[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 185 (Wednesday, November 8, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5411-S5412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                             Anti-Semitism

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to talk about 
this dangerous rise that we are seeing in anti-Semitism. We are seeing 
it in this country, and we are seeing it all around the world.
  One of the most important vows that our Nation made to the Jewish 
people is the vow of ``never again.'' I have a simple question. Are we 
doing everything that we can to keep that vow in the wake of October 7 
and the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel? A month ago, Hamas 
killed more Jews in a single day than at any time since the Holocaust. 
Yet some students, professors, and public officials in our country are 
indulging and even endorsing this act, which to me is torture and mass 
murder, and anyone who has witnessed the videos could say nothing but 
torture and mass murder.
  Once again, the Jewish people are being threatened simply for who 
they are and for what they believe. It is happening to individuals all 
around the country and around the world. There are those who are 
praising the horrific mass murder, torture, and kidnapping of Jews by 
Hamas terrorists. Some of that praise is even coming from right here in 
Washington, DC, and across our country.
  Anti-Semitic incidents of vandalism, harassment, and assault are up 
almost 400 percent compared to this time a year ago. In October of 
2022, there were 64 total anti-Semitic incidents reported in America. 
October 7, 2023--the day Hamas attacked Israel--since that day to 
today, over 300 reported incidents. That is a 400-percent increase 
compared to last year, and that is in America alone.
  Anti-Semitism is festering on college campuses. You probably heard 
about several of these incidents. Fifty-one student groups, including 
at Berkeley, the University of Michigan, and UCLA, signed a letter in 
support of Hamas's brutal terrorist, murderous attacks. Students at 
George Washington University, right here, located in our Nation's 
Capital, held a vigil that they described as a ``Vigil for the Martyrs 
of Palestine.'' And they projected ``Glory to our Martyrs'' right on 
the library wall. It is disturbing and it is hateful.

  A pro-Hamas mob at Cooper Union University in New York City stormed 
the library. The mob started banging on doors and windows. Jewish 
students were trapped. They feared for their lives. Eventually, they 
had to be escorted to safety. No one has been punished.
  A Cornell student was arrested last week for posting anti-Semitic 
death threats on the school's messaging boards. Weeks earlier, a 
Cornell professor said he was exhilarated by Hamas's brutality. 
Students at Tulane University, which is 40 percent Jewish, were also 
attacked. Pro-Hamas protesters tried to burn an Israeli flag. One 
speaker at Princeton University went so far as to equate Israel with 
Nazi Germany. After a mass murder of innocent Jewish mothers, fathers, 
children, and Holocaust survivors, radical students and professors in 
this country have the gall to compare the Jews to those who sought to 
systemically kill them during the holocaust.
  Let's imagine that we are Jewish students who go to these schools and 
live in these communities. Here is how one Jewish student describes her 
situation on campus. This young lady said:

       It is terrifying to see classmates call for violence 
     against Jews so confidently and so publicly.

  In other words, for many Jewish students, ``never again'' has turned 
into ``nowhere is safe.''
  The University of Wyoming, rightly, has called out the evil in the 
wake of the terrorist attack against Israel. Our University President, 
Ed Seidel, and our Provost, Kevin Carman, condemned the ``heinous . . . 
acts of terrorism'' against Israel. Every university should do the 
same.
  America can't turn its back on the Jewish people of Israel or on 
Israel. That is exactly what I fear we are seeing right now.
  Hamas's brutality is front page news every single day. Israel is 
clear-eyed in its mission to destroy Hamas. Instead of standing 
shoulder to shoulder with our closest ally in the Middle East, the 
Biden administration is currently calling for a ``pause.'' The United 
Nations' 120 members recently voted in favor of a resolution calling 
for a cease-fire. In the House of Representatives right down the hall, 
a group of Members known as the Squad are also demanding a cease-fire. 
I didn't hear them call for a cease-fire when Hamas attacked Israel. 
They only want Israel to stop defending itself. That is the role of the 
Squad.
  There already was a cease-fire before October 7. Hamas broke that 
cease-fire. More than 1,400 innocent Israelis and Americans are now 
dead. A pause or a cease-fire now would only help Hamas dig in and 
rearm. I am against a pause. I am against a cease-fire. America should 
never take action that could help terrorists prevail. To me, that is 
what a cease-fire would do.
  Instead of a cease-fire, we need to cease paying Hamas; we need to 
cease paying Iran; and we need to cease being silent in the face of 
anti-Semitism.
  Moments like this are very concerning and also moments like this are 
very clarifying. America has existed from the very beginning to protect 
our freedom of religion. As President George Washington wrote in a 
letter to a Newport synagogue in 1790--he said America promises to give 
``bigotry no sanction.''
  America stands on the values of respect and toleration.
  When we vowed ``never again,'' we meant it and continue to mean it 
today. As we confront the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, 
our entire Nation must do everything we can to keep our word.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I rise today to bring attention to a 
problem that is plaguing our great country.
  Americans and the rest of the world woke up on October 7 to horrific 
scenes in Israel, and the ensuing news reports of Hamas's terrorist 
attack brought to light even more gruesome details--thousands of 
innocent Israelis slaughtered, babies decapitated, people burned alive, 
horrific scenes of brutality and brazen disregard for humanity by Hamas 
terrorists. Israel and American hostages are still awaiting rescue.
  These past few weeks following the terrorist attack, there has been a 
frightening rise of anti-Semitism, particularly on college campuses and 
from

[[Page S5412]]

younger generations in America's major cities.
  Jewish students at Cooper Union in New York City had to shelter in a 
library while pro-Palestinian students banged on windows and doors in a 
frightening incident. Anonymous posters on a Cornell message board 
threatened violence, all while a Cornell professor proclaimed Hamas 
terrorist attacks to be ``exhilarating'' and ``energizing.'' Countless 
videos show students and even teachers tearing down missing posters for 
Israeli hostages. The list goes on and on.
  Some may be surprised by these incidents, but for those who have been 
paying attention, it is anything but shocking. For years, the American 
left has embraced identity politics--DEI and critical race theory. For 
years, students at some of this country's most elite colleges have had 
this race essentialism, this oppressor-versus-oppressed ideology, 
hammered into their heads.
  They have tried to make moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas. 
Every single situation or issue is viewed through the lens of race or 
other immutable characteristics.
  If you don't rank high enough on the totem pole of grievances or 
score well on the oppression matrix, well, then your views aren't as 
important. Being right has taken a back seat to your skin color.
  DEI and CRT are fruit of the poisonous tree of cultural Marxism, and 
it is playing out right now in our streets. The proof is in the numbers 
as well. A Harvard CAPS/Harris poll states that when voters were asked 
whom they sided with in the Israeli-Hamas conflict, 95 percent of 
voters age 65 or older said Israel, while only 5 percent said Hamas. In 
the 18-to-24 age range, 52 percent said Israel, while 48 percent said 
Hamas. That is a startling generational divide and shows just how 
entrenched this divisive ideology is.
  This ideology completely strips people of their individuality. Ideas 
don't really matter as much as what the person speaking looks like. It 
is completely antithetical to the core tenets of our Constitution and 
the American experiment. It places an unhealthy emphasis on race. It 
strips people of their dignity and the many layers that define us. It 
rips away the ties that bind us, and that is exactly the point for 
these cultural Marxists.
  We need to return to the American idea--equality of opportunity, not 
certainty of outcome or so-called equity. We need to prioritize merit 
over characteristics that people have no control over. We need to push 
back against the poisonous DEI and CRT ideology--an ideology that has 
even made its way into grade schools, where school-age kids are being 
forced to participate in things called a privilege walk. Until we do 
that, we will continue to see more race essentialism from groups like 
Black Lives Matter and more chants of ``from the river to the sea.'' 
That is not what America is about, but we better get real about the 
problem before it is too late to fix it.


                 Nomination of Ramon Ernesto Reyes, Jr.

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, today the Senate will vote to confirm 
Ramon Reyes to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New 
York.
  Judge Reyes received his B.S. from Cornell University, his J.D. from 
Brooklyn Law School, and his LL.M. from NYU Law School.
  Judge Reyes began his legal career with the New York City Council as 
a legislative attorney. After taking a year to clerk for Judge David 
Trager on the Eastern District, he spent 3 years in private practice 
before joining the U.S. attorney's office in the Southern District of 
New York as an assistant U.S. attorney. While in the U.S. attorney's 
office, Judge Reyes handled a wide range of civil and criminal matters, 
including cases involving civil rights violations, healthcare fraud, 
false claims, and environmental issues. In 2004, he was appointed 
deputy chief of appeals.
  In recognition of his broad experience and legal acumen, including 
three jury trials and three bench trials as an AUSA, Judge Reyes was 
appointed in 2006 to serve as a Federal magistrate judge in the Eastern 
District of New York. Since taking the bench, he has presided over 33 
trials that cover a range of issues including criminal matters, 
employment suits, and civil rights cases.
  The American Bar Association unanimously rated Judge Reyes as ``well 
qualified,'' and he has the strong support of Senators Schumer and 
Gillibrand.
  I will be supporting his nomination, and I urge my colleagues to do 
so, as well.
  Mr. SCHMITT. I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Hickenlooper). The clerk will call the 
roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I would request that the scheduled vote be 
initiated.