[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1215 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1215

   Calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to join in 
   efforts to educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish 
                          American community.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 8, 2024

 Ms. Wasserman Schultz (for herself, Mrs. Miller-Meeks, Mr. Carter of 
  Louisiana, and Mr. Fitzpatrick) submitted the following resolution; 
 which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition 
  to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to join in 
   efforts to educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish 
                          American community.

Whereas the United States is a melting pot of heritages and cultures;
Whereas Congress has honored this mosaic of people and unique contributions to 
        our communities through commemorative months;
Whereas, by honoring each other's cultures, we can educate ourselves about the 
        rich diversity that makes up 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 Hamas' heinous attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, resulted in the 
        deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust;
Whereas the Anti-Defamation League's 2023 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 
        tabulated 8,873 antisemitic incidents across the United States, 
        representing a 140-percent increase from the previous year and the 
        highest number on record since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking 
        them in 1979;
Whereas, between October 7 and the end of 2023, the Anti-Defamation League 
        tabulated 5,204 antisemitic incidents, more than the incident total for 
        the whole of 2022;
Whereas the Anti-Defamation League recorded a 135-percent increase of incidents 
        at K-12 schools, a 237-percent increase at Jewish institutions, and a 
        321-percent increase on college and university campuses compared to the 
        same timeframe the previous year, with most occurring after October 7;
Whereas, according to American Jewish Committee, almost two-thirds of American 
        Jews feel less secure in the United States than they did a year ago;
Whereas the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism states that ``increasing 
        awareness and understanding of antisemitism must be coupled with a 
        commitment to broadening appreciation of Jewish-American heritage. We 
        must tell the positive story of Jewish contributions to the United 
        States and the World'';
Whereas Jewish Americans have made significant contributions to the arts, 
        entertainment, science and technology, military, government, business, 
        culinary traditions, and other fields in the United States;
Whereas several prominent Jewish Americans heroically supported the American 
        Revolution and Jewish community leaders advocated for freedom of 
        religion for all Americans upon the founding of our Nation;
Whereas Jewish Americans have contributed to the advancement of science to save 
        countless lives and transform our understanding of the universe, 
        including Vera Rubin, a trailblazer in the field of astronomy whose work 
        established the existence of dark matter; Lillian D. Wald, a nurse who 
        fought for public health care, women's rights, and children's rights and 
        founded the Henry Street Settlement; Jonas Salk, a virologist who 
        developed a vaccine against polio; and Albert Einstein who was named 
        Time magazine's ``Person of the Century'' for his contributions to the 
        study of mathematics and physics;
Whereas Jewish-American athletes excelled at sports while staying true to their 
        heritage such as Sandy Koufax, who was the first major league pitcher to 
        pitch four no-hitters and chose not to pitch during a World Series game 
        when it fell on Yom Kippur, and Hank Greenberg, who was the first Jewish 
        inductee in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1954;
Whereas Jewish-American women have made significant contributions to American 
        politics and activism, including Ernestine Rose, a Jewish immigrant who 
        raised her voice to resist slavery and fight for women's suffrage and 
        Florence Prag Kahn, the first Jewish woman Member of Congress and first 
        woman to serve on the House Military Affairs Committee;
Whereas Jewish Americans long advocated for the education of all including 
        Julius Rosenwald, who partnered with Booker T. Washington to invest in 
        the education of Black students and built thousands of schools for Black 
        students in 15 States in the South;
Whereas the Jewish community has long been involved in the civil rights 
        movement;
Whereas Henry Moskowitz joined with civil rights activists such as W.E.B. Du 
        Bois and Ida B. Wells to found the National Association for the 
        Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909;
Whereas Jack Greenberg argued against segregation in Brown v. Board of Education 
        as co-counsel to Thurgood Marshall and succeeded Marshall as Director-
        Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund;
Whereas, during the Freedom Summer of 1964, half of the young people who went to 
        Mississippi were Jewish, including Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, 
        who were murdered along with African-American activist James Chaney due 
        to their efforts to register Black voters;
Whereas Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel served as a close ally and advisor to Dr. 
        Martin Luther King, Jr., marching with him from Montgomery to Selma in 
        1964;
Whereas, in 1964, 17 rabbis were arrested alongside Dr. King in Florida after 
        challenging racial segregation in public accommodations; and
Whereas to counter the rise of antisemitism, it is critical to increase 
        awareness of Jewish-American contributions, dating back to the founding 
        of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil 
        society leaders to condemn and counter all acts of 
        antisemitism;
            (2) calls on the executive branch and State and local 
        leaders to educate the public on the contributions of the 
        Jewish-American community and uplift Jewish voices;
            (3) take all possible steps to ensure the safety and 
        security of Jewish-American communities, including by investing 
        in the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and preventing 
        terrorism and hate crimes; and
            (4) calls on educators and administrators to combat hate in 
        academic settings.
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