During Jewish American Heritage Month, US House of Representatives Condemns Rising Antisemitism

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday passed on Wednesday a resolution — which can be read in full here — condemning rising antisemitism.

The resolution was approved by a 420-1 margin, with the only “no” vote coming from Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky).

The measure — advanced during Jewish American Heritage Month — was co-sponsored by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Florida), Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Florida), Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois), and Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-New York).

It called on elected officials, faith leaders and civil society leaders to “use their bully pulpit to condemn and combat any and all manifestations of antisemitism,” and also urged elected officials to “condemn and combat any and all denials and distortions of the Holocaust and to promote Holocaust and antisemitism education.”

The resolution implored social media platforms to “institute stronger and more significant efforts to measure and address online antisemitism while protecting free speech concerns.”

It also vowed the House of Representatives would take “all possible steps to improve the physical security of Jewish institutions and organizations, including by using existing tools such as increasing funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program of the Department of Homeland Security to keep at-risk houses of worship, schools, and community centers safe from terrorist attacks and other forms of antisemitic violence.”

In remarks on the House floor on Wednesday, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Maryland) said, “Tragically, antisemitism followed Jewish Americans from the old world to the new one, and its become a growing cancer on our body politic.”

“It is not enough simply to be against antisemitism,” he added. “We must not rationalize or temporize with antisemitism.”