Calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish American community.

Calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish American community.

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 House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions in 2005 and 2006, 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, since Hamas’ deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitism in the United States has reached record highs with incidents targeting Jews and those who are perceived as Jewish;

Whereas, according to the American Jewish Committee, 77 percent of American Jews say they feel less safe as a Jewish person in the United States because of the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks;

Whereas, according to the American Jewish Committee, almost 70 percent of Jewish adults report experiencing antisemitism online, including on social media;

Whereas, according to Hillel International, 83 percent of Jewish college students have experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel;

Whereas one of the most effective ways to combat antisemitism and hate is through education and awareness of the contributions Jewish Americans have made to the United States through the arts, entertainment, science and technology, military, government, business, culinary traditions, and other fields;

Whereas there are many Jewish American inventors that have impacted the everyday lives of Americans for the better;

Whereas Irving Naxon invented and patented the slow cooker, taking inspiration from Jewish cooking traditions in Europe;

Whereas Sylvan Goldman invented the shopping cart;

Whereas Evelyn Berezin invented the first true word-processing computer and automated airline reservation system;

Whereas Ralph Baer invented the “Brown Box”, a prototype for the first multiplayer, multiprogram video game system;

Whereas Ruth Handler founded the toy company Mattel and invented the Barbie doll;

Whereas Emile Berliner invented the gramophone record and the microphone that became part of the first Bell telephone;

Whereas Edwin Land invented the Polaroid instant camera;

Whereas Hedy Lamarr invented the concept of “frequency hopping” which made possible a wide range of wireless communications technologies, including Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth; and

Whereas, to counter the rise of antisemitism, it is critical to increase awareness of Jewish-American contributions to the success of America: 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 stories and voices; and

(3) takes all possible steps to ensure the safety, security, and dignity of American Jews in all aspects of their lives, including the workplace, college and university campuses, synagogues, and at home.