[Senate Hearing 119-81]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 119-81
NEVER AGAIN: ADDRESSING THE
RISE OF ANTISEMITISM AND
SUPPORTING OLDER AMERICANS
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HEARING
BEFORE THE
SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED NINETEENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
WASHINGTON, DC
__________
APRIL 30, 2025
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Serial No. 119-07
Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Aging
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
60-495 PDF WASHINGTON : 2025
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SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING
RICK SCOTT, Florida, Chairman
DAVE McCORMICK, Pennsylvania KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, New York
JIM JUSTICE, West Virginia ELIZABETH WARREN, Massachusetts
TOMMY TUBERVILLE, Alabama MARK KELLY, Arizona
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin RAPHAEL WARNOCK, Georgia
ASHLEY MOODY, Florida ANDY KIM, New Jersey
JON HUSTED, Ohio ANGELA ALSOBROOKS, Maryland
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McKinley Lewis, Majority Staff Director
Claire Descamps, Minority Staff Director
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Opening Statement of Senator Rick Scott, Chairman................ 1
Opening Statement of Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand, Ranking
Member......................................................... 3
PANEL OF WITNESSES
David Schaecter, Holocaust Survivor and Founder, Holocaust
Memorial Miami Beach; President, Holocaust Survivors Foundation
USA, Miami, Florida............................................ 4
Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, Senior Advisor and Chief Chaplain to Miami-
Dade Sheriff; Chief Chaplain to FHP and FDLE; Director, Chesed
Shel Emes Florida, Miami, Florida.............................. 7
The Honorable Ted Deutch, Former Congressman and CEO, American
Jewish Committee, Washington, D.C.............................. 9
Rebecca Federman, Senior Director, CSI Intelligence Desk,
Community Security Initiative, New York, New York.............. 11
APPENDIX
Prepared Witness Statements
David Schaecter, Holocaust Survivor and Founder, Holocaust
Memorial Miami Beach; President, Holocaust Survivors Foundation
USA, Miami, Florida............................................ 28
Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, Senior Advisor and Chief Chaplain to Miami-
Dade Sheriff; Chief Chaplain to FHP and FDLE; Director, Chesed
Shel Emes Florida, Miami, Florida.............................. 30
The Honorable Ted Deutch, Former Congressman and CEO, American
Jewish Committee, Washington, D.C.............................. 33
Rebecca Federman, Senior Director, CSI Intelligence Desk,
Community Security Initiative, New York, New York.............. 40
Questions for the Record
David Schaecter, Holocaust Survivor and Founder, Holocaust
Memorial Miami Beach; President, Holocaust Survivors Foundation
USA, Miami, Florida............................................ 45
The Honorable Ted Deutch, Former Congressman and CEO, American
Jewish Committee, Washington, D.C.............................. 46
Rebecca Federman, Senior Director, CSI Intelligence Desk,
Community Security Initiative, New York, New York.............. 48
Statements for the Record
Jewish Federations of North America Testimony.................... 51
NEVER AGAIN: ADDRESSING THE
RISE OF ANTISEMITISM AND
SUPPORTING OLDER AMERICANS
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Wednesday, April 30, 2025
U.S. Senate
Special Committee on Aging
Washington, DC.
The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:30 p.m., Room
216, Hart Senate Office Building, Hon. Rick Scott, Chairman of
the Committee, presiding.
Present: Senator Scott, Tuberville, Moody, Gillibrand, Kim,
and Alsobrooks.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR RICK SCOTT, CHAIRMAN
The Chairman. The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
will now come to order. As a reminder, disruptions of this
hearing will not be tolerated. Should you disrupt this
congressional hearing, you will be removed pursuant to D.C.
Code 221307. Under the code, we can ban you from attending
future hearings for one year.
Today, we are gathered to address an issue that has been
weighing heavily on the hearts and minds of many. One that
affects a significant portion of our aging population,
Antisemitism.
This hearing is especially timely as we reflect on Passover
and the time of renewal for the Jewish community and prepare to
recognize Jewish American Heritage Month in May. The recent
surge in Antisemitic incidents including harassment, violence,
and vandalism has become an alarming trend, especially
impacting elderly Jewish Americans, including Holocaust
survivors.
These individuals, many of whom have already endured the
horrors of persecution, are now facing renewed threats that re-
traumatize and destabilize their lives. Antisemitism is not a
distant historical issue. It is an ongoing reality that
continues to rise in our society. I remember when my daughters
were teenagers, we took them to Auschwitz and Birkenau, and you
can read everything you want to read. You can go to a Holocaust
Museum.
Going there and seeing the systemic way they just
completely murdered Jews. It is just hard to believe that
anybody could have a lack of humanity. Older Jewish Americans
overwhelmingly recognize the increasing threat of Antisemitism.
In fact, according to the American Jewish Committee's 2024
State of Antisemitism in America Report, 96 percent of Jewish
Americans over the age of 65 recognize that Antisemitism is a
problem in the U.S. today. More than 94 percent of Jews
Americans aged 50 to 64 reported an increase in Antisemitism
over the past five years.
Forty-three percent of Jewish Americans over 50 have
avoided wearing Jewish symbols or public identifying as Jewish
out of fear These statistics are not just numbers. They
represent lives, families, and communities being impacted by
fear and violence. This should not be happening.
Beyond the statistics, elderly Jewish individuals have
faced direct acts of aggression. In recent years, reports have
surfaced of elderly Jewish individuals being harassed in
public, attacked at protests, and even killed in an Antisemitic
instance. A Holocaust survivor in New York was spat on and
verbally abused.
In California, Paul Kessler, a 69-year-old Jewish man, was
struck on the head with a megaphone by a pro-Hamas protester,
was hospitalized in critical condition, and eventually died
from blunt force trauma. That is absolutely despicable. Such
incidents have highlighted concerns among older Jewish
communities, particularly Holocaust survivors, for whom these
events re-traumatize past experiences of persecution.
In my home State of Florida, we have a large population of
both seniors and Jewish individuals, so this is deeply
important to me, and many, many, many in my State. In our first
hearing of this Congress, I outlined my priorities for the
Committee to ensure the wellness of American seniors and broke
it down to four key issues, achieving physical and mental
health, establishing financial stability, living in a safe
community, and securing family and community support systems.
If you are afraid of being targeted just because you are
Jewish, how could you possibly achieve these things? If you
could be attacked on the street simply because you are wearing
a star of David or a yarmulke and you don't feel safe going out
for a walk or out to the gym to exercise, do you really have
strong physical and mental health? Can you really say that you
are able to live in a safe community, or that you can build a
community support system when you feel isolated?
When you think about the true impacts that Antisemitism or
any hate has on people every single day, you realize it
disrupts every part of their lives. As we face these
challenges, it is crucial that we listen to those directly
affected.
Today, we are very fortunate to hear from remarkable
witnesses whose experiences, expertise, and commitment to the
safety and prosperity of the older Jewish community and Jewish
community at large provides invaluable insights into this
growing crisis. Their voices will help us understand how we can
better protect our elderly Jewish citizens and ensure their
safety in their communities.
We will hear from individuals who have witnessed and lived
through these horrors, including a Holocaust survivor, who will
share their personal stories and perspectives. These stories
are not just a reminder of our shared history. They are a call
to action urging us to stand together as a country and as a
congressional body and work to eliminate the rising tide of
hate.
I believe that this issue is not just one for Jewish
communities to address, but one that requires our collective
action. This is a bipartisan issue that requires a unified
response, and today we will explore the steps Congress can take
to combat Antisemitism and protect seniors.
We must act with urgency because every day that we allow
hate to grow unchecked, we risk the safety and dignity of our
fellow Americans, especially our most vulnerable senior
population. I want to take a moment to recognize a few groups
that are here today, AIPAC, the Republican Jewish Coalition,
the Zionist Organization of America, the Endowment for Middle
East Truth, and members of George Washington University's
Jewish community.
I also want to recognize former Congresswoman and my
friend, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. I thank all of you for being here
for this important hearing, for all you do for our Jewish
community all over the United States.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today and
working with my colleagues across the aisle to take meaningful
action against this persistent threat. Now, we will hear from
the Ranking Member. Ranking Member Gillibrand.
OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR
KIRSTEN E. GILLIBRAND, RANKING MEMBER
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Chairman Scott, for holding
today's hearing. It couldn't come at a more important time for
our Nation, for New Yorkers, for people all across this
country, and frankly, people all around the globe. I want to
thank our witnesses for being here today. Each of you are
experts in this issue.
I thank the work you do for your congregants, the work that
you do in your communities, and I particularly want to think
David Schaecter for giving us his personal testimony, which I
can't imagine how difficult it is to tell stories like that
over and over again across your lifetime. It makes a huge
difference that you are here for us.
Not only do American Jews feel less safe in the wake of
October 7th, but I have heard from so many constituents that
their anxiety levels are constantly off the charts, that there
are macroaggressions and microaggressions, but the feeling of
Antisemitism and the feeling of being attacked and the feeling
being isolated is prevalent.
These are not normal times, and since October 7th, we have
seen violence against Jews continue to grow. We have seen
incidents of Antisemitism heighten. We have seen students on
campus be so isolated and so personally attacked that they
can't learn. This is not the United States that we are proud
of.
We need a United States that holds up the equality and
civil rights of all of its citizens, and by speaking out today
on these issues of Antisemitism, we are creating a record about
what is happening and what needs to be done. Now, we know that
people who have survived decades and decades of violence and
Antisemitism have experienced the worst kind of Antisemitic
hate and violence.
We have used the phrase, never again, but do we really mean
never again? We have used the phrase, never forget, but have we
really meant never forget? What happened on October seven is
the most egregious nightmare, the most disgusting, horrific,
inhumane, barbaric attack that I have ever, ever heard
testimony about or seen video footage of. Satanic, evil,
disgusting.
We witnessed what happened in 2018 with the Tree of Life
synagogue. Worshipers, people in the safety of their own
religious community, the safety of their synagogue being
absolutely destroyed by someone who had murder and evil on
their mind. Many of the victims were older adults who could not
flee, who could not walk quickly, who could not take cover.
Federally funded activities like the not-for-profit
security grant program which helps organizations like
synagogues and churches and places of worship secure their
buildings, hire security personnel, have barriers, that money
is essential, and we have to continue to fund that program to
its fullest.
We have to work in Congress to provide top-down policies
and resources that promote learning, allow for the effect of
prosecution of hate crimes, and empower law enforcement and
communities to strengthen the ability to protect our neighbors.
As a mom with college-aged children, I can tell you no campus
should be unsafe for people because of what they believe,
because of their faith, because they are Jewish.
I call on every college campus to prioritize the safety of
its students, and I think accountability is important. I do not
agree that taking away NIH funding or research funding is the
right approach, but I will stand with the students to make sure
that these college campuses are safe no matter what.
I look forward to the testimony of these witnesses. I thank
the chairman for holding such an important hearing, and I look
forward to the conversation.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member Gillibrand. I would
like to welcome our witnesses today, all of whom bring
important perspectives on the challenges facing the elderly
Jewish population in light of the rise in Antisemitism.
We are honored to be joined by Miami-Dade County Sheriff
Rosie Cordero-Stutz, who has been a powerful force and an
important voice in the fight against Antisemitism in South
Florida.
As two of her constituents are serving as witnesses before
the Committee today, I would like to recognize Sheriff Rosie to
introduce her fellow Floridians from Miami-Dade County, Mr.
David Schaecter and Rabbi Mark Rosenberg.
Ms. Cordero-Stutz. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairman Rick
Scott, Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand, and members of the
Senate Special Committee on Aging. Thank you for inviting me to
introduce Mr. David Schaecter, who is a Holocaust survivor and
President of the Holocaust Survivors Foundation USA, and
Founder of the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach.
David has devoted countless hours to educating students
nationwide and advocating on behalf of the Jewish community
about the horrors of the Holocaust and the Antisemitism wave
worldwide.
We will not allow your story, and the six million innocent
lives lost to be forgotten ever. I would like to thank David's
wife, Sydney, for traveling with him to be here today. It is a
true honor to introduce to you, David Schaecter. You may begin
your testimony.
STATEMENT OF DAVID SCHAECTER, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR
AND FOUNDER, HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MIAMI
BEACH; PRESIDENT, HOLOCAUST SURVIVORS
FOUNDATION USA, MIAMI, FLORIDA
Mr. Schaecter. Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand,
members of the Aging Committee, my name is David Schaecter. I
am 95 years old and a proud American and a proud Jew, and a
survivor of two Nazi concentration camps.
I am a witness to the greatest act of Antisemitism, where
six million Jews were killed for no other reason other than
being a Jew. I was born in a small town in Slovakia,
Czechoslovakia in 1929. In 1940, my father was taken away from
our family by the government.
That was the last time I saw him. A year later, when I was
11 years old, the rest of my family were rounded up and placed
into train cattle cars. The cars fit no more than 50 people,
and they put in 80. There was nowhere to sit.
We could only stand or fall on top of each other. Sanitary
facilities were limited to one bucket. Approximately 25 percent
of the people were dead or dying when we arrived at Auschwitz.
When we arrived at Auschwitz, the Nazis separated us. My mother
was holding the hands of my two little sisters, Leah and
Miriam, when they were taken away. This was the last time I saw
them.
Someone told my brother, Yaakov, to have me stand on his
feet to appear taller, and I did. At 11 years old, I was shaved
bald and given a tattoo on my left arm. We were assigned to a
work detail. We rose every day at 6:00 a.m. and walked two to
three kilometers to our jobs, cleaning the rail cars that we
arrived in. The floors were covered with human feces, urine,
blood, and corpses. I can still smell and taste the filth and
the chemicals we had to use.
The Nazis were not selective on how and who they beat or
who they killed. Yaakov, my brother, would take beatings meant
for me, and he shared his food with me; he did small things to
help me survive. For example, the grease canister for the axle
of the trains were as big as me. Yaakov tried to get smaller
canisters of grease for me to carry. Yaakov and I were in
Auschwitz for more than two years before being transported to
Buchenwald in Germany, Nazi Germany in 1943. I was about 13
years. By this point, the war was not going well for the Nazis.
I remember the air I was breathing was horrendous. It was the
smell of burning flesh and smoke.
We knew what the Nazis were doing. They also poisoned the
water pipelines. We knew to boil the water to keep from getting
sick. One day I saw Yaakov, my brother, drinking the water
without boiling it. "I don't want to live anymore," he said.
The next day he was sick from dysentery, frail and weak.
They marched us to work, but I could not pull him up and I
could not stop because the guard pushed his gun besides my
head. I let go of Yaakov and he just laid there, as we
continued--and we continued.
About ten seconds later, I heard the sound of a gunshot. I
knew they had shot him, and I never saw Yaakov after that.
After almost a year, around November 1944, I was placed on
another rail car. Along the route near Passau in Bavaria, the
U.S. Air Force bombed the train. I was alone without my brother
to protect me, but I jumped out of the train car and ran like
hell to the forest.
After eight days, I was found by the Czech partisans. I was
almost 15 years old and weighed 83 pounds. After recovering at
the hospital, at the end of the war, I returned to my hometown.
I had hoped to find comfort, but instead I found more
Antisemitism. I had to hide in a barn on my family's farm
before making my way back to the train station, to go back to
Prague. Other Jews that returned had been killed.
Many years passed before I learned my father had survived
the Mauthausen concentration camp--it was actually a salt mine
but had died three days after the liberation of typhoid. Before
the war, we lived on a farm that was in our family for seven
generations. I had lost 105 family members, siblings, aunts and
uncles, and cousins - all murdered. Our land was taken, and I
was an orphan. I came to America in 1950.
I learned English in nine weeks and went to college. Upon
graduation, I married and started a family. Today, I have two
children and five grandchildren, and four-great grandchildren.
I wish I could say that Antisemitism stopped after World War
II, but it rages on. On October 7th, 2023, we saw Hamas kill
1,195 Jews. It has been over 570 days, and we still have
hostages.
These atrocities are and were barbaric. To say they were
traumatizing to survivors, barely scratches the surface.
Protests on college campuses that intimidate and threaten
Jewish students are not benign and cannot be ignored. I
remember vividly when a Slovakian classmate taunted Jewish kids
like me, and what is happening today looks like and feels like
the same.
Most recently in Pennsylvania, the Governor's residence was
burned by arsonists during Passover. I spend my days going to
schools, talking about my experiences, and teaching children
about the dangers of Antisemitism.
Eighteen states in the United States, including Florida and
New York, have a law requiring Holocaust education. A recent
survey shows widespread ignorance about the Holocaust,
especially among U.S. Millennials and Gen Z, and we must do
everything possible to educate our young people, on the subject
of restitution. We survivors have been pressing for years to
ensure restitution of looted assets, such as stolen art, which
is critical to documenting the realities of the Holocaust. That
is why survivors, and our families strongly support amendments
to HEAR Act and other legislation that will enable families to
recover their property from those who still want to profit from
the Holocaust.
This is also important because part of Shoah's terrible
legacy is that for the past several decades, nearly half of all
the survivors lived and died in poverty, without adequate food,
medicine, or home care.
Survivors suffer from extreme physical and mental health
challenges due to the long-term effects of starvation,
beatings, disease, malnutrition, and the murders of our loved
ones. I am here reminding everyone that there are still
thousands of survivors alive today who are in desperate need
and who cannot be forgotten.
Thank you for having this hearing on Antisemitism. It has
been a problem, and God Almighty, it still is a problem. Thank
you.
Ms. Cordero-Stutz. Now, I would like to welcome my dear
friend and fellow Floridian, Rabbi Mark Rosenberg, who is my
Senior Advisor, as well as a Senior Chief Chaplain of the
Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office.
He is also Chief Chaplain of the Florida Highway Patrol and
the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Rabbi Rosenberg has
dedicated his life to serving the Jewish community, especially
in times of crisis.
Particularly, Rabbi Rosenberg was a passionate voice of
hope and comfort during the Surfside Tower collapse back in
2021, where 91 lives were tragically lost.
His leadership in Florida has helped to bridge the gap
between law enforcement and Jewish communities, ensuring that
cultural competency and safety are priorities in dealing with
the acts--with acts of hate.
Thank you for being such a strong voice for the Jewish
community in the State of Florida. You may begin your
testimony.
STATEMENT OF RABBI MARK ROSENBERG, SENIOR ADVISOR
AND CHIEF CHAPLAIN TO MIAMI-DADE SHERIFF; CHIEF
CHAPLAIN TO FHP AND FDLE; DIRECTOR, CHESED
SHEL EMES FLORIDA, MIAMI, FLORIDA
Rabbi Rosenberg. Thank you, Sheriff. Chairman Scott,
Ranking Member Gillibrand, members of the Committee, good
afternoon, and thank you for inviting me to speak on this
pivotal issue.
As a law enforcement Chaplain and Director of Chesed Shel
Emes, I work with many in the aging population, particularly
during end-of-life crises. The rise of Antisemitism is an issue
that is discussed far too often as people are genuinely
concerned about their safety in this online cesspool of hate.
When hate is allowed to simmer, it spills into the streets,
confirming people's worst anxieties, but there is one group
whose fear is more palpable than others, the elderly. The aging
population held on to the hope that the hatred they witnessed
in their youth was a subject of history, a burden they need not
and should not pass on to their descendants, so, they stayed
silent. Why stress their children and grandchildren if the
present reality doesn't reflect the trauma of the old world?
But on October 7th, the elderly saw their grandchildren
slaughtered for being Jewish. They came face to face with the
horrific news that the past they thought they left behind will
be the future.
Perhaps the burden they thought was unnecessary to carry
was just an illusion, and the iron grip of evil will once again
take hold of the world. Why do the elderly have more
trepidation than everyone else? Because they have seen this
movie before. They know how this starts.
They saw Jews barred from colleges and Jewish businesses
boycotted in 1933. Are we not seeing the same in 2025? The
Holocaust didn't start in 1941. The tracks to Auschwitz were
laid much earlier. I am not claiming there will be another
Holocaust in our years, but if we are being honest, the
Holocaust didn't start in the 1900's.
It was the conclusion of Antisemitism that had fermented
for centuries. After the war, the elderly thought that the
Holocaust was the final chapter in the story of Antisemitism.
They believed the greatest country in the world had given them
and their descendants unprecedented freedom.
That is why they raised their children in the United States
without passing on the trauma of their youth. Now, the aging
population is not just worried about the Antisemitism their
grandchildren face today. They fear that the country that gave
them freedom of religion could be overtaken by a sinister
agenda.
If you had to ask them before October 7th whether a
Holocaust or a Spanish Inquisition could ever happen again in
America, the answer would be a resounding no. Now, such an
assertion seems far less certain. Maybe not today, maybe not
tomorrow, but perhaps one day.
What happens in 40 years when college campuses is the new
Government? They never thought they would see this movie again,
but here we are at the opening scene. The question is, will we
drive the train off its tracks before it reaches Auschwitz? I
know this sounds intense, but these are the very real concerns
of the elderly.
After all, who knows the movie better than they do? What
will calm their fears? Consequences before it is too late. If
my child runs into the street and I remain silent, I may not
support it, but I can guarantee it will happen again. If there
are no consequences for those who intimidate and bully under
the guise of free speech, they will be emboldened to take more
ground until we reach a dark place.
For too long, people filled with hate had lived safe enough
to show up at synagogues, educational facilities, and public
spaces spewing hate and Antisemitism. They have bullied,
intimidated, harassed, terrorized, and threatened in the hope
of provoking a reaction.
In Florida, the laws hold such acts and provide
consequences for those who harass based on religion or
ethnicity, and even imposes felony charges. If we take
legitimate action, we can stop hate and Antisemitism before it
spirals out of control, as it has so many times in history.
Winston Churchill famously stated, the farther backward you can
look, the further forward you are likely to see.
Now, evil will always have a home in the human psyche. The
question is not whether we can eliminate it, but what those in
power will do to stop the spread. We can show our aging
population that trauma will not be their grandchildren's
burden. We can show them that America is not just the land of
the free, but also the land of consequences, so in conclusion,
we must accept that never again is now.
We must accept silence enables those who hate. We must
accept that the aging community is reliving the trauma that
should have never happened, let alone forgotten. We must accept
that Holocaust deniers exist, and we cannot deny their
existence.
We must also accept that the atrocities of October 7th,
murder, rape, burning of families and babies actually happened,
and that we cannot allow these crimes to be suppressed. We must
accept that 250 hostages were taken, including Holocaust
survivors, and many are still waiting for their grandchildren
to be returned from the Hamas terrorists.
We must guarantee the elderly that the world they are
leaving their children is better than the one they found. Thank
you, and I look forward to answering your questions.
The Chairman. I thank each of you. First off, Sheriff,
thank you for the introductions. Mr. Schaecter, thank you for
your powerful testimony. Rabbi Rosenberg, thank you for your
testimony.
Next, we are pleased to welcome former Congressman, Mr. Ted
Deutch from the great State of Florida, the CEO of the American
Jewish Committee. Mr. Deutch brings invaluable experience in
advocating for Jewish communities, including his work here in
Congress where he was instrumental in pushing for legislation
to combat Antisemitism.
Under his leadership, the AJC continues to be a leading
voice for Jewish Americans in the fight against rising hate and
discrimination. Thank you for being here, and I look forward to
hearing your testimony.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE TED DEUTCH, FORMER
CONGRESSMAN AND CEO, AMERICAN JEWISH
COMMITTEE, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mr. Deutch. Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand,
members of the Committee, I am honored to be here alongside my
distinguished fellow panelists, especially my dear friend,
David Schaecter.
I want to thank you, first of all, for giving us the gift
of David's testimony. I am the CEO of American Jewish
Committee, a global, nonpartisan advocacy organization that
stands up for Israel, that confronts Antisemitism, and that
upholds the democratic values that we cherish.
I note that in this Committee's history, there has never
been a hearing on Antisemitism. This hearing, unfortunately, is
both necessary and historic. I thank the Chairman and Ranking
Member for holding this hearing, and I applaud your commitment
to tackling Antisemitism in a nonpartisan and bipartisan
manner. Earlier this year, AJC released our annual State of
Antisemitism in America Report.
The top lines are startling, 73 percent of American Jews
feel less secure than they did a year ago. Fifty-six percent
have changed their behavior because of fear of Antisemitism. In
short, your constituents are deciding not to be openly Jewish
because they fear they will be targeted. That is not the
America any of us want.
Of the 1.6 million American Jewish seniors, including more
than 30,000 Holocaust survivors, 43 percent are worried that
they will be victims of Antisemitism, and more than half worry
that their loved ones will be, and they have reason to worry.
They see Antisemitic hate online.
They saw posters of Holocaust survivors torn down just last
week in New York. They hear from their grandkids about campus
Antisemitism. It doesn't matter who is targeting Jews, whether
it is the far left or the far right.
For us, the hatred and the fear are the same. Any time a
Jewish person is under threat, it affects every Jew because we
are all interconnected. The rising Antisemitism isn't just a
Jewish problem. It is a crisis for our democracy and our
society. Antisemitism divides us. It weakens our social
cohesion.
It impedes our ability to solve the challenges that we
face. This moment demands bold actions from our leaders, so
what can Congress do to fight Antisemitism at its roots? Well,
in order to fight the foundation of Antisemitism, we have to
stamp out misinformation about the Jewish community. We do that
by educating people about the Holocaust and about Antisemitism.
AJC's Translate Hate is one such resource. Building off the
success of the reauthorization of the Never Again Education
Act, we also urge Congress to pass the HEAL Act to direct the
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to ensure that every student in
America understands why we say never again.
To counter the scourge of Antisemitism that has rocked
campuses and classrooms across the country, we urge Congress to
pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the Protecting Students
on Campus Act. Both are bipartisan bills that would help
identify Antisemitism and empower students to report Title VI
violations they experience.
We urge Congress also to work with the Trump Administration
and support the Department of Education Office for Civil
Rights, including by providing at least $162 million in the
Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations process.
I also point out that closing more than half of the OCR
regional offices and cutting the number of Title VI
investigators means that fewer cases will be investigated and
thoroughly and timely dispensed with. Students deserve to know
that the Federal Government will be there for them and will
step in when their rights are violated.
In order to combat the inferno of online Antisemitism, we
urge Congress to consider a targeted and narrowed reform of
section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to tackle online
Antisemitism that leads to violence in the real world, and
social media companies should enforce their own rules meant to
prevent harassment and hatred on their platforms.
It is also imperative to protect the Jewish community from
the threats we are facing now, and we urge Congress to
immediately work with the Trump Administration to unfreeze
vital funding associated with the nonprofit security grant
program and provide necessary funding so that the security of
non-profits like synagogues and Jewish community centers are
met.
Finally, to best guarantee these efforts are as effective
as possible, we urge Congress to work with the Trump
Administration to counter Antisemitism by taking a whole-of-
government approach in its fight, and just as we fight
Antisemitism and protect the Jewish community, so too must we
lift up the voices and lived experiences of Jewish Americans.
Tomorrow marks the start of Jewish American Heritage Month.
Congress should codify this month into federal statute to
ensure that the contributions and sacrifices that Jewish
Americans have made to our country are celebrated every year,
and I urge each of you, I urge you and all of your Senate
colleagues to recognize Jewish heritage, Jewish life, and
Jewish contributions to American society during the month of
May.
Meet directly with Jewish constituents. Hear their stories
and their experiences. Understand that our contributions to
America, our lives in America contribute to the richness of our
diversity and the greatness of our Nation.
My father, the late Bernard Deutsch, who earned a Purple
Heart fighting the Nazis at the Battle of the Bulge, always
taught us that we are Jews, and we are Americans, and we
couldn't be more proud to be both.
Jewish seniors, those who have done so much for our Nation,
deserve to live out their remaining lives, celebrating their
family and community, and observing their faith openly without
worrying if their children or grandchildren will be victims of
Antisemitism.
They deserve the freedom that is promised to them and every
American, and AJC looks forward to working together with all of
you toward safeguarding that foundational promise for our
seniors whose contributions and whose sacrifices have built the
America that we are all blessed to live in. Thank you again for
having me.
The Chairman. Congressman, thanks for being here. Thanks
for your testimony, and thanks for what you do. Now, I would
like to recognize Ranking Member Gillibrand to introduce the
next witness.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you, Chairman Scott. I want to
introduce Rebecca Federman. Ms. Federman serves as the Senior
Director of the Intelligence Desk for the Community Security
Initiative in New York.
In this capacity, she manages the intelligence collection,
monitoring, and investigations related to the safety and
security of New York's Jewish community.
Ms. Federman works closely with law enforcement partners in
both state and federal agencies to provide critical
intelligence on known threat actors and impending threats. You
may begin.
STATEMENT OF REBECCA FEDERMAN, SENIOR DIRECTOR,
CSI INTELLIGENCE DESK, COMMUNITY SECURITY
INITIATIVE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK
Ms. Federman. Thank you, Chairman Scott, Ranking Member
Gillibrand, and members of the Special Committee on Aging for
inviting me to speak with you today. My name is Rebecca
Federman, and as Senator Gillibrand mentioned, I am privileged
to serve as the Senior Director of the Intelligence Desk for
the Community Security Initiative of New York, or CSI.
In 2019, in the wake of the deadliest attacks against
American Jews, 15 Jews murdered in 14 months across Pittsburgh,
Poway, Jersey City, and Monsey, many of whom were elderly
individuals, the umbrella Jewish organizations in New York
founded CSI as our way of actualizing never again
CSI is a comprehensive program designed to protect and
enhance security for the 1.8 million Jews in New York and
Southwest Connecticut. We help ensure Jews are never again
murdered in our synagogues, schools, or grocery stores. I lead
our intelligence desk, a team of four analysts whose main goal
is to detect, investigate, and disrupt violent threats
targeting the Jewish community.
The investigations we undertake are politically and
ideologically agnostic. We have thwarted violent neo-Nazis,
ISIS-inspired individuals, and other variants of Antisemites
with weapons. We spend our days knee deep in the sewers of the
internet, scouring it for threats.
It is important to note that our focus is not on the albeit
vile, but nevertheless first amendment protected Antisemitic
speech, but rather on credible threats that meet a higher
threshold, including an explicit expression of violent intent,
such as, I am going to shoot up a synagogue, an indication of
possessing weapons with intent to use them, or an expressed
allegiance to a U.S. designated terrorist organization.
In 2024 alone, we elevated a total of 221 life-threatening
instances to law enforcement and partner organizations at home
and abroad. This is undeniably a profoundly disturbing number.
Just two months ago, one of my analysts detected a post on
X in which the user indicated his intention to visit Central
Synagogue, a prominent synagogue in Manhattan, naming the exact
location, date, and time.
In a subsequent post, he evoked Adolf Hitler and pledged to
kill tenfold as many Jews if he was stopped. Working closely
with the NYPD and New Jersey State Police, the individual was
intercepted as he was in route to New York City. This is but
one of many examples of the threats the CSI team has helped to
thwart.
Based on our analysis, the most acute threats against the
Jewish community today stem from three main sources,
individuals radicalized by the current Israel-Hamas war, ISIS-
affiliated or inspired actors, or those fueled by white
supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs. Indeed, recent plots
corroborate our triple threat assessment.
In July 2024, a Canada-based ISIS supporter planned a mass
casualty attack against Chabad's world headquarters in
Brooklyn. In January 2025, based on a tip from CSI, a white
supremacist in Massachusetts was arrested with weapons and a
Nazi flag after he posted online that it was time to kill Jews,
and of course, as David said, just a few weeks ago, Governor
Josh Shapiro's home was firebombed during Passover, an act
allegedly motivated by the Governor's pro-Israel stance. A
large-scale attack like one of these is not the only threat.
Every day, Jewish Americans are victims of Antisemitic
incidents that range from vandalism and harassment to assault.
Just last week, the Anti-Defamation League released its
2024 audit of Antisemitic incidents, recording a record-
breaking 9,354 incidents. Assaults increased by 21 percent, and
58 percent of the incidents contained elements of anti-Israel
bias perpetrated by both anti-Israel organizations and
individuals, and white supremacist groups.
Particularly concerning is the 84 percent increase in
Antisemitic activity on college campuses. Since October 7th,
Jewish students face intimidation, harassment, and disruptions
to campus life.
In response, CSI launched our campus security initiative
working with Campus Hillels, Chabad Rabbis, and campus security
professionals at 25 universities from Boston to Washington D.C.
We provide everything from event security funding and
personal safety apps for students, to weekly intelligence
reports detailing trends, incidents, and upcoming protests.
While not all campuses have seen the same level of disturbing
activity, what we are witnessing on some is no longer mere
protesting.
At George Mason University, a student plotted an ISIS-
inspired attack on the Israeli consulate in New York City. At
the University of Pittsburgh, Jewish students were assaulted
during a demonstration, and at Columbia University, Jewish
students have been spat on, shoved, and chased off campus by
mobs chanting. We don't want no Zionists here.
This is not activism. It is dangerous and growing more
brazen by the day. To address the rise of Antisemitism for the
entire community, including the elderly, CSI recommends the
following.
Increased funding to $500 million for the nonprofit
security grant program, the passage of the Antisemitism
Awareness Act, and a fully funded office for civil rights
within the Department of Education to effectively and
efficiently investigate Title VI complaints.
Thank you for your bipartisan leadership in fighting
Antisemitism. I look forward to your questions.
The Chairman. Ms. Federman, thank you for your testimony.
Thanks for what you do and for the lives you have saved, so,
thank each of you for being here today. Now we are going to go
to questions. Let me start with Senator Tuberville.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thanks to
all of you for being here and your heartfelt statements. Very
much needed.
Before I start my questions, I want to read a statement
here from a good friend of mine. His name is Coach Bruce Pearl,
who is currently in Jerusalem and will be there for a couple of
weeks.
He would have loved to have been here. Shalom from
Jerusalem. I am an American Jewish college basketball coach
visiting my ancestral homeland. Yesterday was Israel's
Remembrance Day. Today is Israel's Independence Day. This is a
very emotional time for everyone here because this country has
been at war since birth.
Hours ago, I left Knesset, where I was in attendance, along
with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Herzog, and about
1,000 citizens honoring the fallen. I am angry. I am very
angry. What I would ask of this Committee is the courage to
speak to our educators. We must teach our children.
I am very proud that in the State of Alabama, we have
mandatory Holocaust education for middle school students. If we
choose not to teach them, somebody else will. None of us can
explain. They can't explain it or understand why the Jewish
people have been targeted.
We have to do two things. We have to protect ourselves from
those who want to kill us, and we have to try to live exemplary
lives so that maybe the uncertain won't hate us. Our
educational institutions want to stay neutral, leaving our
young people to find out the truth on their own. I am proud to
be an American.
This country saved my family's life rescuing my grandfather
from a turnip hole in 1929. I will be forever grateful. God
bless. Coach Bruce Pearl, Auburn University. The issue we are
seeing today on college campuses, and this is from me, is being
reinforced by the culture and values being taught on all the
campuses.
Good people in this country are being taught that
Palestinians are the freedom fighters and the people who are
being oppressed. They are being taught the facts on the ground
of the Middle East are not true.
Why is this happening on university campuses? It is the
same reason why our players would kneel for our flag and the
national anthem. Because they are not being taught to love this
country. They have been taught that they are oppressed. They
have not been taught to appreciate the opportunities this
country gives them.
They have not been taught what is really going on in the
Middle East. Young people want to have a cause, and they have
now chosen to stand against freedom because of lies and
propaganda.
Congressman, we have unfortunately seen Antisemitic attacks
spike since October the 7th, Hamas terrorist attack. Many of
the victims of these attacks have been elderly Jewish
Americans. How can the U.S. Government better protect its
citizens, particularly the elderly, from such attacks?
Mr. Deutch. Senator Tuberville, thank you. First of all, I
appreciate you reading that statement from Coach Pearl, who
stopped at AJC Global Forum in New York on his way to Israel.
We, as I am sure you are, are quite proud of his leadership
on these issues. There is an enormous amount that Congress can
do. It is important, though, to emphasize that facts really
matter here, and what you said is so important. Some of the
protests that we saw, the ones that happened on October 8th and
9th, were not protests about anything that Israel was doing.
The IDF, the Israeli Defense Forces hadn't even gone into
Gaza to defend the people of Israel and the Jewish people. The
people who took to the streets immediately with signs that had
a terrorist and a hang glider as their call to action where
they are going to do one thing, which is to support the Hamas
terrorists who slaughtered 1,200 Jews and whose goal is the
destruction of Israel and the massacre of Jews.
Congress can play a vital role both in helping to keep
seniors, Jewish seniors, and all Jews safe by focusing on
security and nonprofit security grants. Congress can play an
important role in helping everyone understand and identify what
Antisemitism actually is for those who don't spend time
thinking about this the way that we believe the country should
in passing the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
We think that Congress can play a really vital role in
making sure that on those campuses, that when the civil rights
of Jewish students are violated, when anyone's Title VI rights
are violated, that the Office for Civil Rights at the
Department of Education has the funding necessary to actually
conduct the investigations and hold those who committed these
acts accountable. Accountability matters.
On campuses across America, Jewish students have the right
to speak out and feel safe like every other group on campus.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. Rabbi, I am proud that we
now have the most pro-Israel and pro-Jewish President of my
life back in the White House.
President Trump has made it clear. If universities continue
allowing Antisemitic propaganda on their campuses, they will
lose their federal funding. Outside of this, what steps do
universities and school administrators need to take to put an
end to all this?
Rabbi Rosenberg. Well first, they need to follow the law,
and I hope that if the law is on their side, why don't we see
college campuses go rob 14 stores every day? Why don't we see
iPhones, Android phones, go missing every day? Why?
Why don't the 7-Elevens around the colleges don't have a
problem with people coming into the stores? Because there is
law and order, and I strongly believe that if what my friend
Ted over here said, that if we do that, we are not going to
have an issue. If people are taught to love like young
children, they need to know what is right and what is wrong.
Right now, it is right. It is a movement. It is cause. I
have been to college campuses myself and, you know, for 40 plus
years I grew up in upstate New York. I never experienced
anything whatsoever.
We all got along. Now, at this time of my life, I have to
walk into college campus and feel weird that I am wearing a
yarmulke. I don't feel that I am going to be robbed. I feel
that I am going to be identified because I am a Jew.
Senator Tuberville. Thank you. My time is up, but I
appreciate you all coming and speaking the truth, and as my
buddy and fellow coach Bruce Pearl would say, I think one of
the biggest answer to this question is education. We need to
educate people the right way. Thank you, and God bless you.
The Chairman. Thank you. Ranking Member Gillibrand.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. Ms. Federman, in 2024, New
York led the Nation in reported Antisemitic incidents with over
1,400 reported. These incidents are not isolated. They reflect
a broader, deeply troubling trend of rising Antisemitism in the
Nation.
The not-for-profit security grant program, which has been
instrumental in helping at-risk communities, particularly
Jewish institutions, helps to bolster the safety and security
of these institutions.
Congress recognized the importance of this program by
increasing funding to $305 million in the Fiscal Year 2025
Senate Appropriations Bill, and they approved an additional
$400 million in funding through the Fiscal Year 2024 National
Security Supplemental.
Even with this increased funding, the not-for-profit
security grant program is oversubscribed and less than half the
applicants receive the funding they need. Ms. Federman, can you
please speak about the importance of this program and why you
recommend appropriating at least $500 million dollars for it.
Ms. Federman. Yes, thank you so much for the question.
Jewish community institutions are often the sources of Jewish
life in a community, including synagogues, schools, and
community centers, and they are increasingly targets of
harassment, vandalism, violent threats.
Whether it is bomb threats, whether it is swastika
graffiti, or something more nefarious. In 2023, despite the
$274.5 million dollars that were funded in appropriations, only
43 percent, less than half of grant applications, were funded
and this leaves a significant number of at-risk institutions
without access to critical security enhancements.
Expanding this investment in the same way will ensure that
vulnerable nonprofits, synagogues, churches, etcetera, will
have the necessary resources to harden potential targets, train
for emergency scenarios, and protect their communities for
those who seek to do them harm.
If I may just give an example as to how imperative these
grants are and the work they actually do. In May 2024 in
Brooklyn, an individual attempted to run over Jewish students
at a religious Jewish school in Brooklyn. He drove his car up
on the curb, saw students outside, and tried to run them over.
Now, they received NSGP funding, and we have helped them
put up a fence, and this is going to ensure that never again
will their students be at risk in the same way from a vehicle
ramming attack, and so it is imperative that NSGPs is funded
further.
Senator Gillibrand. Thank you. You also mentioned in your
opening remarks CSI's Campus Security Initiative, where you
work with Hillel and Chabad to ensure their security.
Throughout this work, what have you learned about the
Jewish community on campuses need to help mitigate the effects
of Antisemitism on campuses? Have there been any policy
decisions made by campus administrations to help address these
incidents?
Ms. Federman. Yes, so on a tactical level, campuses have
asked us for extended funding for events, security guards in
place, particularly for events about Israel featuring Israeli
soldiers or Israeli individuals that tend to be targeted, or
large scale holidays, right. A Passover Seder, Rosh Hashanah
services.
We have also actually provided, and this came directly as
an ask from the rabbis, from their students because they felt
unsafe, we provided students with escorts to and from their
dorms on Passover of last year because they were so concerned
that they would be assaulted, harassed on their ways to and
from.
In a general sense, students just want the ability for
normal campus life. They want to be able to attend classes,
whether about the Middle East or on otherwise innocuous
subjects, and not feel that they can't speak their mind, they
can't be Israeli in school.
They won't be able to walk-through campus without being
subjected to vitriol, and they want to be able to go to their
Hillels and Chabad houses and feel safe and secure there. In
terms of policy decisions that campus administrators can make,
we have actually seen a success at NYU. They have, since the
spring of 2024 when all of the encampments were popping up,
they changed their code of conduct to include the term Zionist
as a dog whistle.
We know that very frequently someone will use it instead of
saying Jew to sort of couch their--alleged they are not
Antisemitic, but NYU has explicitly changed their code of
conduct, and it says, if you are going to use coded language,
if you are going to call for the death of Zionists, if you were
going to exclude Zionists from a campus event or a place on
campus, that then violates their code of conduct, and they are
able to----
Senator Gillibrand. I would argue all of those are
incidents of Antisemitism.
Ms. Federman. Correct.
Senator Gillibrand. Congressman Deutch, can you talk a
little bit about the Antisemitism Awareness Act and how this
Act could enhance the Federal Government's ability to enforce
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, particularly in educational
settings, and why it is imperative that the Senate has to pass
this legislation and provide clear, actual definition of
Antisemitism to the Federal Government.
Also, and I know I am out of time, but can you just talk a
little bit about why we should be supporting more Holocaust
education programs in the United States, since a lot of our
students, 12 percent of U.S. Millennials and Gen Z have never
heard or don't think they have ever heard the word Holocaust
before.
Mr. Deutch. Sure. Just really quickly on your second point,
Senator Gillibrand. I mean the answer is here with us.
The reason people need to let--kids need to learn about the
Holocaust is because as fewer and fewer survivors are able to
share their stories directly, we have to help provide that
education. Every student in America should hear what David
Schaecter shared with us today.
The impact that that has to change the way they view the
world and understand what can happen when Antisemitism, when
hate goes unchecked. That is why that is so critically
important. As far as the Antisemitism Awareness Act, it is
critical to have a standardized definition of Antisemitism.
The IHRA definition is an educational tool, and it is meant
to inform policymakers, and police, and prosecutors, judges, to
understand what Antisemitism can look like. It is not a speech
code. I want to disabuse people of that idea, something that we
have heard a lot about over the past couple of days.
It is a not a speech code at all. It is meant to help
people identify what speech that is Antisemitic looks like so
that policymakers have the ability to decide how to combat it.
Because the question isn't whether or not Antisemitic language
is acceptable. It is not whether it is protected speech.
It is whether it is something that we should simply allow
to continue that can lead to the kinds of instances that we
have been--all of us here have been talking about on this
panel. It is a really important tool in that fight, and it is a
tool that policymakers should have, and that they will when
Congress passes the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
The Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member. Let's start with
Mr. Schaecter. As a Holocaust survivor, you have experienced
firsthand the horrors of Antisemitism. How has the current rise
in Antisemitism in the U.S. impacted you personally? What do
you see as the greatest threat to elderly Jewish Americans
today?
Mr. Schaecter. Well, I don't know how to describe age, and
these elderly, I don't think they possess the same stamina that
I have at being 97 almost, but I don't want to be measuring
what makes a guy understand when he is trying to escape, when
he is trying to avoid, and he is trying not to be the guy who
gets it all and who is the victim.
I for one, I speak to youngsters, I speak to children. I
beg them to look at me, and do they think that I am someone to
be scared of? They say no.
If the children say no, why should grown-ups? Why should
grown-ups go ahead and have the right to demean and the right
to attack the helpless and the ones who are the mostly, mostly
the nicest of all time people.
The Chairman. Thank you. Rabbi Rosenberg, you have worked
extensively with law enforcement in Florida to bridge the gap
between Jewish communities and those who protect our streets.
You have also been deeply involved in cultural competency
training with law enforcement. How well-equipped are law
enforcement agencies to recognize and respond to Antisemitic
incidents, particularly those affecting the elderly Jewish
population?
Rabbi Rosenberg. That depends in which area. In areas such
as South Florida, like Dade County, I would say that the law
enforcement is--again, like you said, Senator, we do a lot of
education to educate them.
We could do a whole lot more. Many times across the state,
in different states, I find it to be that if they would know
more, they would be able to do a much better job, and we
simply, again comes back to what you were saying, everything
else.
We need to educate, educate. The last time we did the 47-
minute Hamas roll footage video, we did it through the state,
and some people wanted to see it, some people were not that
interested in seeing it. The ones who saw it said, now we
understand.
The Chairman. Ms. Federman, what are some challenges
organizations like yours have--what you face when tracking
threats to the community through the deep dark web?
Ms. Federman. I would say that our biggest challenge is the
volume of threats that we come across on a regular basis. We
are reviewing thousands of alerts that we get with our tools
that could indicate a life-threatening instance, and we have to
consider every single one as a potential threat.
It is not just the deep and dark web. It is also the
surface web, X, Facebook, Instagram, etcetera. The threats are
incredibly pervasive, and the biggest impediment is having the
ability to go through all of them.
The Chairman. Do the social media sites, are they helpful?
Ms. Federman. Not directly, for our purposes, right. We are
looking for the threats. We are not inherently engaging with
them to remove Antisemitic content. We are focused on, as I
mentioned, that very specific high threshold of I am going to
go commit violence, rather than general Antisemitic speech.
The Chairman. Do you have the--does your law enforcement
have the tools to be able to stop it?
Ms. Federman. Yes, we are very, very fortunate to work very
closely, both at the local level, at the precinct level with
the NYPD intelligence teams, with the New York State Police,
and with our FBI partners, and they have been incredibly
responsive in working to mitigate threats and in working with
us, because they know that if we are elevating something to
them, it could be imminent.
The Chairman. It is just hard to believe--it is just, you
know, it is when you--it is just hard to believe people do it,
right. It just doesn't--it doesn't make sense. None of this
makes any sense, right, so, Senator Kim.
Senator Kim. Thank you, Chairman. Mr. Schaecter, I wanted
to just start with just saying thank you to you for just such
an extraordinarily powerful testimony. I am just grateful for
you.
I wish I was able to bring my two boys to be able to come
and meet you and hear from you about your story, and I will be
making sure that they see your testimony. You know, when I was
in college, I did extensive Holocaust studies there. I actually
wrote my undergraduate thesis about the Holocaust.
I do think that we need to be doing more to be able to
invest in that type of education with our youth here in the
United States at this time, and the threat that you said, it is
not just about what happened during the Holocaust and World War
II, but what we have seen since October 7th.
Just about an hour ago, I guess a little over an hour ago,
just got off the phone again with Edan Alexander's parents,
talking to them directly about just the concern, the fear that
they feel, and I can tell you how impactful that is to the
Jewish-American community in my home State of New Jersey and
just how fearful they are. It is not theoretical. They feel it
on a visceral daily level.
Then with Edan Alexander's captivity still, it is still
very much at the forefront of their minds. One thing that you
said Mr. Schaecter, I wanted to ask this actually to
Congressman Deutch because it was something that really stuck
out to me. I wasn't going to ask about this but, you know, he
said that thousands of survivors of Holocaust who need help.
That really stuck out to me because as we are talking about
this on the Committee of Aging, you know, Congressman Deutch,
there is a part of our government agency, the Administration
for Community Living. I am not sure how familiar you are with
them.
They have a program called the Holocaust Survivor
Assistance Program, something that I worry right now that is
very much under risk because there has been this reorganization
at HHS determination of the administration for community
living.
Is this something that you are tracking? Is it a real
concern that this could very well take away resources from
elderly Holocaust survivors in their time of need, as Mr.
Schaecter pointed out?
Mr. Deutch. Senator Kim, yes, we are tracking it very
closely, but I can't let the moment pass to express
appreciation not just for your advocacy for the Alexander
family, but for speaking about it here.
A number of people have stopped me on my way and thought
that I had some garbage on my jacket. It is a piece of tape
that has the number of days now, 572 days that Hamas has held
hostages, 59 hostages including Americans, including Edan
Alexander.
Everyone, like you, Chairman Scott, has been a hero on this
issue. Your voices in speaking out makes their stories real for
everyone and keeps up the pressure to help bring them home.
I wanted to thank you for that, and yes, David is right.
The Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program is a critically
important program, and are we tracking? Yes, and all that I
would--all of our advocacy around this issue is very
straightforward. This is a program that takes care of those
whose needs are great and whose histories demand that we be
there for them so that they can help--so that we can help them
live out their lives in dignity.
Any changes that would result in cutting back on funding,
any changes that would impede the ability to ensure that
mission that I think we all have in caring for seniors and for
survivors in particular is something that we should all work to
prevent, and so, I very much appreciate raising this. It is a
vitally important issue, and we have to stand together.
Senator Kim. I wanted to make sure it didn't just fall by
the wayside, and Mr. Chairman, I hope we can followup on this,
because I think it is really at the intersection between
elderly in this country, Antisemitism, Holocaust--you know,
supported Holocaust survivors.
Congressman, you know, it was already talked about the non-
profit security grant program. I am on the Homeland Security
Committee. I am doing everything I can to be able to protect
that as there is conversations about abolishing FEMA. I worry
about the future of this. Yes, we want to preserve it. We want
to increase the funds.
One thing I also hear is that, you know, from the
synagogues, the temples that I have talked to, you know, it is
not just one-off security that they need. This is not just
something where, you know, they can have a capital project,
increase security one year. You know, this is the top budget
item for every single synagogue every single year, right.
Like how do we try to think about this in terms of
persistent support? You know, not just like a one-of grant.
Okay, it is important that they get that, but for them to get a
non-profit security grant project, you know, once out of every
x number of years is not enough, right? Like I just feel like
there is something we need to do to be able to help with that
persisting cost.
Mr. Deutch. Well, there is a lot that we need to do. I
would just say that what my fellow panelists here spoke so
clearly to is how urgent the needs are.
The Chairman was exactly right. Senator Kim, for those of
us, all of us on this panel, for people who care about these
issues and focus on them like the Chairman and like you do, we
know--Senator Alsobrooks--we know that the challenges are
enormous.
When you take a step back, as the Chairman said, it is not
normal that every Jewish institution in America, every single
one worries about the physical safety of the people who come
through their doors, kids, seniors, people coming to synagogue
to pray. That isn't normal.
Yes, we have to focus on funding, but it is the reason
why--it is ultimately the reason this whole hearing is so
important, why the fight against Antisemitism needs to be waged
by everyone, everyone across Government and all of society.
The Chairman. Speak up. Everybody has got to speak up.
Everybody.
Mr. Deutch. Everyone has to speak up. Chairman Scott,
when--there can be zero tolerance for Antisemitism. When you
hear something from, in your case, from a constituent, when we
hear something from a neighbor, when we know something is said
that isn't right, that is based in Antisemitic tropes, that it
is meant to stir up Antisemitism, we all have an obligation to
call it out just as we would against any other kind of hatred,
because Antisemitism never stops with the Jews. Not in America,
not in any country throughout history.
The Chairman. It is just the beginning. It is an attack
against other people. It is just pure hatred.
Senator Kim. It builds within people the trauma that they
carry as well, but just, you know, it gets so pervasive, I mean
especially for the parents I have talked to in New Jersey. Just
the fear every single day about their kids and their well-
being, and it just continues to cycle, so.
The Chairman. Well, and they are trying to force these
Jewish day schools to be shut down. They are trying to scare
people that they shouldn't send their kids there, and so--to
try to kill Jewish religion. I mean, it is just ongoing.
Senator Kim. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The Chairman. Mr. Schaecter, did you want to say something
really quick?
Mr. Schaecter. Yes. I am almost embarrassed to make this
question or answer it. Not every survivor is a college
graduate. I am a college graduate.
I have benefited in this country because the opportunity.
They didn't ask me what synagogue or what church I belonged to.
They accepted me because I was told to take a test and take
another test, and sure enough, I was accepted, and sure enough,
I graduated, and sure enough, I did that.
When this thing called the high tech world became here in
America like no other place on earth, and I was in that place
called America, and I was given a job because my graduation was
in the field of high tech, and high tech was the world, and I
was there, and I, God Almighty, was so lucky.
The Chairman. Thank you. Senator Kim, did you have anything
else?
Senator Kim. No. Thank you, Chairman. I appreciate it.
Thank you for pulling this hearing together.
The Chairman. Senator Alsobrooks.
Senator Alsobrooks. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, and thank
you so much as well to all who have come today to testify at
this hearing. I want to begin by underscoring what I am sure
all of my colleagues have already shared today, and that is
that Antisemitism is a real and rising threat, not only in my
State of Maryland, but it is rising throughout our country.
Any act of hate or form of discrimination is unacceptable
and absolutely must be condemned. According to the Anti-
Defamation League in Maryland, we saw a 211 percent increase in
Antisemitic incidents in 2023, including harassment, vandalism,
and even assault, and just last month, a Baltimore man was
sentenced for setting fire outside the Jewish Museum in
Maryland.
These acts are intended, as we know, to stoke fear, to
stoke division, and they have no place in our State or in our
country. Now, I want to thank Mr. Schaecter for--begin by
thanking you so much, sir, for being here today. Your survival
story, your lifelong commitment to educating others is
powerful. It is inspiring. We are really, really honored to
have you here today. I just have a couple of quick questions.
One of them is, I am a baby of the 70's. I was born in the
early--in 1971 to be exact, and at the time that I was, I was
born on the edge of the Civil Rights Movement. One of the
things I can tell you happen routinely in my family is we sat
at the kitchen table and had dinner each night was there was a
very real discussion about the Civil Rights Movement and the
fact the African American community and the Jewish community
were friends and allies, and that we would not have seen the
successes that we did except for that allyship.
I would like to ask you, because I know that American Jews
and Black Civil Rights leaders have long worked together in a
struggle against discrimination in this country, how does
finding shared values and building relationships across
communities help to combat hate? How does it make our larger
communities safer?
Mr. Deutch. Senator, I will switch--I am happy to jump in.
Senator Alsobrooks. Sure. Thank you.
Mr. Deutch. It is a really important question, and the
importance of recognizing fundamentally that we are all in this
together in America, it is the story of our Nation, and what
you describe, and the history of the Civil Rights Movement
speaks powerfully to that realization. It is the reason that
there were so many in the Jewish community who recognized the
importance of standing up during the Civil Rights Movement,
understanding that discrimination against one group ultimately
holds everyone down.
As we fast forward to where we are today, it is very much
consistent with the exchange that we had just a moment ago
about how Antisemitism is the world's oldest hate, which for
thousands of years has plagued the Jewish community.
When it rises up as it has, when there is so much
misinformation, when there are so many threats, there too is
the opportunity for the rest of the community to stand with the
Jewish community to push back against this hatred, to push
against these lies, and to help set the record straight for the
very same reason--that coming together during the Civil Rights
Movement, as you pointed out, was so critical. Coming together
in the fight against Antisemitism is so critically important at
this moment.
Senator Alsobrooks. Thank you. Now, Mr. Congressman, the
Administration for Community Living has invested nearly five
million annually in a five-year initiative with the Jewish
Federations of North America to expand person-centered, trauma-
informed services for Holocaust survivors and other older
adults with histories of trauma.
This program has supported 15,000 survivors and trained
more than 10,000 professionals nationwide. Altogether, the
Administration for Community Living ensures that older adults
and people with disabilities can live in their communities with
dignity, security, and the independence that they deserve.
Congressman, you used to represent a district with a large
senior population, and I wonder if you might just be able to
highlight, and I know I am running out of time, of how
disrupting the services provided to seniors, including Jewish
seniors, harm our most vulnerable communities.
Mr. Deutch. Thank you, Senator Alsobrooks. It is very much,
as you point out, it is the issue of not just need, but trauma
and what it means when we have this moment, this last moment to
ensure that the now small number of survivors can live out
their lives in dignity.
That means not having to revisit trauma. That means having
the wherewithal to be able to celebrate their remaining years
with their children, and grandchildren, and great-
grandchildren, and it means making sure that the means to do
that aren't ripped away from them, and it is a really important
point that you make, and I am glad you brought that up.
Senator Alsobrooks. Thank you so much. Thank you, Mr.
Chair.
The Chairman. Thank you. Congressman, we have seen
disturbing instances where individuals, including licensed
healthcare workers, have made threats online. Which is
shocking, right. Implying that they would deny care or provide
substantive treatment to Jewish patients. How would you respond
to threats like these, particularly when they come from
individuals in positions of public trust, like the healthcare
sector?
Mr. Deutch. Chairman Scott--.
The Chairman. It is hard to believe, right?
Mr. Deutch. Right, and it starts, again, with no tolerance
for it. When someone makes clear that--let's just be clear
about one thing. As Rebecca said just a little while ago, what
we have seen, especially online, is the willingness to
determine that somehow it is acceptable to just replace the
word Jew with Zionist.
That just as people will acknowledge they can't get away
with saying online or anywhere else that Jews aren't welcome,
that Jews can't come, that Jews should be killed, that somehow
when it comes to Zionists--and again, let's be clear. For the
Jewish community, for the vast majority of Jews, Israel isn't
just a country they care about. It is central to their
religious identity, to their identity as part of the Jewish
people.
When they are told by a doctor or someone whose trust we
need to count on that they are not going to be accepted if they
are Zionists, then they are being told that Jews can't come.
It is one of the reasons why at AJC we work with the social
media companies to make sure that they understand that when you
simply take Israel and Zionism and you put it in the place of
Jew in order to fulfill the desires of the Antisemites who are
doing it, that they have a role to play to make sure that
doesn't happen, and that is exactly what we need to impress
upon them.
The Chairman. If, let's say, in South Florida, a health
care worker at a hospital, whatever hospital down there, said
this. Said, you know, put out online, you know, if it is a
Jewish patient, I am going to get them substandard care. What
should everybody in the community do?
Mr. Deutch. If--and by the way, as you know, not everyone
goes to a hospital voluntarily, Senator Scott.
The idea that there are--that there may be professionals
who have said that if a patient comes in, that their care will
be different, will be lesser, or will be shunned aside
altogether because they happen to be Jewish, then that can't be
tolerated.
It wouldn't be tolerated if someone made a comment like
that about any other group, and I would think that the
hospital, the practice, would take action to ensure that that
person can't carry out those Antisemitic desires.
The Chairman. Let's take Miami. How many people live in
Miami?
Mr. Deutch. I am going to turn to my Dade County Sheriff.
The Chairman. Sure. How many people live in Miami-Dade?
Ms. Cordero-Stutz. Miami-Dade County has 2.9 million
residents.
The Chairman. 2.9 million people.
Ms. Cordero-Stutz. That is not counting our tourism.
The Chairman. If a hospital Miami-Dade had a healthcare
worker that said that they were going to give Jews a
substandard care, and 10,000 people sent a letter to the CEO of
the hospital, what do you think would happen?
Mr. Deutch. I would expect that if--I would certainly
expect that if someone in the hospital staff made a statement
like that, that was publicized, and confirmed to be accurate,
and people complained about it, that the hospital would want to
take action on behalf of the entire hospital and all of the
patients that it sees.
The Chairman. Right, but that is an example of what
everybody can do, whether you are Jewish or not. All right,
thank you all. I want to thank everybody for--all of our
witnesses for being here today, sharing your powerful stories
and expertise. The rising tide of Antisemitism in this country
is a dire threat to the safety and dignity of our elderly
Jewish population and to all Americans.
We have a moral obligation to protect those who are most
vulnerable, especially those who have survived the unimaginable
horrors of the Holocaust. Every action we take today can make a
difference, every law we pass, every policy we implement. Every
conversation we have represents one step closer to ensuring
that our elderly Jewish Americans, our parents, our
grandparents, and Holocaust survivors can live in peace and
security.
I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance
solutions that will make a real impact in combating
Antisemitism and protecting Jewish seniors, and I personally do
not understand why anybody has an anti-Jewish statement. I
just--it floors me.
We will keep the record open for additional questions and
statements from Senators until next Wednesday at 5:00 p.m.
Thank you all for being here. This meeting is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 5:04 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
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APPENDIX
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Prepared Witness Statements
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U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Prepared Witness Statements
David Schaecter
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand and Members of
the Aging Committee. My name is David Schaecter, I'm 95 years
old, a proud Jew, and a survivor of two Nazi concentration
camps. I am a witness to the greatest act of antisemitism where
six million Jews were killed for no reason other than being a
Jew.
I was born in a small town in Slovakia in 1929. In 1940, my
father was taken away from our family by the government. That
was the last time I saw him. A year later, when I was 11, the
rest of my family were rounded up and placed onto train cattle
cars. The cars fit no more than 50 people and they put in 80.
There was nowhere to sit. We could only stand or fall on top of
each other. Sanitary facilities were limited to one bucket.
Approximately 25% of the people were dead or dying when we
arrived at Auschwitz.
When we arrived at Auschwitz, the Nazi's separated us. My
mother was holding the hands of my sisters, Leah and Miriam,
when they were taken away. This was the last time that I saw
them. Someone told my older brother Yaakov to have me stand on
his feet to appear taller, and I did. At 11 years old, I was
shaved bald, and given a tattoo.
We were assigned to a work detail. We rose every day at 6AM
and walked 2-3 kilometers to our jobs cleaning the rail cars
that we arrived in. The floors were covered with human feces,
urine, blood and corpses. I can still smell and taste the filth
and the chemicals we had to use. The Nazis were not selective
on who they beat or who they killed. Yaakov would take the
beatings meant for me, and he shared his food with me, and did
small things to help me survive. For example, the grease
canisters for the axles of the trains were as big as me. Yaakov
would try to get the smaller canisters of grease for me to
carry.
Yaakov and I were at Auschwitz for more than two years
before being transported to Buchenwald in Germany in 1943. I
was about 13. By this point the war was not going well for the
Nazis. I remember the air that I was breathing was horrendous,
it was the smell of burning flesh and smoke. We knew what they
were doing. They also poisoned the water. We knew to boil the
water to keep from getting sick. One day I saw Yaakov drink the
water without boiling it. He said, "I don't want to live
anymore." The next day he was sick from dysentery, frail and
weak. They marched us to work, but I could not pull him up and
I could not stop because the guard pushed his gun beside my
head. I let go of Yaakov and he just laid there as we
continued. About 10 seconds later I heard the sound of a
gunshot. I knew they had shot him. I never saw Yaakov after
that.
After almost a year, around November of 1944, I was placed
on another railroad car. Along the route, near Passau in
Bavaria, the US Air Force bombed the train. I was alone,
without my brother to protect me, but I jumped out of the train
car and ran like hell to the forest. After eight days, I was
found by Czech partisans. I was almost 15 years old and weighed
83 pounds.
After recovering at the hospital at the end of war, I
returned to my hometown. I had hoped to find comfort but
instead I found more antisemitism. I had to hide in a barn on
my family's farm before making my way back to the train station
and back to Prague. Other Jews that returned had been killed.
Many years passed before I learned that my father had
survived the Mauthausen concentration camp, but had died three
days after liberation from typhoid.
Before the war, we lived on a farm that was in our family
for seven generations. I had lost 105 family members: siblings,
aunts, uncles, and cousins - all murdered. Our land was taken,
and I was an orphan.
I came to America in 1950; learned English in nine weeks
and went to college. Upon graduation, I married and started a
family. Today, I have two children, five grandchildren and four
great-grandchildren. I wish I could say that antisemitism
stopped after World War II, but it rages on.
On October 7th, 2023, we saw Hamas kill 1,195 Jews. It's
been over 570 days and we still have hostages. These atrocities
are and were barbaric. To say they were traumatizing to
survivors barely scratches the surface. Protests on college
campuses that intimidate and threaten Jewish students are not
benign and cannot be ignored. I remember vividly when Slovakian
classmates taunted Jewish kids like me, and what's happening
today looks and feels the same. And most recently the
Pennsylvania Governor's residence was burned by an arsonist
during Passover.
I spend my days going to schools talking about my
experiences, and teaching children about the dangers of
antisemitism. 18 states, including Florida and New York, have a
law requiring Holocaust education. This is important because a
recent survey shows widespread ignorance about the Holocaust,
especially among US Millennials and Gen Z, and we must do
everything possible to educate our young people.
On the subject of restitution, we survivors have been
pressing for years to ensure restitution of looted assets such
as stolen art, which is critical to documenting the realities
of the Holocaust. That is why survivors and our families
strongly support amendments to the HEAR Act and other
legislation that will enable families to recover their property
from those who still want to profit from the Holocaust. This is
also important because part of the Shoah's terrible legacy is
that for the past several decades, nearly half of all survivors
lived and died in poverty, without adequate food, medicine or
home care. Survivors suffer from extreme physical and mental-
health challenges due to the long-term effects of starvation,
beatings, disease, malnutrition, and the murders of our loved
ones. I am here to remind everyone that there are still
thousands of survivors alive today who are in desperate need,
and who cannot be forgotten.
Thank you for having this hearing on antisemitism. It has
been a problem and is still a problem.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Prepared Witness Statements
Rabbi Mark Rosenberg
I'm Rabbi Mark Rosenberg & I serve as the Chief Chaplain of
the Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law
Enforcement, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office, Chaplain with Miami-
Dade Fire Rescue, Senior Chaplain with the North Miami Beach
Police, Clergy to the Miami Dade Medical Examiner's Office,
Chairman of the Interfaith Advisory Board of Miami Dade-County
and Senior Advisor to the Sheriff of Miami Dade-County, Sheriff
Rosie Codero-Stutz. In addition to my role in these great
agencies, I also serve as the Director of Chesed Shel Emes of
Florida, aka CSE. Our main focus is to ensure that every Jew
who passes away gets a proper burial in line with Jewish
tradition but we are involved in every facet of Jewish life.
Through this effort, and by dealing with end-of-life crises, I
have direct interaction with the elderly population on very
sensitive matters. Correspondingly, we have forged strong
relationships with numerous synagogues/temples, Jewish Schools,
old age homes, senior citizens centers, retirement communities,
hospitals, & other institutions in addition to the countless
individuals that we come across in our lines of work. CSE is
always available to help families in times of crisis & with the
daily needs of the communities as well. These efforts allow us
to present an accurate portrayal of the Jewish collective & its
considerations, concerns, & interests to those higher
institutions whom I work for. I hope to present an accurate
portrayal to the Senate Body as well.
The rise of antisemitism is a topic that is discussed way
too often when speaking with individuals, community leaders, &
establishments as people are genuinely concerned about their
safety due to the online cesspool of antisemitism. When hate is
allowed to simmer online, it often spills into the streets
where there are incidents that confirm people's worst
anxieties. But there is one community who's fear is more
palpable than all others. The aging population has long held on
to the hope that the hatred they witnessed in their youth was a
subject of history. A burden that they need not & should not
put onto their descendants. So, they stayed silent. Why stress
your children & grandchildren if their present reality does not
represent the trauma from the old world. But on October 7th,
Holocaust survivors saw their grandchildren slaughtered for
being Jewish. The elderly came face to face with the horrific
news that perhaps the past they thought they left behind will
be the future. Perhaps the burden they thought was an
unnecessary load to carry was just an illusion & the iron grip
of evil will once again take hold of this world. They worry
about the college campuses & what their descendants will
experience. They fear that the country that gave them
unprecedented freedom of religion can be usurped by those with
a sinister agenda.
What will calm their fears that the old world is not the
new world? Consequences. It's simple really, if my child runs
into the street & I remain silent - I may not support it, but I
guarantee it will happen again. If there are no consequences
for those that intimidate & bully under the guise of free
speech, then they will be emboldened & take more ground until
we get to a dark place. The Holocaust didn't start in the mid-
20th century; it was the conclusion of antisemitism that had
fermented for centuries.
We must accept that NEVER AGAIN is now.
We must accept that staying silent is really enabling
those who hate.
We must accept that the aging community is re-living the
trauma that should've never happened, let alone forgotten.
We must accept that there are Holocaust deniers, and we
cannot deny the deniers existence.
We must accept that the Oct 7th atrocities, murder,
rape, burning of families & babies & other horrific acts
actually happened. We cannot allow these crimes to be
whitewashed as just another conflict in the Middle East.
We must accept that 250 hostages were taken, some of
them being elderly and Holocaust survivors, who are still
waiting for their grandchildren to be released by the Hamas
terrorist organization.
We must guarantee the elderly that the United States
Government will not allow this to continue.
For too long, people filled with hatred felt safe enough to
show up to synagogues, educational facilities, & public spaces
spewing hate & antisemitism in the name of free speech & there
was no legal consequence to stop them. They would bully,
intimidate, harass & threaten in the hope of provoking a
reaction. In Florida, under the Governorship of Rick Scott,
many laws have been instituted to help halt acts such as these.
This includes Florida House Bill 269 - which has helped in a
tremendous manner. It provides consequences for those that
harass based on religion or ethnic heritage, it protects
synagogues, schools, & campuses, & even includes felony charges
for hate mail & projections of images onto buildings. The bill
is referenced below. If we take legitimate action like this
today, then we can stop hate & antisemitism before it spirals
out of control like it has so many times in history. We can
show our aging population that their trauma will not be their
grandchildren's trauma. We can show them why America is the
land of the free but also the land of consequences for those
that deserve them.
Thanks to Chairman Rick Scott of the Senate Special
Committee on Aging, Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand, Senator
Ashley Moody and the other members of the Committee for giving
me the opportunity to testify on this matter at the hearing on
April 30th, 2025. I hope & I have full confidence that the
Senate body will do whatever they can to implement the
consequences necessary to ensure this runaway train of
antisemitism is pushed off the tracks before it is too late.
Once again, thank you to the Special Committee on Aging & the
Senate body for ensuring "Never Again" actually never ever
happens again.
Rabbi Mark Rosenberg
Florida House Bill 269
Harassing Based on Religion or Ethnic Heritage
784.0493, F.S.; providing definitions; prohibiting a person
from willfully and maliciously harassing, threatening, or
intimidating another person based on the person's wearing or
displaying of any indicia relating to any religious or ethnic
heritage; A person who violates subsection (2) commits a
misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable. A person who
violates subsection (2), and in the course of committing the
violation, makes a credible threat to the person who is the
subject of the harassment or intimidation, commits a felony of
the third degree.
Synagogues and Schools
871.01 assemblies.- 5. Subsection (1) of section 871.01,
Florida amended to read:Disturbing schools and religious and
other Whoever willfully and maliciously interrupts or school or
any assembly of people met for the worship of God, any assembly
of people met for the purpose of acknowledging the death of an
individual, or for any other lawful purpose commits a
misdemeanor of the first second degree, punishable as provided
in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. (b) If a person commits a
violation of paragraph (a) and in doing so makes a credible
threat, as that term is defined in s. 784.048(1), he or she
commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in
s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
Campus
810.098, F.S.; prohibiting a person who willfully enters the
campus of a state university or Florida College System
institution for the purpose of threatening or intimidating
another person from remaining on such campus after being warned
to depart. Whoever, without being authorized, licensed, or
invited, willfully enters the campus of a state university or
Florida College System institution for the purpose of
threatening or intimidating another person, and is warned by
the state university or Florida College System institution to
depart and refuses to do so, commits a misdemeanor of the first
degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
Hate Mail
403.413, F.S.; prohibiting a person from distributing onto
private property any material for the purpose of intimidating
or threatening the owner, resident, or invitee of such
property; providing criminal penalties; prohibiting a person
from distributing onto private property any material which
contains a credible threat to the owner, resident, or invitee
of such property;If a person violates subparagraph 1. by
intentionally dumping litter onto private property for the
purpose of intimidating the owner, resident, or invitee of such
property and such litter contains a credible threat, the person
commits a felony of the third degree.
Projecting Images on Buildings
806.13, F.S.; prohibiting the display or projection of images
onto a building, structure, or property without permission.
(a) A person who violates this subsection commits a
misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s.
775.082 or s. 775.083.
(b) A person who violates this subsection by displaying
or projecting an image that contains a credible threat, as that
term is defined in s. 784.048(1), commits a felony of the third
degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s.
108 775.084.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Prepared Witness Statements
Ted Deutch
Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Members of the
Committee, it is a pleasure to be before you this afternoon to
testify in the Senate, across the Capitol from where I served
for seven terms.
I am honored to be here alongside my three other
distinguished panelists, including a heroic Holocaust survivor
and my dear friend, David Schachter. It is so important to hear
their stories firsthand. Their experiences are an integral part
of Holocaust education, as studies have shown that the more a
person knows about the Holocaust, the less susceptible they are
to antisemitic rhetoric.
Today, I am here in my capacity as CEO of American Jewish
Committee (AJC), a global, non-partisan advocacy organization
that stands up for Israel's right to exist in peace and
security; confronts antisemitism, no matter the source; and
upholds the democratic values that unite Jews and our allies.
I come to you today on the heels of AJC's annual Global
Forum, where two thousand Jewish leaders from more than 60
countries convened to tackle the most pressing issues facing
the Jewish people, America, Israel, and the world.
In the Senate Special Committee on Aging's nearly 65-year
history, there has never been a dedicated hearing on
antisemitism affecting our nation's seniors. Think about that.
Today, we are, unfortunately, doing something historic. This
hearing is a testament to the moment American Jews, and indeed
the entire American people, are facing right now when it comes
to the increased levels of antisemitism and hate that have
become all too common in our society.
The State of Antisemitism in the Last Year
Earlier this year, American Jewish Committee released our
State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report. The report is the
first comprehensive data we have that captures the experiences
with and perceptions of both Jewish and non-Jewish Americans
with antisemitism one full year after Hamas's brutal terrorist
attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, in which over 1,200 people
were murdered and more than 250 were taken hostage, including
59 who are still held in captivity today, both alive and dead,
but all deserving to return home now, after 572 days in
captivity. What this report shows is that antisemitism has
reached a tipping point in America, threatening the freedoms of
American Jews and casting an ominous shadow across our society.
The topline numbers are unsettling. 73% of American Jews feel
less secure than they did a year ago. 56% of American Jews
admit that they have changed their behavior over the last year
because of the fear of antisemitism. Your constituents are
deciding not to wear a Jewish star or a hostage pin like the
one I have on because they fear they will be targeted with hate
and violence. They aren't going to synagogues or visibly
wearing kippahs because they think they may be targeted because
of their identity as Jews.
The 1.6 million American Jewish seniors - more than 30,000
of whom are Holocaust survivors are acutely aware of the
antisemitism emanating from every corner of society, and their
fear is pronounced. 43% of Jewish American seniors are worried
they'll be victims of antisemitism, and 53% are worried that
their loved ones will be victims of antisemitism because they
are Jewish. And they have reason to worry. American Jewish
seniors are seeing an overwhelming amount of antisemitic hate
online, they are seeing that posters of Holocaust survivors
were torn down last week in New York City, they are hearing
from their grandkids about what is happening on campus - chants
like "go back to Poland" and threats that October 7th would
happen "100 more times, 1,000 more times, and 10,000 more
times" ringing on the quad - and they know about the death of
Paul Kessler, a 69-year old man who in November 2023 died after
being shoved by an extremist while he was simply trying to
support Israel and uplift the plight of the hostages.
Seniors Are Experiencing Antisemitism
But it's not just statistics. Here are a few stories about
how American Jewish seniors are experiencing this explosion of
antisemitism.
Through the USC Shoah Foundation, our partners who
catalogue testimony about contemporary antisemitism, we heard
from Holocaust survivors in the U.S. who are deeply worried
about the surge of antisemitism happening right now. Eva
Perlman, who fled Berlin with her family to Paris, and then was
sheltered by Righteous Gentiles in Lyon during the war, is
afraid. She said that the antisemitism we are seeing "now is
even worse than it was at the time. And it's everywhere." The
time she is referring to? 1930s Europe. In her interview with
the Shoah Foundation, she said of the current moment, I'm
scared. I'm absolutely scared because [antisemitism] is a
poison that has invaded the whole world. Which was probably
latent, you know, it was dormant for many years, and now it's
coming out in full force. And I don't know what will happen. I
have no idea. Where will the Jews go if they are no longer
wanted in this country?
Bob Koperwas parents fled east from Nazi occupied Krakow
right before he was born. The rest of his family was rounded up
and sent to concentration camps. After witnessing just six
months of the antisemitism that had transpired since the
October 7 attacks, he told the USC Shoah Foundation that, I'm
glad I was born when I was born, because I don't want to be a
young child today.
Antisemitism Must Be Fought in a Bipartisan Manner
This all-hands-on-deck moment we find ourselves in -
American Jews and Americans of all religious and political
stripes alike - is why it is so crucial that leaders are taking
every angle to address this problem. No stone should be
unturned. It does not matter who is perpetrating antisemitism
and targeting Jews. We will be under attack no matter if it is
from those on the far-left or the far-right, as they will find
a way to make the Jews the culprits of whatever they deem to be
the ultimate evil in their philosophy. It does not matter to us
if far-left protestors call us "baby killers" when we are on
our way to synagogue or if neo-Nazis deface a synagogue with
swastikas and other hate symbols. For us, the hatred and fear
we experience are the same. Anytime a Jewish person is
targeted, it affects every Jew because we are all
interconnected. But the rising tide of antisemitism is not just
a Jewish problem. It is a crisis for our democracy and our
society.
At its roots, antisemitism is interconnected with
conspiracy theories. One of the oldest stories used to attack
the Jewish community is that the Jews killed Jesus. Since then,
no matter where Jewish people have lived, there has been Jewish
hate. It has spanned borders and millennia; it has been a left-
wing prejudice and a right-wing prejudice. Antisemitism has
emerged due to concerns about communism or capitalism.
Antisemitism is typically rooted in conspiracy theories about
the Jewish people and is irrational in nature, unable to be
explained by logic or sound reasoning. This hate flourishes
when extremism is on the rise and democratic norms are being
challenged. Whenever antisemitism surges, it leaves us divided
and unable to deal with the problems facing our society.
Addressing it is not only a defense of the Jewish community -
it is a defense of democracy itself.
That is why it is so significant that the Special Committee
on Aging is having this hearing now. And it is why, despite the
partisan rancor in Washington reaching a boiling point, there
is still room for productive discourse and bipartisan agreement
to address antisemitism. We can take real steps, today, that
will make a tangible difference to millions of American Jews.
So, I thank Chairman Scott and Ranking Member Gillibrand once
again for exercising bipartisanship on this deeply important
issue that is so essential to the very fabric of our society.
To that end, I want to take a moment as a former member of
Congress to speak candidly to the members on the panel. Right
now, as antisemitism continues to rear its ugly head across
society, as we saw recently with the targeting of Pennsylvania
Governor Shapiro on the first night of Passover, I urge you to
condemn antisemitism unequivocally and publicly, in all its
forms, whenever and wherever it occurs. Name it. Call it out.
Be strong. When an incident occurs, it matters when elected
officials speak out loudly and use their broad reach, raising
awareness that antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem, but
an assault on American values.
I spent 16 years in politics; I understand the political
implications of every statement you make. I understand that it
is often easier to call out antisemitism when perpetrated by
someone across the aisle, someone you are used to battling, and
I know the challenge that comes with calling someone out within
your own party when they do or say something you know is wrong.
But every one of you knows that when you speak out against
anyone, members from both parties, including your own, when
they spew language that threatens others in your community, as
antisemitism threatens the Jewish community, people will thank
you. You will satisfy the enormous responsibility you have to
your constituents. We cannot allow antisemitism - the world's
oldest hatred - to become a partisan political issue and be
used as a wedge to divide the Jewish community, because
regardless of where it comes from, whether from the right or
left or anywhere in between, antisemitism hurts Jews and our
country. I urge every elected official on this Committee to be
mindful of politicization and reach across party lines to
address antisemitism. The House and Senate Bipartisan Task
Forces for Combating Antisemitism serve as examples of how
Members can responsibly reach across the aisle to collectively
push back against antisemitism. I m grateful that some of you
already belong to the Senate Task Force, and I encourage every
single Senator in this chamber to join.
Understanding Antisemitism
Key to standing up to this threat is truly understanding
antisemitism. According to AJC's State of Antisemitism in
America 2024 Report, 30% of Americans are not familiar with
antisemitism, including 10% of Americans who have never heard
the term before. That is why the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism,
which provides a clear and concise description of antisemitism
in its various forms, is an important educational tool to help
individuals and entities understand how antisemitism manifests
in modern times.
How Congress Can Better Define Antisemitism
Congress should swiftly pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act
(S.558), legislation with strong bipartisan support that would
ensure the Department of Education continues to consider this
useful tool when it seeks to protect students in educational
spaces.
I also want to take a moment to address opposition to the
IHRA Working Definition due to concern that it could be used to
restrict free speech. Free speech is guaranteed under the First
Amendment. However, if someone is espousing antisemitic
rhetoric and invoking age-old tropes about Jews (some of which
are outlined in AJC's Translate Hate Glossary), our laws also
make it clear that free speech does not prevent us from
identifying antisemitism when we hear it. The IHRA Working
Definition and the examples it provides are meant to serve as a
flexible educational tool to help people recognize
antisemitism, depending on the context, not to restrict or
limit speech. Critiques of the IHRA Working Definition on the
basis that it could limit constitutionally protected speech
misunderstand the working definition and its purpose, which is
to help policymakers, civil society monitors, educators, and
others understand what antisemitism can look like, in order to
take proactive steps to address the issue and hold perpetrators
of antisemitism accountable.
Jewish American Heritage Month
Jewish American Heritage Month will start on May 1, the day
after this hearing takes place. At a time when much of the
public discourse regarding the Jewish community tends to focus
on negative themes and stereotypes, Jewish American Heritage
Month presents a valuable opportunity to shift the narrative.
It is imperative for the public to understand that like every
other American community, the Jewish American community has
made numerous valuable contributions to our country. Jewish
American Heritage Month is a great way to uplift these
contributions to our country's successes in culture, law,
medicine, sports, business, and all the ways we have valiantly
served our country - including many folks from the past
generations, such as my late father, who fought in the Battle
of the Bulge against the Nazis in World War II.
Embracing Jewish American heritage is a key strategy in the
whole-of-society fight against antisemitism. This approach
educates business leaders about Jewish identity; pushes tech
companies to combat the spread of antisemitism online and
demands that social media platforms enforce their own rules
against hate speech; and calls for strong legislation to clamp
down on antisemitism wherever it might rear its ugly head.
Allowing antisemitism to fester in any part of our society is
wholly unacceptable, and it undermines the foundational values
of our democracy. History has shown us that vibrant democracies
are the only societies that allow the Jewish community and
other minority communities to thrive, and allowing antisemitism
to permeate our discourse is a threat to our way of life.
Fighting antisemitism requires all of us, in our various
capacities, to unequivocally call out and condemn this bigotry.
Educating people across society about American Jewish history
and all of the enormous contributions Jews have made to
America, while also increasing American Jewish visibility, are
essential steps in fostering empathy and understanding, which
is crucial as ignorance often underpins prejudice and hate.
AJC's State of Antisemitism in America Report 2024 found
that 59% of U.S. adults say antisemitism has increased over the
past five years. What's more, 88% of this group say they are
concerned by the rise in antisemitism. Corroborating that
sentiment, 90% of the general public believe that not only does
antisemitism affect society as a whole, but everyone is
responsible for combating it. It is great that so many members
of the general public understand the scale and scope of the
scourge of antisemitism we are facing. But, concerningly, only
13% of non-Jewish U.S. adults know how many Jewish people live
in the United States, demonstrating that despite concern and
desire to act, the size and contributions of the Jewish
community continue to be misunderstood. How Congress Can
Embrace Jewish American Heritage
Congress established Jewish American Heritage Month, and
elected officials continue to play a valuable role in lifting
up this important honor. But there is more to be done. Congress
should codify into federal statute May as Jewish American
Heritage Month, ensuring this month and the countless
contributions and sacrifices Jewish Americans have made to our
country are celebrated. Members of this body, and indeed all
members of Congress, should recognize Jewish heritage, Jewish
life, and Jewish contributions to American society. This
educates the public about who Jews are as a people and can help
mitigate antisemitism. Having a Jewish person in your life, or
even just knowing more about American Jews, can go a long way
to combat hate. Our State of Antisemitism in America 2024
Report found that 60% of U.S. adults say they personally know
someone who is Jewish. We found that knowing someone Jewish has
a deep impact on knowing what antisemitism is and thinking that
it is a problem in America today. 81% of U.S. adults who know
someone Jewish know the term antisemitism, whereas only 52%
know the term if they don t know someone Jewish. It also
affects thinking that antisemitism is a problem: 81% of
Americans who know someone Jewish say antisemitism is a problem
in America today, while only 58% of Americans who don t know
someone Jewish say the same. This tells us how when people have
any relationship or familiarity with Jews, they are more likely
to be cognisant of the threat antisemitism poses today.
The Need For Holocaust Education
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum plays a vital role in
teaching about the important history and lessons from the
Holocaust, and I appreciate Congress's bipartisan commitment to
ensuring this vital information is taught in our nation's
schools. In our State of Antisemitism in American 2024 Report,
we found that more than half of U.S. adults (53%) answered
three or more questions about the Holocaust correctly, and
those who did are more likely to know the term antisemitism and
what it means; say that antisemitism has increased in the past
five years; be concerned about the increase in antisemitism;
and say antisemitism is a problem in the United States.
How Congress Can Bolster Holocaust Education
Congress has a vital role to play in improving education
about the Holocaust and understanding of antisemitism. I was
pleased that Congress reauthorized the Never Again Education
Act at the end of last year, which empowers the U.S. Holocaust
Memorial Museum to provide Holocaust education, resources, and
training, and urge this chamber to also pass the Holocaust
Education and Lessons (HEAL) Act (S.332), which would direct
the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to deepen our understanding
of where the gaps in K-12 education are by conducting a study
on Holocaust education efforts in states, local educational
agencies, and public elementary and secondary schools
nationwide. This information will inform policymakers as they
discuss how best to address gaps in Holocaust education and
what additional resources are needed to bolster curricula.
Congress should also ensure, through the annual appropriations
process, funding that supports Holocaust education and grants,
including $2 million for the Never Again Education Act,
continues.
Antisemitism Online
Antisemitic rhetoric has exploded online. Online and on
social media continue to be the places where American Jews
experience antisemitism the most. According to AJC's State of
Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, 67% of Jewish adults have
seen antisemitic content online or on social media at least
once in the past 12 months. While 20% of that group report that
these incidents made them feel physically threatened, many
people do not report the incidents. The number one reason given
by Jewish respondents as to why they chose not to report
antisemitism online or on social media was that they did not
believe any action would be taken.
How Congress Can Fight Antisemitism Online
To mitigate these issues, there are several avenues
Congress can take. Congress should pass fundamental reforms to
Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and hold social
media companies accountable for the spread of antisemitic and
hate-fueled violence on their platforms. Congress should ensure
online platforms lose their special immunity if they utilize an
algorithm to amplify or recommend content to a user that
promotes violence and can impose stronger transparency
requirements on online platforms that prevent algorithmic bias,
improve moderation systems, and enforce community standards.
And finally, Congress should pass legislation requiring social
media companies to allow researchers access to the platform's
data, while maintaining users privacy. Qualified, independent
researchers can help Congress and the social media companies
themselves better understand how the platform's algorithms are
spreading antisemitism.
Experts from American Jewish Committee actively engage with
social media companies on these issues, provide briefings and
policy recommendations, and serve as a trusted flagger or early
warning partner, which allows us to escalate harmful content
and alert the companies to changing trends in antisemitism. AJC
would be happy to brief Members of Congress to ensure you
remain updated on the latest data and can develop comprehensive
policies that can make these platforms safer for all users.
Antisemitism On Campus
Unfortunately, a large number of antisemitic incidents we
have seen since October 7, 2023, have occurred on college
campuses. At George Washington University, pro-Hamas phrases,
including "Glory to Our Martyrs" were projected for hours onto
a building in the heart of the campus. At Cornell University, a
student threatened to kill Jewish students in an online forum.
At the University of Maryland, students chanted, "there is only
one solution - intifada revolution," with "Holocaust 2.0" found
chalked on the ground at the time of the rally. In December
2024, a freshman at George Mason University was arrested and
charged with plotting a mass casualty attack on the Israeli
consulate in New York, which he referred to as "a symbol of
Judaism in the world." These types of antisemitic incidents
have continued well into the 2024-2025 academic year as schools
have struggled to appropriately respond.
How Congress Can Counter Campus Antisemitism
In our State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report, 32% of
Jewish university students reported feeling uncomfortable or
unsafe at a campus event because of their Jewish identity, a
75% increase from our study last year. Universities are not
fostering an open and safe environment for their students. In
the months following Hamas attacks, the Department of
Education's Office for Civil Rights received almost three times
as many Title VI complaints as the entire previous fiscal year.
And we don t even know the extent of the problem because filing
a Title VI case is not a process that many students know how to
do. Congress should pass the Protecting Students on Campus Act
(S.163), bipartisan legislation which would not only empower
students to report Title VI violations they experience but also
help ensure institutions of higher education are properly
addressing discrimination complaints, so that safe learning
environments are guaranteed for all.
I am concerned by the Administration's executive order on
March 20, 2025, titled Improving Education Outcomes by
Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, which was intended
to begin the process of eliminating the Department of
Education. These proposed cuts directly impact the Department's
Office of Civil Rights (OCR), which enforces civil rights laws
in any educational institution that receives Department of
Education funding. Without OCR, along with other critical
Department of Education programs, the protections guaranteed
for Jewish students by Title VI could be compromised if
complaints are not investigated in a thorough and timely
manner. Because of this, Congress should call on the Trump
Administration to support the Office for Civil Rights, ensure
adequate staffing levels in Washington, D.C. and in all
regional offices, and provide at least $162 million for OCR so
that it can continue to carry out its important mission of
keeping students safe. As more than half of the OCR regional
offices were recently closed, a review must be undertaken to
understand the impact of that decision. Additionally, there
must be guidance on where the OCR's functions will be housed
going forward in the federal government. Students deserve to
know the federal government will be there to enforce the rights
and protections afforded to them and step in when these rights
are violated.
Addressing Security Threats
Just as we can do more to educate and train people to
understand antisemitism, more also needs to be done to protect
Jewish communities from physical threats. Our State of
Antisemitism in America 2024 Report data found that, for
American Jews who are affiliated with a Jewish institution, 30%
said their institutions were targeted by graffiti, threats, or
attacks in the last five years. Nearly one-third of a minority
group's institutions have been threatened. And as alarming as
that number is, even more American Jews think their synagogue,
their campus Hillel, their JCC, or their kosher deli might be
next. For American Jews who are affiliated with a Jewish
institution, 70% said their institutions have increased
security measures since October 7, 2023.
How Congress Can Address Security Threats
Congress should support community-based violence prevention
programs and encourage local law enforcement to build stronger
ties with synagogues, Jewish community centers, Jewish day
schools, and other Jewish institutions and organizations and
vice versa. Through these relationships, Jewish communities can
avail themselves of state and local-level training, technical
assistance, and resources to bolster their security. And these
local efforts should work in conjunction with federal programs
such as the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP).
The NSGP provides funding for nonprofits at high risk of
terrorist threats and attacks to increase their preparedness
and support security needs. This essential program has been
severely underfunded for years, only fulfilling 42% of requests
in 2023. Since October 7, 2023, Jewish institutional applicants
to the NSGP have increased as antisemitic attacks have surged,
and fears about attacks have become pervasive. Funding for the
Nonprofit Security Grant Program is currently frozen, leaving
hundreds of Jewish and other religious institutions
increasingly vulnerable to attack. Congress should call on the
Trump Administration to immediately unfreeze this vital funding
and, further, ensure the program continues by providing $500
million in fiscal year 2026. I want to thank Congress for its
continued bipartisan support for this program. It is more vital
now than ever before.
The Need For a National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism
In the United States, while we have a Special Envoy to
Monitor and Combat Antisemitism in the U.S. Department of
State, their focus is global. The efforts of the Federal Task
Force to Combat Antisemitism can be streamlined and amplified
by including all federal agencies. Additionally, having a point
person solely focused on leading interagency coordination and
building infrastructure around combating antisemitism,
including leading and maintaining the process of sharing
federal government efforts across agencies and with the Jewish
community, will make countering antisemitism more efficient and
effective.
How Congress Can Help Create a National Coordinator
Congress should work with the Administration to appoint a
national coordinator to counter antisemitism so that our
government continues to take a whole-of-government approach to
fight the scourge of antisemitism.
Engage With Jewish Communities
I implore you to take the time to personally engage with
the Jewish communities in your state. You could attend a local
Shabbat dinner or participate in a roundtable discussion. Sit
down with and listen to Jewish students about what they are
seeing and encountering in their schools and on campus. You'll
witness the challenges they face and the experiences that shape
their lives. Let your staff and your constituents know that you
stand with the Jewish community as they boldly describe what
they have faced. There is no more important ally to our
community than the people we elect to represent us in
Washington. With our 25 regional offices nationwide, connecting
with your local AJC office, Jewish Federation, and leaders of
large synagogues is a great way to start building these
meaningful connections.
Fighting Antisemitism Will Strengthen Our Democracy
This moment is not only about the Jewish community, but
also about the society we live in, and we must find ways to
work together in a bipartisan manner to protect Jewish seniors,
combat antisemitism in society, and create a better future for
our children and grandchildren. When I was in Congress, I swore
to uphold the Constitution and worked hard to defend the
families in my district. As the CEO of AJC, I lead a 118-year-
old global organization dedicated to creating a world where
Jews thrive and are safe. Right now, that starts with defeating
antisemitism, and by working together, we can aggressively wage
this battle and our victory will be protecting the Jewish
community and strengthening our nation.
The hatred of Jews and antisemitism has plagued our world
for thousands of years. It has led to Jews being vilified,
isolated, harassed, chased, expelled, hunted, and murdered. At
its core, antisemitism is a symptom of extremism and the
fraying of our shared social cohesion. When antisemitism is
tolerated, it means even more conspiracy theories have the air
to bloom into something more dangerous and sinister. It means
there is a rot gnawing at the foundation of our society and
that we are at risk of democratic backsliding, extremism, and
dehumanization. And it means that every one of us, not just the
Jewish community, is worse off. Fighting antisemitism will not
only protect the Jewish community in America but also protect
our democracy.
For American Jewish seniors more than 30,000 of whom are
Holocaust survivors, as well as veterans of our military who
put their lives on the line to fight for our country's freedom,
small and large business owners who contributed to our economy,
and the countless others who, in their own ways, gave all of
themselves to the promise of America - the moment they are
facing right now is scary. American Jewish seniors remember a
time when Jews were often intentionally ostracized in our
country. Through their tenacity and dedication to American and
Jewish values, American Jews have experienced what some have
deemed a "Golden Age" for our community. But now, with
antisemitism on the rise, the acceptance we have enjoyed is at
risk of going away. These seniors deserve to live out their
many remaining years celebrating the successes of their family
and community, and observing their faith openly without
worrying about what happens if they are proudly Jewish in
public or if their children or grandchildren will be victims of
antisemitism. For these amazing American Jewish seniors, for
the Jewish community, for the future of our democracy, we must
all come together to fight antisemitism now.
Thank you.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Prepared Witness Statements
Rebecca Federman
Thank you, Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Gillibrand, and
Members of the Special Committee on Aging, for inviting me to
speak before you today.
My name is Rebecca Federman, and I am privileged to serve
as the Senior Director for the Community Security Initiative of
New York's Intelligence Desk. In 2019, in the wake of the
deadliest attacks against American Jews - 15 dead Jews in 14
months across Pittsburgh, Poway, Jersey City, and Monsey, many
of whom were elderly individuals - the umbrella Jewish
organizations in New York, UJA-Federation and JCRC-NY, founded
the Community Security Initiative as our way of actualizing
Never Again. CSI, as the organization is colloquially known, is
a comprehensive program designed to protect and enhance
security for the 1.8-million-person Jewish community in New
York and in Southwest Connecticut. We help ensure Jews are
never again murdered in our houses of worship, schools,
community centers, summer camps, or grocery stores.
I supervise our Intelligence Desk, a team of four threat
intelligence analysts, whose main goal is to detect,
investigate, and disrupt violent threats targeting the Jewish
community. The investigations we undertake are politically and
ideologically agnostic - we've thwarted violent neo-Nazis,
disrupted ISIS-inspired individuals, and other variants of
antisemites with weapons. We spend our days knee-deep in the
sewers of the deep, dark and surface web, scouring the internet
for threats.
It is important to note that our focus is not on vile,
first amendment protected antisemitic speech, but rather a
higher threshold, focusing on those threats that include: 1) an
explicit expression of intent to commit violence, such as "I am
going to shoot up a synagogue"; 2) an indication of possessing
weapons with intent to use them; or 3) an expressed allegiance
to a U.S. designated terrorist organization. And in 2024 alone,
we elevated a total of 221 life-threatening instances to law
enforcement and partner organizations both locally and globally
for them to urgently respond. This is undeniably a profoundly
disturbing number.
Fortunately, CSI works hand in hand with law enforcement
partners at the local, state, and federal level and in many
cases sharing of this threat information has enabled law
enforcement to act and to disrupt potentially deadly threats.
Just two months ago, this past Valentine's Day, the CSI
Intelligence Desk thwarted an attack against Central Synagogue,
a prominent synagogue in Manhattan. One of my analysts detected
a post on X in which the user indicated his intention to visit
the synagogue, naming his location, date and time, and in a
subsequent post, evoked Adolf Hitler, claiming if he was
stopped, he would kill tenfold as many Jews as Hitler did.
Working closely with our partners at the NYPD and New Jersey
State Police, they were able to locate this individual as he
was en route to New York City, arresting him as he attempted to
enter the Lincoln Tunnel, a main thoroughfare connecting New
Jersey to Manhattan. This is but one of many examples of the
antisemitic terrorist threats the CSI team has helped to
thwart.
The threat landscape facing the Jews in America and around
the world is vast and diverse, particularly in the wake of
Hamas' October 7, 2023 terror attack against Israel. Of the
instances we elevated to law enforcement for which we were able
to determine the online user's ideology, 60% were motivated by
white supremacist ideology and 40% by jihadi ideology, such as
individuals expressing their allegiance to ISIS or Hamas.
CSI assesses that another violent attack targeting the
Jewish community in America is increasingly likely. Based on
our analysis, CSI assesses the greatest threats to the Jewish
community come from three main vectors: a homegrown violent
extremist motivated by the current Israel-Hamas war; an
individual associated with or inspired by ISIS; or a Racially
and Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremist fueled by white
supremacist and neo-Nazi beliefs.
Indeed, recent thwarted attacks-some stemming from CSI
Intelligence threat detection-corroborate our "triple threat"
assessment. In July 2024, a Canada-based individual planned to
target Chabad's world headquarters in Brooklyn, NY with a mass-
casualty attack in the name of ISIS, which was fortunately
thwarted by a joint FBI-Canadian law enforcement operation. In
January 2025, based on a tip from CSI to the FBI, a white
supremacist in Beverly, Massachusetts was arrested with
weapons, ammunition, and a Nazi flag after he posted online
that it was time to kill Jews and that he had the addresses of
every Jew in his neighborhood. And of course, just a few weeks
ago, Governor Josh Shapiro's home was firebombed during
Passover, by an attacker allegedly motivated by the current
Israel-Hamas war and the Governor's pro-Israel stance.
A large-scale, violent attack is not the only threat facing
the Jewish community in America. Every day, Jewish Americans
are victims of antisemitic incidents that range from vandalism
and harassment to assault. Just last week, the Anti-Defamation
League released its annual audit of antisemitic incidents for
2024. Unsurprisingly, the 9,354 incidents recorded were the
highest on record since ADL began tracking these statistics in
1979. Assaults increased by 21% over last year's data, and 58%
of the incidents the ADL recorded in 2024 contained elements of
anti-Israel bias, perpetrated by both anti-Israel organizations
and white supremacist groups.
Also included in ADL's audit data, was an 84% increase in
antisemitic activity on college campuses across the country.
Since October 7th, Jewish students began feeling unsafe on
their college campuses, often subjected to intimidation,
harassment, and disruptions of their events, classes, and
campus life. In response to the frequent vitriol and disruptive
protest activity, CSI launched our Campus Security Initiative,
working with Campus Hillels and Chabad Rabbis as well as Campus
Security professionals at twenty-five universities along the
Amtrak corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C. in order to
meet their needs. On some campuses, our role is to provide
guidance for Jewish campus professionals and students. For
other campuses, CSI provides funding for security guards to
protect events. For every campus, we offer a personal security
app for students and my analysts prepare a weekly campus report
detailing the key trends, incidents, and upcoming protest
activities taking place on campuses.
Looking at the trendlines across the twenty-five campuses,
we assess that campuses are no longer just centers of first
amendment protected protest. While not all campuses have seen
the same level of protest activity, harassment, and
intimidation of Jewish students, in some cases, campuses have
become launchpads for violence and hate. Late last year, at
George Mason University, a student plotted an ISIS-inspired
terror attack against the Israeli Consulate in New York. Also,
during 2024, at the University of Pittsburgh, Jewish students
were physically assaulted during a protest. And at Columbia
University, during the past year, Jewish students were spat on,
shoved, and chased off campus by mobs shouting, "We don't want
no Zionists here." This is not activism-it is antisemitic
violence, growing louder, bolder, and more dangerous by the
day.
Policy Proscriptions - Keeping Jewish Americans Safe from
Antisemitism and Terrorist Threats In order to address the rise
of antisemitism, CSI proposes the following policy
recommendations:
1. In light of the alarming rise in antisemitic threats
and acts of violence across the United States, it is imperative
that Congress takes swift and decisive action by increasing
funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). Jewish
community institutions-including synagogues, schools, and
community centers-have become increasingly frequent targets of
harassment, vandalism, and violent threats. In 2023, despite
$274.5 million in appropriations, only 43% of grant
applications were funded, leaving a significant number of at-
risk institutions without access to critical security
enhancements. CSI, in partnership with the Jewish Federations
of North America, respectfully urges Congress to include $500
million in the final FY25 and FY26 appropriations bills for the
NSGP. An expanded investment will ensure that vulnerable
nonprofits have the necessary resources to harden potential
targets, train for emergency scenarios, and protect their
communities from those who seek to do them harm.
2. In addition, we strongly urge passage of the
Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA). Following the October 7th
terrorist attack by Hamas, Jewish students across the United
States have experienced a disturbing increase in harassment and
intimidation, particularly on college campuses. The AAA would
require the U.S. Department of Education to use the
International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working
Definition of Antisemitism when evaluating discrimination
complaints under Title VI. The IHRA definition-endorsed by over
160 Jewish communities and organizations worldwide-provides
concrete, internationally accepted examples to help distinguish
protected free speech from unlawful, antisemitic conduct.
Adoption of the Antisemitism Awareness Act will give the
Department of Education a critical tool to combat antisemitism
effectively while upholding constitutional rights, and it will
reaffirm America's commitment to protecting the safety and
dignity of all students.
3. Finally, to protect students, safeguard campuses, and
ensure a peaceful end to the semester, colleges must robustly
enforce Title VI guidelines, including time, place, and manner
restrictions, permitting requirements, and enforcing campus
codes of conduct that protect Jewish students. Serious
consequences, such as suspension, expulsion, and bans from
campus events, including commencement, must be swiftly imposed.
Congress has an important role to play here, ensuring that the
Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of
Education, which handles Title VI investigations, receives the
resources needed to conduct robust investigations.
Thank you for your bipartisan partnership and leadership
fighting antisemitism. I look forward to your questions.
=======================================================================
Questions for the Record
=======================================================================
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Questions for the Record
David Schaecter
Senator Dave McCormick
Question:
The civil terrorists that vandalize synagogues, assault
police officers, occupy buildings, and block roads often cite
the Holocaust. They compare democratically elected leaders to
Hitler and call Jewish people the new Nazis. As someone who
survived the horrors of the Holocaust, what do you make of this
framing?
Response:
Analogies of contemporary events or people to Nazism
reflect a very serious misunderstanding of the vast scope of
Nazi Germany's crimes. The Holocaust was the greatest crime in
human history. Nazi Germany and its collaborators perpetrated
murder and theft on an incomprehensible scale against the
Jewish people, as documented in millions of archival records,
and traumatic human experience and testimony. Whether through
ignorance or malice, Nazi analogies are terribly misguided and
dishonor the memory of six million Jews who were murdered,
including one and a half million children under the age of
twelve.
Comparisons of Israel with Nazis, or accusations that
Israel is committing "genocide," are especially contemptible.
We personally saw the world stand silent as our mothers,
fathers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and
cousins were slaughtered. We actually had nowhere to go -- no
possible place of refuge. No country would accept us even
though world leaders knew full well that thousands of Jews were
being murdered every day. There was no Jewish nation to which
we could flee.
Accusing Israel of "genocide" today creates a completely
false moral equivalency between Hamas's unspeakable atrocities
against innocent Israelis, and Israel's right of self-defense
against terrorists who use Palestinian women and children as
human shields to wage war against Jewish people and try to
destroy Israel.
The barbarity of the Hamas attacks of October 7, and
grotesque accusations of "genocide" against Israel before and
after October 7, including in the days before one Israeli
soldier set foot in Gaza, remind us that hatred of the Jewish
people is a cancer that will never be eradicated. It must be
recognized, protected against, and crushed when it threatens.
The shameful explosion of antisemitism that has followed, even
in this great country and on campuses once considered "elite,"
is fueled by such hateful propaganda.
In the years leading to and during the Holocaust, similar
lies and political propaganda were ignored and excused, at the
same time they fostered unprecedented genocidal hatred - real
genocide. I know -- I was there.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Questions for the Record
Ted Deutch
Senator Dave McCormick
Question:
Congress has a duty to do whatever it can to put a stop to
the criminals and civil terrorists harming, intimidating, and
attacking Jewish Americans. I agree with you that defining
antisemitism is critical - not just for educating the public,
but for giving government officials a framework for evaluating
Title VI cases. To that end, why do you believe the IHRA
definition of antisemitism is the most useful framework?
Response:
As the most widely adopted and used definition of
antisemitism in the world, employed by over 100 entities,
including over 40 governments, including within the U.S.
government, the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism is a
clear and concise description of antisemitism in its various
forms, including conspiracy theories, Holocaust denial and
distortion, prejudices against Jews, and the rejection of
Israel's right to exist.
Contemporary manifestations of antisemitism require a more
thorough and nuanced approach when it comes to recognizing when
antisemitism extends beyond explicit expressions of hatred. The
IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism includes a series of
examples that serve as illustrations of the various ways that
antisemitism can manifest, depending on the context. These
practical examples could help a police officer on the street
recognize antisemitism as well as a graduate student in a
classroom. With the context provided by the examples, the
Working Definition is meant to serve as a flexible tool to help
people recognize what might constitute antisemitism.
Senator Raphael Warnock
Question:
On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive
order entitled "Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering
Parents, States, and Communities," which directs the Secretary
of Education to close the Department of Education.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States,
Executive Order No. 14242, 90 Fed. Reg. 13679, and Communities, White
House (March 20, 2025), https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/
03/25/2025-05213/improving-education-outcomes-by-empowering-parents-
states-and-communities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Can you describe the role the Office for Civil Rights in
the Department of Education plays in protecting students from
religious discrimination?
Response:
The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
enforces civil rights laws in any educational institution that
receives Department of Education funding. Title VI of the Civil
Rights Act of 1964 protects people from discrimination based on
race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that
receive Federal financial assistance. Students who experience
religious discrimination often have few other options for a
guaranteed free, unbiased examination into the complaint other
than under Title VI. OCR is tasked with investigating
complaints against educational institutions, and the office
also works with these institutions to resolve these complaints
and ensure a safe environment for students.
Question:
What are the potential consequences if the Office for Civil
Rights does not have adequate funding or staffing?
Response:
In the months following Hamas's terror attacks in Israel on
October 7, 2023, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) received
nearly three times as many Title VI complaints as in the entire
previous fiscal year. However, we still do not fully understand
the extent of the problem because many students are unaware of
how to file a Title VI complaint, so the actual number of Title
VI violations might be much higher. OCR was under-resourced at
the start of this year and my concerns have only increased with
reports that more than 200 of OCR's roughly 550 employees were
laid off and more than half of their regional offices have
closed. Without adequate funding or staffing, the OCR, along
with other essential Department of Education programs, will be
unable to investigate these complaints properly and in a timely
manner. This jeopardizes the protections guaranteed for Jewish
students under Title VI. Students deserve to know the federal
government will be there to enforce the rights and protections
afforded to them and step in when these rights are violated.
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Questions for the Record
Rebecca Federman
Senator Dave McCormick
Question:
As someone who works closely with law enforcement, do you
think law enforcement has the tools it needs to monitor and
thwart antisemitic violence? w can Congress further support
efforts to protect religious communities?
Response:
The Community Security Initiative is incredibly grateful
that our law enforcement partners, including NYPD, New York
State Police, and the New York FBI office, have been
consistently supportive of our work and protecting the Jewish
community in New York. The tools and the know-how are there,
but the threat is so vast that having adequate resources and
personnel to remain on top of antisemitic threats of violence
is a constant challenge.
Congress can support efforts to protect religious
communities by 1) increasing funding for the Nonprofit Security
Grant Program (NSGP). An expanded investment will ensure that
vulnerable nonprofits have the necessary resources to harden
potential targets, train for emergency scenarios, and protect
their communities from those who seek to do them harm; 2)
passing the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA), requiring the
U.S. Department of Education to use the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism
when evaluating discrimination complaints under Title VI; and
3) ensuring that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) within the
U.S. Department of Education, which handles Title VI
investigations, receives the resources needed to conduct robust
investigations into antisemitic and other bias incidents that
occur on campus.
Senator Raphael Warnock
Question:
Your intelligence team monitors for antisemitic posts that
may pose a threat to the Jewish community in New York.
Research shows that seniors use social media less than
younger generations.\1\ What can Congress do to help make
seniors aware of and to protect seniors from online threats?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Michelle Faverio, Share of Those 65 and Older Who Are Tech
Users Has Grown in the Past Decade, Pew Research Center (Jan. 13,
2022), https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/01/13/share-of-
those-65-and-older-who-are-tech-users-has-grown-in-the-past-decade.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response:
As you indicate, because seniors are less active on social
media, the most effective way to protect seniors from threats
to their lives that are made online is to ensure that they are
safe within their Jewish institutions, including synagogues and
community centers. Increasing funding for the Nonprofit
Security Grant Program (NSGP) will help facilitate keeping
seniors safe in the locations they frequent, providing critical
resources to harden these targets.
=======================================================================
Statements for the Record
=======================================================================
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging
"Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older
Americans"
April 30, 2025
Statements for the Record
Jewish Federations of North America Testimony
Thank you for your work to address antisemitism and for
holding the hearing, Never Again: Addressing the Rise of
Antisemitism and Supporting Older Americans, on April 30, 2025.
It is an honor to submit testimony for the record.
The Jewish Federations of North America proudly represents
146 independent Federations and a network of 300 smaller
communities across the continent. Our mission is to build
flourishing Jewish communities. We protect and enhance the
well-being of Jews worldwide through meaningful contributions
to community, Israel, and civil society. In 2024, Jewish
communities experienced 8,354 reported antisemitic incidents -
the highest number recorded in a single year according to the
Anti-Defamation League. As we know, antisemitism affects us
all, including older people in our community. Too often, older
voices are not heard. This is why we work to give voice to
Holocaust survivors and other older Americans. Here are some
stories of how Holocaust survivors are experiencing
antisemitism around the country.
Survivors Speak: Facing Antisemitism in America Today
In Chicago, Illinois, a Holocaust survivor's front door was
vandalized with antisemitic language. A neighbor was the first
to notice, and when they remarked that the survivor seemed
relatively unfazed, the survivor said, "I cannot show fear.
It's not an option. I cannot show them I'm afraid." She refused
to take down her mezuzah and continued to live her normal life.
On the other hand, the agency serving Holocaust survivors
recently received a generous donation of mezuzot for their
clients' doorposts. Almost no clients wanted one, presumably
out of concern for identifying their home as a Jewish home.
A Holocaust survivor couple in Boca Raton, Florida, shared
a story about their Jewish grandson who was harassed during
anti-Israel protests at a university in the northeast. The
grandson was pressured by his friends to join anti-Israel
protests, and when he refused, he was shunned and antagonized
for being Jewish and supporting Israel. It was devastating for
him to learn he could not trust people who previously had been
cordial and with whom he had enjoyed activities together. The
Holocaust survivor grandparents were deeply affected.
Other survivors in Boca Raton articulated that "it feels
like Germany all over again," retraumatized by current events
in Israel and antisemitism. Survivors were saying, "It feels so
much like Germany. It started with casual remarks, then
rallies, we didn't think this would ever happen again and here
it is."
A Holocaust survivor in Columbus, Ohio, applied for an
Austrian Passport. "Even though I never thought I would ever go
back to Austria after my father was taken away to the camps,"
he wrote, "I now look at Austria as a potential safe place to
run to with the rise of antisemitism and destruction of all
social services here in the U.S."
Several Holocaust survivors have stopped attending public
events that have a Jewish focus because they are concerned
about their safety. They have reason to be concerned. When the
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra performed in San Diego,
California, protestors blocked some cars with survivors in them
from getting to the concert hall. The survivors were rattled by
the experience.
While giving a speech at a Holocaust remembrance gathering
in San Diego, a 90 year old Holocaust survivor shared how much
anxiety she is living with because of what she sees and hears
around her. She feels we are on a precipice of another
Holocaust, as she once again experiences behaviors, rhetoric
and propaganda that appears to blame the Jewish people for
today's societal problems. Another survivor warned that "Never
Again" is happening once more.
A prominent Holocaust survivor from Queens, New York, has
been extremely traumatized by the increasing antisemitism.
Seeing Jewish college students being accosted on the college
campus has brought back terrible memories from the past. An
elderly Bukharian victim of trauma living in Queens has heard
about how people who are visibly Jewish have been verbally
abused on the streets of New York. Survivors have also drawn a
parallel between the hostages being held in Gaza to people
being held by the Nazis.
The wife and daughter of Holocaust survivors in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said that every time she
experiences antisemitism, she feels the urge to flee. When
instances of antisemitism had become prevalent in Ukraine where
she previously lived, she made the decision to leave within two
days. When she hears about antisemitism now, she feels her
trauma resurfacing.
There is a Holocaust survivor in Cincinnati, Ohio, who
frequently shares her Holocaust story with public audiences
because she knows how important it is to teach the lessons of
the Holocaust. However, after she experienced antisemitism in
some schools and public settings where she had been speaking,
she is now worried about someone coming to her house to harm
her.
As a group, Holocaust survivors in Cincinnati have taken
action. Upon learning about antisemitism on college campuses,
the survivors expressed their sadness and disappointment that
after everything they lived through during the Holocaust, young
people today were still experiencing this hatred. Guided by
their belief in the resilience of the Jewish people, the
survivors penned an inspirational letter to offer wisdom,
comfort, and encouragement to the students. The University of
Cincinnati Hillel invited the survivors to read the letter to
students at a Shabbat gathering. The local news covered the
event on TV, and the newspaper published the letter. Finally,
the Holocaust survivors read the letter at Cincinnati's October
7th commemoration to a standing ovation. Through these
activities, the survivors turned a feeling of helplessness into
a feeling of power and influence.
Holocaust survivors in New York, NY, who attend a weekly
virtual class together often reference the similarities between
today and the antisemitism they experienced in Europe. They are
shocked this is happening in the United States, the country
that became their new home and provided safety and the ability
to build a new life. They ask, "How could this be happening
again? When will they leave us alone in peace? How could this
country allow this?"
Also in New York, NY, members of a support group for
children of Holocaust survivors shared how they are removing
their mezuzot from their doorposts or not wearing their star of
David necklace to try to protect themselves. One person
expressed fear and worry about having a medical procedure done
by someone who wasn't Jewish, and another specifically only
sees doctors who are Jewish. Another shared that she was
considering leaving her synagogue because antisemitism wasn't
talked about, despite it being very present in the community,
and as a result it made her feel very alone and isolated.
Another group member talked about how she was bullied and
ridiculed as a child for being Jewish in a school where she was
one of the only Jewish people and this trauma is coming back up
for her now.
These stories demonstrate how Holocaust survivors and their
families have been re-traumatized. Many are avoiding public
gatherings, concealing their Jewish identities, and planning
their "escapes" from the antisemitism of the United States.
Others are taking action. These are mechanisms to cope with the
trauma.
From Survival to Support: Meeting the Needs of Holocaust
Survivors Today
Holocaust survivors are resilient people who are once again
having to face hatred and withstand fear because they are
Jewish. The attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the
continued captivity of innocent hostages is excruciatingly
painful to all Israelis, to all Jews, and to all of humanity.
But for Holocaust survivors, the pain evokes deep torture from
their past, laced with the sorrow and disappointment that the
world did not learn their lessons.
Holocaust survivors need our continued love and care. They
need outlets to channel their sadness into action, to help, to
make a difference. And, importantly, they need to be able to
access supports, especially those who are living in poverty, so
they can age and live comfortably at this stage in their lives.
This is why JFNA runs the "national resource center for
older individuals experiencing the long-term and adverse
consequences of trauma," which is authorized in the Older
Americans Act of 2020. JFNA's Center on Aging, Trauma, and
Holocaust Survivor Care improves the quality of care for
Holocaust survivors like the ones described, and all older
people in this country.
This national resource center, which is funded in part by
the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program (HSAP), has developed
the person-centered, trauma-informed (PCTI) approach to care,
using lessons learned from serving Holocaust survivors over
decades. To be person-centered, trauma-informed means to
recognize that a history of trauma impacts people as they age,
and therefore develop services and supports that minimize the
risk of re-traumatization.
Take, for example, a congregate meal serving older adults.
For this meal to be person-centered, trauma-informed, you would
have plated meals. You would not have a buffet line, because
the person at the end of the line may worry there will not be
enough food by the time he gets to the front of the line. Due
to ongoing or past experience with food insecurity - or in a
Holocaust survivor's case, starvation - he may experience
anxiety or re-traumatization waiting in line, and he may not
even know why. But if he is uncomfortable, he will not come
back for the next lunch program. He may go hungry, lack
vitamins, or become socially isolated, which can lead to falls
and a host of other health problems.
In a PCTI meal program, you would have plated meals, with
Ziploc bags or containers already on the tables, so that
everyone knows there will be an abundance of food and you are
welcome to take it home.
This is a low-cost intervention. Plastic Ziploc bags are
cheap. But the knowledge and training of staff to know to do
this takes investment.
The investment is well worth it - keeping people healthier,
avoiding hospitalizations, and enabling older Americans to live
at home with their families and communities. Indeed, if the
PCTI approach were universal, more older individuals would be
able to access and thrive with the services.
The Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program's (HSAP) role in
supporting the Center and its work cannot be underestimated.
Over the last decade, the Center on Aging, Trauma, and
Holocaust survivor care has funded over 400 PCTI programs
across the country. Each of these grants takes a program that
meets needs such as food, housing, or transportation and uses
the PCTI approach in every aspect of the program - from intake,
to service delivery, to program evaluation.
Since HSAP's inception, the Center has served approximately
48,000 Holocaust survivors, 19,000 older adults with a history
of trauma, 9,000 family caregivers, and provided 23,000
professional service providers and volunteers with training -
all using the PCTI approach.
Indeed, if the PCTI approach were universal, more older
individuals would be able to access and thrive with the
services. If services are not person-centered, trauma-informed,
survivors and others will not access services. They will go
without, and they will not get their basic needs met. They may
end up in a hospital or nursing home. This would be costly.
We can't afford to offer services that people don't use -
or don't respond well to.
In addition, families and friends who take care of
Holocaust survivors and other older adults need to recognize
that past trauma in their loved ones' lives impacts their
ability to access and accept care today. Families need this
training to best care for their loved ones. The market value
for the labor provided by unpaid family caregiving is an
estimated $522 billion per year, according to an Administration
for Community Living 2024 report to Congress. If the family and
friend caregivers are not able to provide care in a PCTI way,
and if they are not able to receive support for themselves in a
PCTI way, they will not be able to keep giving their free
labor. Health and quality of life will suffer. Our county
cannot afford this.
PCTI services lead to more affordable aging and enable
Holocaust survivors and other older Americans to age in place
in their homes and communities, where people want to remain.
Oftentimes, if a provider does not use the concepts of PCTI
care, the sights and sounds of medical settings and
institutions can lead to re-traumatization in Holocaust
survivors. On top of this inadvertent re-traumatization,
Holocaust survivors and others are dealing with outright
antisemitism in health care.
Antisemitism in the Healing Professions: A Threat to Care and
Public Trust
Discrimination and bias against the Jewish community in the
healthcare sector, including medical schools and major hospital
centers, have grown to new heights since the October 7th
attacks. Antisemitism in healthcare is a threat not only to
those directly targeted but also to the entire medical care
system, impacting medical students, practitioners, and patients
who face harassment and exclusion based on their beliefs.
The Journal of General Internal Medicine found in a survey
that 88.8% of Jewish medical professionals experienced
antisemitism in the year after Hamas's October 7th terrorist
attack on Israel, compared to 40% in the year prior - a
dramatic and alarming increase. More than a quarter reported
feeling "unsafe or threatened due to antisemitic incidents." A
survey from the Journal of Religion and Health also found that
nearly 75% of Jewish medical professionals had been exposed to
antisemitism online.
In the mental health space, antisemitic bias has become
increasingly apparent and institutionalized. A notable example
is the emergence of the "decolonizing therapy" movement, which
has at times advanced narratives framing Zionism as a form of
mental illness and depicting Jews as inherent "oppressors."
Such rhetoric dangerously misrepresents Jewish identity and
history, while also fostering animosity toward Jewish
therapists and clients. This atmosphere compromises the safety
and ethical foundation of therapeutic environments.
There have also been reports of Jewish individuals being
dropped by their therapists following the events of October
7th, and "referral blacklists" have circulated aiming to
exclude Jewish or Zionist providers. The organizer of a
Facebook group for "anti-racist" therapists created a list of
suspected "Zionist" therapists - Jews - to be blacklisted,
accusing them of "white supremacy." Another Facebook group with
25,000 members requires members to be "Pro Palestine," a
requirement apparently added after October 7th. These actions
are clear violations of core ethical standards, professional
responsibilities, and anti-discrimination principles.
Antisemitism within medical institutions remains a
significant concern. Harmful statements made by influential
figures have led many Jewish families to question whether their
loved ones can expect fair and empathetic treatment. Jewish
doctors and practitioners have felt increasingly ostracized
within professional associations, prompting the formation of
groups such as the American Jewish Medical Association, the
Association of Jewish Psychologists, and Psychologists Against
Antisemitism.
This kind of bigotry not only endangers the well-being of
Jewish patients including older Americans but also erodes the
ethical principles at the heart of medical practice, where
commitment to the patient should be paramount. The presence of
unchecked antisemitism in healthcare not only endangers Jewish
professionals but corrodes public trust in medical institutions
and violates the ethical foundation of the profession.
At a time when Holocaust survivors and others in the Jewish
community are facing antisemitism, they are turning more and
more to Jewish organizations, agencies, and providers to meet
their healthcare needs.
Honoring The Lessons, Meeting Today's Challenge
In conclusion, Holocaust survivors and others in the
community are experiencing antisemitism at alarming levels. We
must listen when Holocaust survivors are telling us their
experiences. We must fight antisemitism while caring for older
people who are experiencing it. And our care must be person-
centered, trauma-informed. Holocaust survivors are our
teachers, and now their lessons are helping us to improve
healthcare in homes, communities, and medical settings for
everyone.
Thank you for your leadership and consideration of this
important issue.
Sincerely,
The Honorable Eric D. Fingerhut
President & Chief Executive Officer, Jewish Federations of
North America
Karen Paikin Barall
Vice President, Government Relations, Jewish Federations of
North America
[all]