Calling on Elected Officials and Civil Society Leaders to Join in Efforts to Educate the Public on the Contributions of the Jewish American Community

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and the important contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our history, our society, and our culture.

I thank Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz for introducing this resolution and for her passionate work to ensure that we in Congress and Americans around the country observe this annual celebration of the integral role Jewish Americans have played in shaping our Nation.

Congress first marked Jewish American Heritage Month in 2005, but, of course, Jewish contributions to American society began centuries ago, even before the founding of the United States. In fact, the first group of Jews arrived in the United Colonies in 1654, when they fled the Portuguese Inquisition and found refuge in New Amsterdam, what we now call New York City, and they have flourished ever since. This small Jewish community of 23 people fleeing persecution has grown into more than 7 million people, and Jewish Americans have become part of the essential fabric of the United States.

From the very founding of the country, Jews have been an integral part of the American story. Famously, in 1790, President George Washington wrote a letter to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, in which he wrote: ``May the Children of the stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants; while everyone shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.''

Courageous Jews have also been key figures in American history. In 1855, Rabbi David Einhorn became the first rabbi of Har Sinai Congregation in Baltimore, the oldest Reform American Jewish synagogue.

Unpopular in Baltimore at the time, Rabbi Einhorn passionately and vehemently wrote and spoke against slavery, decrying it as a moral evil. In 1861, after delivering a sermon denouncing slavery, a pro- slavery mob swelled and drove Rabbi Einhorn out of town.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, whose relationship with Reverend Martin Luther King has become one of the most famous interfaith partnerships in America, also spoke out courageously for civil rights. A professor at The Jewish Theological Seminary of America located in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, Rabbi Heschel had a vital and lasting contribution to religious discourse on civil rights.

On March 21, 1965, Rabbi Heschel marched arm in arm with Dr. King in Selma, Alabama, a pivotal moment in the history of this country. As Rabbi Heschel's daughter, Professor Susannah Heschel, wrote: ``The photograph of Abraham Joshua Heschel walking arm in arm with Martin Luther King, Jr., in the front row of marchers at Selma has become an icon of American Jewish life, and of Black-Jewish relations. Reprinted in Jewish textbooks, synagogue bulletins, and in studies of ecumenical relations, the picture has come to symbolize the great moment of symbiosis of the two communities, Black and Jewish. . . .''

I am proud to represent a district of one of the largest Jewish communities in the United States. New York 12 is home to many historic Jewish institutions that represent the rich diversity of this community. This includes two historic synagogues in the Upper West Side of Manhattan: Congregation Shearith Israel, which was founded by those 23 Jews in 1654, as well as the first Reconstructionist synagogue, the Society for the Advancement of Judaism, at which the first bat mitzvah in the United States took place.

As the most senior Jewish member of Congress, I am also keenly aware that as we celebrate the history and the contributions of Jewish Americans this year, Jewish American Heritage Month came on the backdrop of increased anti-Semitism in this country.

Anti-Semitism is not a new phenomenon and has plagued Jewish communities around the world for millennia. Yet, we have recently experienced a dramatic uptick in anti-Semitism. The Anti-Defamation League's 2023 Audit of Anti-Semitic Incidents found a 140 percent increase from the 2022 audit and the highest number on record since the Anti-Defamation League began tracking it in 1979.

The ADL also recorded a 135 percent increase of anti-Semitic incidents at K-12 schools and a 321 percent increase on college and university campuses compared to the same time the previous year, with most occurring after October 7.

This harrowing uptick in anti-Semitic attacks is devastating and urgent. It demonstrates a necessity for us to redouble our efforts to combat this horrific hatred.

Last year, I warmly welcomed the first-ever national strategy to counter anti-Semitism, which was developed by the Biden administration.

This historic effort includes concrete steps that we can all take, including civil society, local government, Congress, and the executive branch to tangibly enact the priorities articulated in the strategy. This year, I believe we must all work to fully actualize and implement the national strategy, including passing the Countering Antisemitism Act championed by my friend Congresswoman Manning.

Jewish American Heritage Month reminds us that as we continue to fight against anti-Semitism, we also celebrate the countless contributions made by Jewish Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the chief sponsor of this resolution.

Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and deeply appreciate the gentleman from New York's leadership as the senior Jewish Member of the entire House of Representatives and his decades of support and leadership on issues important to the Jewish American community.

I also thank the gentleman from Ohio, the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who I am glad to work with on this issue and for his assistance in bringing this important resolution to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of my resolution, H. Res. 1215 to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month and highlight the longstanding contributions of the Jewish-American community to our country.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representatives Troy Carter, Miller-Meeks, and Fitzpatrick for joining me to co-lead this resolution, as well.

JAHM is an annual May celebration, a time to come together and celebrate generations of Jewish Americans who have been an integral part of the rich mosaic of people and heritages that make up the United States.

While JAHM is a joyful month, we celebrated it this year under the shadow of Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.

Since then, the United States has witnessed a historic rise in anti- Semitism.

In 2023, the ADL tracked 8,873 anti-Semitic incidents across America, a 140 percent increase from the previous year and the highest number on record since it began tracking these instances of hate since 1979.

According to the American Jewish Committee, nearly two-thirds of American Jews, as the chairman mentioned, feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago. Make no mistake, anti-Semitism is a canary in the coal mine.

According to ADL's report on Anti-Semitism and Support For Political Violence, highly anti-Semitic Americans are twice as likely to support dangerous antidemocratic conspiracies such as the great replacement theory. This was on clear display as white supremacists marched through Charlottesville chanting ``Jews will not replace us.''

Such hate must be answered. We must do more to show our support and uplift the Jewish American community. In President Biden's national strategy to counter anti-Semitism, the U.S.'s first-ever blueprint, calls on all aspects of society to commemorate JAHM and use it as a tool to fight hate.

We need Jews and non-Jews alike to learn about all of the remarkable Jewish Americans who served in government, the military, or who won Nobel Prizes, led universities, and made lifesaving medical discoveries that we all count on today.

The fact that so many significant contributions to America's success were led by Jewish Americans is not widely known.

Today's resolution highlights just a fraction of the Jewish Americans who made our Nation and the world better. Jonas Salk was a virologist who developed the polio vaccine. Florence Prag Kahn, a Republican, was the first Jewish woman Member of Congress and first woman to serve on the House Military Affairs Committee.

I ask my colleagues to just walk down the stairs and you will see her portrait hanging on the way down the steps to commemorate the significance of her service.

Jack Greenberg argued against segregation in Brown v. Board of Education as co-counsel to Thurgood Marshall and succeeded Marshall as director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

The Jewish community's commitment to tikkun olam, a commitment to repair the world, is clear across so many generations of Americans.

As we celebrated the end of the 19th year of Jewish American Heritage Month just a few days ago, it is clear that each year JAHM becomes bigger and better than the year before, and the need to make sure that we can shine a spotlight on the contributions that American Jews have made to the success of America is even more critical given the precipitous rise in anti-Semitism.

This annual blaze of education and understanding will surely eclipse enmity and intolerance.

Madam Speaker, I thank all for helping me shine that light, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution. I look forward to continuing to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month for many years to come.

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Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, during Jewish American Heritage Month, we celebrated the rich history and many contributions of Jewish Americans. We also recognize that anti-Semitism continues to be a scourge in our society that we must continue to combat in all its forms.

I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for bringing forward this important resolution.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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