[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 82 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E962]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    H.J. RES. 84, TO STOP GOVERNMENTS FROM SPONSORING ANTI-SEMITISM

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 19, 2008

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I am proud to be the lead 
Democratic sponsor of H.J. Res 84, to stop governments from sponsoring 
anti-Semitism. I would like to thank Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for 
her leadership on this important issue.
  This month we have commemorated two very significant events. First, 
on May 2 we commemorated the 49th annual Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom 
HaShoah, which reminds us of what unabated hatred and intolerance 
toward a group of people can result in. I am also proud to say that on 
May 14 we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the creation of Israel. 
Today, Israel, the Jewish Nation, is one of the greatest democracies in 
the world, a leader in the global economy, and one of our strongest 
allies.
  Yet, despite these obvious advances and successes for the Jewish 
people, anti-Semitism continues to flourish throughout the world and 
manifests itself in a variety of dangerous ways. This is why I urge my 
colleagues to join me in cosponsoring H.J. Res 84, to stop governments 
from sponsoring anti-Semitism.
  I ask this in the wake of alarming findings issued from the State 
Department's ``Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism Report.'' The report 
concludes that ``over much of the past decade, U.S. embassies world-
wide have noted an increase in anti-Semitic incidents, such as attacks 
on Jewish people, property, community institutions, and religious 
facilities.'' Perhaps even more alarmingly, some governments have 
helped foster these actions by spreading anti-Semitic sentiments 
through their policies or state- controlled media. We are all too 
familiar with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's threat that ``Israel 
must be wiped off the map,'' and his numerous statements on Holocaust 
denial. We have seen the clips from Saudi state-controlled newspapers 
alleging that Jews were behind the September 11 attacks. In fact, the 
State Department's Anti-Semitism Report lists Saudi Arabia, Iran, 
Syria, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Belarus as some 
of the countries with state-controlled media that distributes anti-
Semitic materials. Not surprisingly, many of these countries have 
witnessed a rise in anti-Semitism, including anti-Semitic vandalism, 
caricatures, intimidation, and physical attacks against Jews and Jewish 
institutions.
  Madam Speaker, we have come so far in the past 60 years. But the 
increase in anti-Semitism as reported by the State Department threatens 
this progress. We must stand up against governments that sponsor anti-
Semitism, which is why I encourage my colleagues to cosponsor H.J. Res 
84.

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