[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 150 (Wednesday, September 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5760-H5761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RECOGNIZING THE ANNIVERSARY OF HAMAS' ATTACK ON ISRAEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 
approaching, somber, first anniversary of Hamas' horrific attack on 
Israel on October 7, 2023.
  This past year, we have experienced continued heartbreak and mourning 
with fresh pain rearing its ugly head each time we learn the tragic 
fate of hostages who were captured that fateful day and subsequently 
murdered by their captors.
  Just a few weeks ago, on the eve of a rescue operation, Hamas 
executed six hostages in cold blood, including an American, Hersh 
Goldberg-Polin. It was a gut punch.
  After surviving absolutely horrific conditions for nearly a year, 
they were brutally murdered by Hamas in the tunnels below Gaza all 
because their rescue was imminent and because of Hamas' hatred of Jews 
and their commitment to destroy Israel.
  As a Jewish mother of three, meeting with so many parents of the 
hostages, including Hersh's parents, Rachel and Jon, has felt deeply 
personal. Their fortitude and strength in advocating for the return of 
their children is nothing less than heroic.
  I have met with Rachel and Jon countless times this past year, and 
something that always sticks with me is when Rachel shared her last 
embrace with Hersh before he left for the Nova music festival for his 
23rd birthday.
  No mother should ever have to think that when they kiss their child 
good-bye before a concert, it will be for the last time because they 
will be murdered by terrorists.
  This senseless evil compels us to hold our own children tighter and 
strengthens our resolve to end the terrorist threat that lives on 
Israel's doorstep, which no people should have to endure.
  I was in the region with a congressional delegation on October 7 and 
in Israel on October 10. Since October 7, I have traveled to Israel 
twice more. During a visit in March, the most searing moment for me was 
when our delegation paid our respects at the site of the Nova festival.
  The Nova festival was a celebration of peace. Thousands of young 
people joined together in the desert to celebrate life.
  At sunrise, terrorists invaded the site, including flying in on 
motorized paragliders with the sole objective of murdering, maiming, 
sexually assaulting, and kidnapping festivalgoers and hundreds of 
Israelis in their homes.
  No parent should fear getting the text that so many received that 
morning from their children that the worst has happened.
  When you go to the Nova site today, you see memorials and photos of 
the beautiful, vibrant faces of the hundreds of young people marked 
where they were murdered.
  As a mother, a Jew, and a Zionist, the experience was overwhelming.
  Despite the horror and ongoing tragedy of the almost 100 hostages 
that still remain in Gaza, ripped away from their loved ones for almost 
365 days, the people of Israel are strong and will never stop fighting 
for their future.
  I am inspired by those Israelis who have dedicated themselves to 
bringing the hostages home and seeking a just peace.

[[Page H5761]]

  October 7 didn't just impact Jews living in Israel. It impacted Jews 
around the world, especially here at home. While anti-Semitism was 
already on the rise after October 7, Jewish hate exploded, reaching 
record levels of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States.
  According to ADL, since it first started tracking incidents of anti-
Semitic harassment, vandalism, and assault in the United States in 
1979, this past year resulted in the highest number of anti-Semitic 
incidents on record.
  The American Jewish Committee found that two-thirds of American Jews 
say the status of Jews in the U.S. is less secure compared to 1 year 
ago, and 62 percent of American Jews report facing anti-Semitism online 
or on social media in the past 12 months.
  This is unacceptable. Anti-Semitism doesn't just threaten Jews. It is 
an attack on the very foundations of our society, pluralism, religious 
freedom, and equal rights, endangering all of us.
  I am so grateful for President Biden and Vice President Harris' moral 
clarity and leadership in combating anti-Semitism.
  In May 2023, their administration took the unprecedented step to 
release the U.S.' first ever whole-of-society National Strategy to 
Counter Anti-Semitism.
  We must combat this hatred, and I urge all of my colleagues to call 
out anti-Semitism no matter where it comes from.
  Lastly, I have a plea for my colleagues: When you are home in your 
districts, please check in on your Jewish friends and neighbors.
  We are not okay. Local Jewish organizations are planning events 
around the October 7 anniversary, so I implore you to reach out and 
show up for your Jewish neighbors and constituents. Speak out against 
anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, which is a form of anti-Semitism.
  Together, we will stand up against hate and stand up for Israel.
  We will never forget the victims, the hostages, and their families. 
We must bring them all home now.
  ``Am Yisrael Chai,'' ``The people of Israel live.''

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