, we must accept the other person's limited changes.
There is so little difference between the beliefs of the Jewish community and the beliefs of all of America that those differences should unite us in their smallness rather than divide us.
America, like every country in the world, needs to get to know its neighbor. This is the month in which we get to know our neighbor.
Mr. Speaker, if you are fortunate enough to have a Jewish neighbor or a Jewish friend or someone who can help you understand the richness of their culture and their religion, then you are very fortunate. If you are not, then you need to seek one out.
That is why we are doing this here today, because it doesn't happen without being said and said again. We say, one last time, never again to anti-Semitism in America.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 382 the Recognizing of the significance of Jewish American Heritage Month as a time to celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans to the society and culture of the United States.
This resolution condemns the rise of antisemitism and calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and combat antisemitism, and to identify and educate others on the contributions of the Jewish American community.
The passage of this legislation is essential for people in my home state of Texas and the constituents of the 18th Congressional District.
2022 was one of the worst years to date when it comes to recorded incidents of hate toward the Jewish community.
There were around 3,700 reported incidents towards individuals.
73 of those reports were in the southwest region and more than half of those reports were in Houston alone.
Earlier this year two neighborhoods in northeast Harris County were littered with hundreds of racist and antisemitic flyers.
H. Res. 382 will help to spread awareness about the hateful acts of antisemitism and to spread recognition of the importance of Jewish American Heritage Month.
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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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