Condemning the Rise of Global Anti-Semitism

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, with the unanimous passage today of H. Res. 707, we send a clear, strong, and bipartisan message condemning the rising tide of anti-Semitism around the world.

In 2014 alone, we have seen an increasing number of murders at Jewish sites, of violent attacks, and death threats against Jews. There has been a disturbing increase of anti-Semitism throughout Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East, including in Hungary, Turkey, Greece, Britain, France, and Germany.

We must ensure that the world views such actions for what they are--the vile and hate-fueled persecution of an entire people--rather than an acceptable expression of frustration with political events in the Middle East or anywhere else.

Tragically, 70 years after 6 million Jewish men, women, and children were murdered simply for being Jews, many Jews in Europe again face violent anti-Semitism and must live in constant fear.

Anti-Semitic imagery and comparisons of Jews and Israel to Nazis have been on display at demonstrations against Israel throughout the United States and the world. Make no mistake, this is a new face on a very old hatred. Disagreeing with Israeli policy is no excuse for anti-Semitism.

I want to thank my colleagues, but I want to thank especially Peter Roskam, Nita Lowey, and Kay Granger for leading this effort with me; and I want to thank Nancy Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, Kevin McCarthy, Ed Royce, and Eliot Engel who helped bring this important bipartisan piece of legislation to the floor.

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