[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 90 (Thursday, May 23, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3899-S3900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, I rise today in recognition of May as 
Jewish American Heritage Month. Please, if we could just acknowledge 
that through the resolution that was passed by this body.
  Since 1980, when President Jimmy Carter first celebrated Jewish 
American Heritage Week, our country has come together to recognize 
Jewish contributions to American culture, history, military, science, 
government, and more. Over the course of 250 years, since before the 
Revolutionary War, Jewish-American values and culture have been woven 
into the fabric of our Nation.
  We in the Congress of the United States, despite our political 
differences, have historically stood united in our support for the 
Jewish community. This position aligns with our Nation's founding 
commitment to safeguard the right to worship free of persecution.
  Countless Members in this body on both sides of the aisle have quoted 
George Washington's letter from 1790 to the Hebrew congregation in 
Newport, RI, in which our first President wrote:

       For happily the government of the United States gives to 
     bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires 
     only that they who live under its protection should demean 
     themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions 
     their effectual support.

  Jewish-American heritage commemorations have always shared a mix of 
celebration--with the anniversary of the founding of the State of 
Israel--with darker memories and commemorations, such as Holocaust 
Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah.
  This month, we also honor the victims of the Holocaust and lift up 
the lives of the survivors, nearly 40,000 of whom live in the United 
States. These men and women came to this country seeking refuge from 
unimaginable horrors. They have enriched our Nation and made us 
stronger.
  We have an obligation to provide Holocaust survivors the community 
support and special services they need to live out their final days, 
and we must do all we can to ensure their stories are never forgotten.
  The split screen between Jewish-American accomplishments and somber 
reflections is even more intense this year as war continues between 
Hamas and Israel.
  As an American Jew, I can tell you that there is a level of 
trepidation and fear that has mushroomed throughout the American-Jewish 
community since the deadly attacks of October 7 by Hamas. In the wake 
of this horrific terrorism, anti-Semitic activities have soared, with 
documented verbal and physical threats against Jews in the United 
States and around the world.
  I am pleased to say that, along with the President, majorities in 
Congress are taking steps and not sitting idly by. Earlier this month, 
the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Antisemitism Awareness 
Act. This bill codifies the U.S. Department of Education's need to 
consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working 
definition of ``anti-Semitism'' when enforcing Federal anti-
discrimination laws. This legislation meets the seriousness of this 
moment

[[Page S3900]]

by providing clear guidance to address the full scope of 
discriminatory, anti-Semitic behavior.
  As a cosponsor of the Senate companion, I urge my colleagues to stand 
with the Jewish-American community and vote for this legislation.
  I am also pleased to join my colleagues in cosponsoring the 
Countering Antisemitism Act, which is bipartisan, bicameral legislation 
that would strengthen efforts to combat rising anti-Semitism in the 
United States, including the establishment of a National Coordinator to 
Counter Antisemitism, who would oversee the Federal efforts to counter 
domestic anti-Semitism and lead an interagency task force. It requires 
analyses and threat assessments from executive Agencies and law 
enforcement on anti-Semitism and violent extremism.
  Of great interest to many Marylanders is that the Countering 
Antisemitism Act also requires the FEMA Administrator to ensure the 
Agency has sufficient resources and personnel needed to carry out the 
Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides critical security 
equipment and upgrades for many faith-based institutions and facilities 
across our State.
  We are building on President Biden's National Strategy to Combat 
Antisemitism--the first ever--that identifies the problem we face 
today.
  It states:

       Loud voices are normalizing this venom, but we must never 
     allow it to become normal. Antisemitism threatens not only 
     the Jewish community, but all Americans.

  I would like to take this moment to praise the U.S. Holocaust 
Memorial Museum and its incredible staff for its efforts to counter 
misinformation and disinformation. I am proud to be a member of the 
museum's advisory council.
  The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has always put education and 
countering anti-Semitism at the forefront of its mission and 
activities. Since October 7, it has ramped up in an unprecedented way 
and further cemented its role as an indispensable resource as well as a 
myth-buster in this national and international fight against anti-
Semitism and hate.
  Anti-Semitism did not start with the Hamas attacks. From the White 
supremacists chanting ``Jews will not replace us'' in Charlottesville, 
forcing Jews to leave their synagogue through the back door, to the 
rightwing extremist, armed with an AR-15 rifle and three handguns, who 
attacked the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, killing 11 Jews and 
leaving 7 others wounded, this has been a violent scourge that goes 
back centuries.
  No matter what your political affiliation, we all must speak out 
against this hatred and correct the misinformation that breeds it. The 
sobering reality is that threats against Jews continue to rise--not 
just in the United States but also around the world.
  Just since 2015, I have had the honor to serve as the Special 
Representative on Combatting Anti-Semitism, Racism and Intolerance for 
the parliamentary assembly of the world's largest regional security 
organization, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, 
best known as the OSCE. I have used this role to urge the OSCE's 57 
participating states, the United States included, to develop strategies 
and invest the political will and resources necessary to eradicate hate 
by developing and sharing best practices, building broad-based 
interfaith coalitions, educating young people, and countering Holocaust 
denial and distortions.
  Just as the obligation to combat anti-Semitism is not just an 
American endeavor, it is also not just a Jewish endeavor. The 
responsibility to rid our society of the scourge of anti-Semitism is a 
shared responsibility.
  I was proud to be part of the U.S. delegation to the Berlin 
conference. In Berlin, Germany, in 2004, OSCE's participating states 
declared that anti-Semitism is a threat not only to Jews everywhere but 
also to democracy, human rights, and international stability. When 
societies permit anti-Semitism to thrive, they also allow conspiracies 
and disinformation and hate in all its forms to thrive.
  In extreme cases, ignoring anti-Semitism can lead not only to the 
erosion of public trust in democratic institutions and the media, but 
it can foster extremism and lead to violence.
  With the dangerous rise of anti-Semitism in recent months in the 
United States, Jewish students and faculty have been blocked from 
attending classes or campus events and have been regularly harassed and 
attacked on campus. Many are scared to attend classes or walk around. 
Jewish businesses and synagogues have been vandalized. Students and 
nonstudents have expressed concern about wearing clothing or jewelry 
that might be used to identify them as Jewish.
  Throughout my career in public service, I have stood for the right of 
individuals everywhere to free speech and peaceful protests--even if I 
vehemently disagree with what they are saying. But it is another thing 
to target, threaten, and harass Jewish students or faculty on the basis 
of their identity.
  As President Joe Biden said at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum 
recently, ``Violent attacks, destroying property is not peaceful 
protest. It's against the law. And we are not a lawless country. We're 
a civil society. We uphold the rule of law. No one should have to hide 
or be brave just to be themselves.''
  As a Jewish American, I was raised with the understanding that tikkun 
olam, or repairing the world, was an essential part of every community. 
Through acts of charity, justice, and kindness, we were encouraged to 
make things better for those in need. This has been my mission over 
the years, and it is no hyperbole to say that it is more important 
today than ever before.

  The Jewish people have survived the Holocaust. We have overcome 
terrorist attacks and anti-Semitism before. By holding fast to our 
values, we as a Jewish community will overcome these difficult times 
too.
  So I want to end with a quote from Anne Frank, who was reflecting on 
the difficult times she was seeing when she wrote:

       I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, 
     I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us 
     too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look 
     up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for 
     the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and 
     tranquility will return once more.

  My wish during this Jewish American Heritage Month is that we as 
Americans, Jews and non-Jews alike, find a way to come together. Only 
by rejecting anti-Semitism and all forms of hate, racism, and 
xenophobia will we find a path forward where all people can live 
together in peace and stability, with an abundance of hope and 
opportunity.
  I thank my colleagues.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Booker). The Senator from Alabama.

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