[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 364 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 364

 Condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and reaffirming the support of 
  Congress for the mandate of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat 
                 Anti-Semitism, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 27, 2009

   Mr. Klein of Florida (for himself, Mr. Pence, Mr. Berman, Ms. Ros-
  Lehtinen, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. McMahon, Ms. 
 Berkley, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mrs. Capps, Mr. Kirk, Mr. 
     Kagen, Mr. Ellison, Mrs. Maloney, Mr. Holt, Mr. Grayson, Ms. 
  Schakowsky, Mr. Engel, Mr. Hall of New York, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, 
 Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Mr. Poe of Texas, Mr. Lance, Mr. Lamborn, 
Mr. Hensarling, Mr. Wolf, and Mr. Rohrabacher) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and reaffirming the support of 
  Congress for the mandate of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat 
                 Anti-Semitism, and for other purposes.

Whereas in 2004, Congress passed the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, which 
        established an Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, headed by a 
        Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, which provides 
        Congress with the Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism Report, most 
        recently in 2004 and 2008;
Whereas according to the Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism Report released by 
        the Department of State's Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and 
        Combat Anti-Semitism, ``[o]ver the last decade, United States embassies 
        and consulates have reported an upsurge in anti-Semitism'';
Whereas anti-Semitic acts committed and recorded in 2008 and 2009 include 
        violent attacks and death threats against Jews, as well as gun violence, 
        arson, graffiti, stoning, and other desecration of Jewish communal 
        property and places of worship;
Whereas the U.S. Department of State and other foreign governments and 
        multilateral institutions have noted the challenge of gathering data on 
        anti-Semitism, particularly in more closed societies with limited 
        victims' rights;
Whereas the 2008 Department of State Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism Report 
        notes the growth of comparisons of Israeli policy to that of the Nazis 
        and that, despite growing efforts by governments to promote Holocaust 
        remembrance, the Holocaust is frequently invoked as part of anti-Semitic 
        harassment as a rhetorical means to threaten and offend Jews;
Whereas since the commencement of Israel's military operation in Gaza on 
        December 27, 2008, a substantial increase in violence, including 
        physical and verbal attacks, arson and vandalism against synagogues, and 
        desecration of cemeteries and Holocaust memorial sites have been 
        reported;
Whereas interspersed with expressions of criticism of Israeli policy and 
        actions, anti-Semitic imagery and comparisons of Jews and Israel to 
        Nazis have been widespread at demonstrations against Israel's action 
        around the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America;
Whereas placards held at many demonstrations across the globe have compared 
        Israeli leaders to Nazis, accused Israel of carrying out a ``Holocaust'' 
        against Palestinians, and equated the Jewish Star of David with the Nazi 
        swastika;
Whereas demonstrations have included chants of ``death to Israel'' or 
        expressions of support for suicide terrorism against Israeli or Jewish 
        civilians;
Whereas Jewish communities face an environment in which the convergence of anti-
        Semitic sentiment and demonization of Israel in the media and the public 
        debate have fostered a hostile environment and a sense of insecurity in 
        these countries;
Whereas incitement to hatred, discrimination, and violence against Jews 
        continues in some state-run media, particularly in the Middle East, 
        where government-owned, government-sanctioned, or government-controlled 
        publishing media promulgate anti-Jewish stereotypes, such as the myth of 
        the Jewish blood libels in editorial cartoons and articles, and produce 
        Arabic translations of anti-Semitic tracts such as ``The Protocols of 
        the Elders of Zion'' and ``Mein Kampf'';
Whereas some governments fail to respond adequately to anti-Semitic incidents 
        including attacks on Jewish citizens, monuments, building, and 
        cemeteries;
Whereas the latest incidents in Venezuela include an incident on January 30, 
        2009, when the Tiferet Israel synagogue in Caracas was attacked by armed 
        men who destroyed religious objects, spray-painted ``Jews, get out'' on 
        the synagogue walls, and stole a computer database with the 
        congregation's personal information, and an incident on February 26, 
        2009, when assailants threw an explosive at a Jewish community center in 
        Caracas;
Whereas, on January 6, 2009, Hamas leader, Mahmoud al-Zahar, argued that Jewish 
        children and Jewish people around the world are ``legitimate'' targets 
        for murder;
Whereas Iran's leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has denied that the Holocaust ever 
        occurred and has called Israel a ``filthy bacteria'' and a ``disgraceful 
        blot'' that should be ``wiped off the map'';
Whereas, on February 24, 2009, Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, falsely accused 
        Israel of being among the countries fueling the violence in Darfur's 
        Sudan region;
Whereas, on January 13, 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France ``utterly 
        condemned the unacceptable violence . . . against individuals, private 
        property, and religious buildings'' and assured ``that these acts would 
        not go unpunished'';
Whereas, on January 28, 2009, Argentine Justice and Security Minister Anibal 
        Fernandez pledged to take action against anti-Semitism in Argentina;
Whereas the Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin announced on January 14, 
        2009, that he would investigate allegations of anti-Semitism and 
        incitement to hatred and violence at anti-Israel demonstrations; and
Whereas, on February 25, 2009, Prime Minister Gordon Brown became the first 
        world leader to sign the London Declaration on combating anti-Semitism, 
        which calls on governments and parliamentarians to engage in education, 
        community outreach, training, threat identification, and other measures 
        and adopt proven and best practice methods of countering antisemitism: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns any and all official and unofficial 
        sanctioning of anti-Semitic activity by any government;
            (2) expresses its commitment to continue to make it a 
        priority to fight anti-Semitism and to promote tolerance at 
        home and abroad;
            (3) urges all governments to take all steps necessary to 
        eradicate anti-Semitism and to promote religious tolerance;
            (4) applauds those foreign leaders who have condemned anti-
        Semitic acts and calls on those who have yet to take firm 
        action against anti-Semitism in their countries, to do so;
            (5) reaffirms its support for the mandate of the Special 
        Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism; and
            (6) urges the Secretary of State to--
                    (A) maintain the fight against anti-Semitism as a 
                United States foreign policy priority and to convey 
                United States concern in bilateral meetings;
                    (B) urge governments to ensure that adequate laws 
                are in place to punish anti-Semitic violence as well as 
                establish mechanisms to monitor, investigate, and 
                punish anti-Semitic incidents;
                    (C) swiftly appoint the Department of State's 
                Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism;
                    (D) ensure that the Department of State's Annual 
                Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and 
                International Religious Freedom Reports continue to 
                document anti-Semitic incidents, as required by the 
                Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, including--
                            (i) acts of physical violence against, or 
                        harassment of, Jewish people, and acts of 
                        violence against, or vandalism of, Jewish 
                        community institutions, such as schools, 
                        synagogues, or cemeteries, that occurred in 
                        each country;
                            (ii) the responses of the governments of 
                        those countries to such actions;
                            (iii) the actions taken by such governments 
                        to enact and enforce laws relating to the 
                        protection of the right to religious freedom of 
                        Jewish people;
                            (iv) the efforts by such governments to 
                        promote anti-bias and tolerance education; and
                            (v) instances of propaganda in government 
                        and nongovernment media that attempt to justify 
                        or promote racial hatred or incite acts of 
                        violence against Jewish people;
                    (E) provide necessary training and instruction for 
                personnel of United States embassies and missions to 
                analyze and report on anti-Semitic incidents as well as 
                the response of governments to those incidents and to 
                support victims;
                    (F) ensure that United States efforts to train law 
                enforcement personnel and prosecutors abroad 
                incorporate tools to address anti-Semitism; and
                    (G) engage with the Organization for Security and 
                Cooperation in Europe and support its efforts to 
                monitor and address anti-Semitism, including through 
                support for its law enforcement and civil society 
                training programs.
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