[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 219 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 219

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives condemning the 
  arson attacks against three California synagogues on June 18, 1999.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 23, 1999

    Mr. Lantos (for himself, Mr. Porter, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. 
    Ackerman, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Berman, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Deutsch, Mr. 
 Gejdenson, Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Martinez, Mr. George Miller of California, 
 Mr. Nadler, Ms. Pelosi, Mr. Rothman, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Sherman, Mr. 
Waxman, Mr. Weiner, and Mr. Wexler) submitted the following resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives condemning the 
  arson attacks against three California synagogues on June 18, 1999.

Whereas freedom of religion and respect for all faiths is one of the fundamental 
        pillars of a free and open society;
Whereas in recent decades great progress has been achieved in the realm of 
        religious tolerance;
Whereas, in spite of this progress, over eight thousand hate crimes were 
        reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1997, which targeted 
        Americans based on their race, religion, gender, disability, or sexual 
        orientation;
Whereas many of the reported hate crimes committed against persons and property 
        on the basis of religion were carried out against Jews and Jewish 
        institutions;
Whereas all hate crimes must be publicly and vigorously denounced and fought by 
        all decent citizens of the United States;
Whereas the cowardly arson attacks against predominantly African-American 
        churches in recent years were strongly condemned by this House and by 
        the American people;
Whereas three separate acts of arson were perpetrated against synagogues in the 
        Sacramento, California, area on June 18, 1999, causing nearly $1 million 
        in damage to the B'nai Israel synagogue in Sacramento, Congregation Beth 
        Shalom in Carmichael, and Kenesset Israel Torah Center in northeastern 
        Sacramento County;
Whereas viciously anti-Semitic leaflets were found at two of these locations, 
        documents that mirror escalating anti-Semitism around the world and on 
        the Internet; and
Whereas such outrageous hate crimes are frontal terrorist attacks on our free 
        and open and pluralistic society: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the outrageous attacks against three Jewish 
        places of worship in the Sacramento, California, area on June 
        18, 1999;
            (2) commends the multitude of citizens from California and 
        across the country who have provided moral support to 
        Sacramento's Jewish community, and who have offered money, 
        labor, books, and other materials to help rebuild these three 
        synagogues;
            (3) strongly supports the efforts of all Federal, State, 
        and local law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators of 
        these heinous and cowardly acts to justice; and
            (4) reaffirms its commitment to a society that fully 
        respects and protects all places of worship and reaffirms the 
        right of individuals of all religious convictions freely to 
        practice their religion.
                                 <all>