[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.
<all>