Calling on Elected Officials and Civil Society Leaders to Counter Antisemitism and Educate the Public on the Contributions of the Jewish- American Community
Floor Speech
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Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1251) calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish-American community.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows: H. Res. 1251
Whereas ``Jewish American Heritage Month'' has its origins in 1980, when Congress enacted a joint resolution entitled ``Joint resolution to authorize and request the President to issue a proclamation designating April 21 through April 28, 1980, as `Jewish Heritage Week' '', approved April 24, 1980 (Public Law 96-237; 94 Stat. 338);
Whereas, on April 24, 1980, President Carter issued the proclamation for ``Jewish Heritage Week'', and in that proclamation, President Carter spoke about the bountiful contributions made by the Jewish people to the culture and history of the United States;
Whereas Congress has played a central role in recognizing ``Jewish American Heritage Month'' since the House of Representatives and Senate passed resolutions in 2005 and 2006, respectively, urging the President to proclaim the national observation of a month recognizing the Jewish- American community;
Whereas, since 2006, Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden have all issued proclamations for ``Jewish American Heritage Month'', which celebrates Jewish Americans and encourages all people of the United States to learn more about Jewish heritage and the contributions of Jewish people throughout the history of the United States;
Whereas several prominent Jewish Americans heroically supported the American Revolution, and Jewish community leaders advocated for freedom of religion for all Americans upon the founding of the Nation;
Whereas, in 1790, President George Washington expressed his support for religious freedom for Jewish Americans in a letter to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, affirming that the newly founded United States would give ``to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance'', and offered his wishes that ``the children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants'';
Whereas, since the Nation's founding, more than 1,000,000 Jewish-American men and women are estimated to have served in the United States Armed Forces, participating in every major American conflict;
Whereas at least 18 Jewish-American soldiers, airmen, and Marines have received the Medal of Honor, the United States highest award for military valor in combat, of which 4 were presented posthumously;
Whereas, according to his Medal of Honor citation, on June 30, 1862, during the Civil War, United States Army Private Benjamin B. Levy, ``a drummer boy, took the gun of a sick comrade, went into the fight, and when the color bearers were shot down, carried the [Union] colors and saved them from capture'';
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor citation, on October 26, 1918, during World War I in France, United States Army Sergeant William Sawelson heard ``a wounded man in a shell hole . . . calling for water'', and ``left shelter and crawled through heavy machinegun fire to where the man lay, giving him what water he had in his canteen'', and after returning to obtain more water, ``was killed by a machinegun bullet'';
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor citation, on July 7, 1944, in the Battle of Saipan during World War II, United States Army Captain Ben L. Salomon was serving as a surgeon when Japanese troops ``started overrunning his hospital'', and he ``stood a rear-guard position in which he had no hope of personal survival, allowing the safe evacuation of the wounded . . . before being killed himself'';
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor citation, between July 23, 1950, and April 20, 1953, during the Korean war, United States Army Corporal Tibor Rubin, a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the United States, was ``severely wounded . . . and subsequently captured by Chinese forces'' but ``chose to remain in Chinese prison despite offers of an early release'' and, instead, ``risked his own safety . . . to find food for other soldiers and provid[e] medical care to the sick and wounded prisoners'';
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor citation, on July 12, 2018, in Afghanistan, United States Army Sergeant First Class Christopher A. Celiz ``voluntarily exposed himself to intense enemy machine-gun and small-arms fire . . . thereby allowing U.S. and partnered forces to regain the initiative, maneuver to a secure location, and begin treatment of a critically wounded partnered force member'', whose life was saved and, after being hit by enemy fire, he ``motioned to the aircraft to depart rather than remain behind'' to evacuate him, sacrificing his own life ``to protect his team'';
Whereas the bravery and valiance of Jewish-American servicemembers, including those that made the ultimate sacrifice, illustrate the profound contributions that the Jewish-American community has made to defending the Constitution, freedom, and the American way of life;
Whereas the frequency of antisemitic incidents targeting Jews and those who are perceived as Jewish in the United States has reached record highs;
Whereas, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, anti-Jewish bias accounted for two-thirds of religion-based hate crime incidents, and Jewish Americans were the targets of 15 percent of all recorded hate crimes, despite constituting just 2 percent of the United States population;
Whereas, according to the American Jewish Committee, 91 percent of American Jews say they feel less safe as a Jewish person in the United States due to violent attacks against American Jews in the past year;
Whereas, according to the Jewish Federations of North America, 50 percent of Jewish institutions with a physical presence, such as synagogues, community centers, and day schools, lack the resources to adequately protect themselves against these rising threats;
Whereas, according to the American Jewish Committee, 73 percent of Jewish adults report experiencing antisemitism online, including on social media;
Whereas, according to Hillel International, 85 percent of Jewish college students have experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism on their university campus;
Whereas, according to the American Jewish Committee, 38 percent of American adults do not personally know someone who is Jewish, and 30 percent are unfamiliar with the meaning of the term ``antisemitism''; and
Whereas one of the most effective ways to combat antisemitism and hate is through education and awareness of the contributions Jewish Americans have made to the United States through the arts, entertainment, science and technology, military, government, business, culinary traditions, and other fields: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and counter all acts of antisemitism;
(2) calls on the executive branch and State and local leaders to educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish-American community and uplift Jewish stories and voices;
(3) takes all possible steps to ensure the safety, security, and dignity of Jewish Americans in all aspects of their lives, including the workplace, college and university campuses, synagogues, and at home;
(4) honors the contributions of Jewish-American servicemembers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect freedom; and
(5) commits to protecting religious freedom in America by ensuring all Americans, including Jewish Americans, can worship without fear of violence or persecution.
Mr. Speaker, this month we celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month. First proclaimed by President George W. Bush and by each President since, this month recognizes the contributions of the Jewish community to our country.
We celebrate this month amidst a persistent increase in anti-Semitism in our country and around the world.
Anti-Semitic incidents and attacks against Jews and those who are perceived as Jewish in the United States have reached record highs. According to the American Jewish Committee, 91 percent of American Jews say that they feel less safe in the United States due to violent attacks against American Jews in the past year.
According to Hillel International, 83 percent of Jewish college students have experienced or witnessed some form of anti-Semitism on their campus.
Mr. Speaker, these are not just numbers on a page, but these are a lived experience of all Jewish Americans.
As you may recall, on May 21, 2025, tragically, two Israeli Embassy staff members were fatally shot outside the Capital Jewish Museum right here in Washington, D.C.
On June 1, 2025, a man in Boulder, Colorado, approached a crowd of demonstrators, who were calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas, and threw Molotov cocktails, killing one person and injuring more than a dozen in addition.
These and countless other incidents targeting the Jewish people are unacceptable.
House of Representatives, Committee on Armed Services, Washington, DC, May 7, 2026. Hon. Jim Jordan, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Jordan: H. Res. 1251 was referred primarily to the Committee on the Judiciary with an additional referral to the Committee on Armed Services.
H. Res. 1251 contains provisions within the Committee on Armed Services' Rule X jurisdiction. As a result of your having consulted with the Committee and to expedite this bill for floor consideration, the Committee on Armed Services will forego action on the bill. This is being done based on our mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Armed Services with respect to the appointment of conferees, or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar bills.
I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming this understanding, and would request that you include a copy of this letter and your response in the committee report or in the Congressional Record during floor consideration of this bill. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Sincerely, Mike Rogers, Chairman. ____ House of Representatives, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC, May 11, 2026. Hon. Mike Rogers, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Rogers: Thank you for consulting with the Committee on the Judiciary and agreeing to be discharged from further consideration of H. Res. 1251 so that the measure may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of your committee, or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate conference on this legislation.
I will insert this exchange of these letters in the Congressional Record during consideration of this measure on the House floor. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work together on matters of shared jurisdiction during this Congress. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, Jim Jordan, Chairman.
I thank the gentleman from Maryland for his remarks. I am continuing on in the same spirit that was referenced by my colleague: ``To bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.''
Mr. Speaker, all of us as elected leaders and the leaders around this country, we do have a solemn responsibility to confront anti-Semitism wherever it is.
Jewish Americans, as has been discussed on the floor today, have contributed immeasurably to the United States throughout our history, some by serving in the Armed Forces and laying down their lives, as recounted in this resolution. I hope that we may honor their service and sacrifice for their fellow Americans.
I urge support of this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. KNOTT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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