In the News

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution 429-0 on May 31 that both condemned antisemitism and urged elected officials to inform the public about the contributions Jewish Americans have made to society.

The five-page resolution noted that every president since 2006 has issued proclamations recognizing May as Jewish American Heritage Month and that “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.” The resolution also noted that due to rising antisemitism, four in 10 American Jews have changed their behavior and that 2021 FBI data found that Jews “remain the single most targeted religious minority in the United States.”

Additionally, the resolution noted that a 2020 survey of millennials and those in Generation Z found that 63% didn’t know that six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust and that 36% thought the figure was two million or less. The resolution concluded with a call for “elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and combat any and all acts of antisemitism” and “calls on the Executive Branch and civic leaders to identify and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish American community.”

The Anti-Defamation League tweeted, “This month, we lobbied Members of Congress to pass legislation recognizing the contributions of the American Jewish community and denouncing #antisemitism. Amidst the rise of dangerous antisemitic attitudes, we applaud the House for passing this resolution today.” They then thanked House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) (who first introduced the resolution), David Kustoff (R-TN) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) for their “critical leadership on this resolution.”

“Today, the House unequivocally condemned antisemitism by passing my resolution with a bipartisan vote,” Wasserman Schultz tweeted. “As Jewish American Heritage Month comes to a close, let’s recognize that while hatred is on the rise, we must recommit ourselves to the fight against it and all hate.”