[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 180 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6510-S6511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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     SENATE RESOLUTION 417--COMMEMORATING THE 81ST ANNIVERSARY OF 
              KRISTALLNACHT, OR THE NIGHT OF BROKEN GLASS

  Mr. MURPHY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 417

       Whereas November 9, 2019, through November 10, 2019, marks 
     the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken 
     Glass;
       Whereas Kristallnacht began as a pogrom authorized by Nazi 
     party officials and was carried out by members of the 
     Sturmabteilungen (commonly known as the ``SA''), the 
     Schutzstaffel (commonly known as the ``SS''), and the Hitler 
     Youth;
       Whereas Kristallnacht marked the first large-scale anti-
     Semitic operation of the Nazi Party and a crucial turning 
     point in Nazi anti-Semitic policy;
       Whereas, during Kristallnacht, synagogues, homes, and 
     businesses in Jewish communities were attacked, resulting in 
     murders and arrests of Jewish people in Germany and in 
     Austrian and Czechoslovakian territories controlled by the 
     Nazis;
       Whereas the events of Kristallnacht resulted in the burning 
     and destruction of 267 synagogues, the looting of thousands 
     of businesses and homes, the desecration of Jewish 
     cemeteries, the murder of 91 Jews, and the arrest and 
     deportation of 30,000 Jewish men to concentration camps;
       Whereas the shards of broken glass from the windows of 
     synagogues, Jewish homes, and Jewish-owned businesses 
     ransacked during the violence that littered the streets gave 
     the pogrom the name of Kristallnacht, commonly translated as 
     the ``Night of Broken Glass'';
       Whereas Kristallnacht--
       (1) proved to be a crucial turning point in the Holocaust, 
     marking a shift from a policy of removing Jews from Germany 
     and German-occupied lands to murdering millions of people; 
     and
       (2) was a tragic precursor to the Second World War;
       Whereas, despite numerous global efforts to eradicate hate, 
     manifestations of anti-Semitism and other forms of 
     intolerance continue to harm societies on a global scale; and
       Whereas, in 2018--
       (1) anti-Semitic acts in France increased by more than 70 
     percent compared to the previous year, according to data from 
     the Government of France; and
       (2) anti-Semitic crimes in Germany, which include hate 
     speech, increased by 20 percent, according to data from the 
     Government of Germany;
       Whereas, because hate crimes in the European Union are 
     generally under reported, the real figures on anti-Semitism 
     in France, Germany, and other states in the European Union 
     are likely much higher;
       Whereas, while the United States has made progress towards 
     addressing anti-Semitism, recent events demonstrate that much 
     work remains;
       Whereas, in 2017, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 1,986 
     anti-Semitic incidents across the United States, including 
     physical assaults, vandalism, and attacks on Jewish 
     institutions, which represents a 57 percent increase compared 
     to anti-Semitic incidents recorded in 2016;
       Whereas recent anti-Semitic acts in the United States 
     include--
       (1) the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in 
     Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in October, 2018; and
       (2) the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in Poway, 
     California, in April, 2019;
       Whereas, according to the Anti-Defamation League, since the 
     Tree of Life Shooting occurred, at least 13 white 
     supremacists have been arrested for their alleged roles in 
     terrorist plots, attacks, or threats against the Jewish 
     community in the United States; and
       Whereas Kristallnacht teaches mankind how hate can 
     proliferate and erode societies and serves as a reminder that 
     the United States must advance global efforts to ensure that 
     barbarism and mass murder never occur again: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht;
       (2) pays tribute to the more than 6,000,000 Jewish people 
     killed during the Holocaust and the families affected by the 
     tragedy;
       (3) continues to support United States efforts to address 
     the horrible legacy of the Holocaust and combat 
     manifestations of anti-Semitism domestically and globally; 
     and
       (4) will continue to raise awareness and act to eradicate 
     the continuing scourge of anti-Semitism at home and abroad, 
     including through work with international partners, such as--
       (A) the Organization for Security and Co-operation in 
     Europe (referred to in this resolving clause as the 
     ``OSCE'');
       (B) the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination Unit of the OSCE; 
     and
       (C) the Personal Representative on Combating Anti-Semitism 
     of the OSCE.

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