Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA)
In just the last two weeks, our country has witnessed two back-to-back antisemitic terror attacks that have left two dead and 15 seriously wounded. In Washington D.C., an antisemitic terrorist murdered Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim as they left an event at the Capitol Jewish Museum; afterwards, the terrorist yelled “Free Palestine” and “I did it for Gaza.” In Boulder, Colorado, a terrorist who said he “wanted to kill all Zionist people” threw Molotov cocktails at a group of peaceful protestors calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
These events are an escalation of ongoing antisemitic violence that has become more and more common since Hamas’s October 7th massacre, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 Israelis, Americans, and others; widespread torture and sexual violence; and the abduction of some 250 hostages, 56 of which remain in captivity. In the 20 months since, antisemitism has skyrocketed in the United States, with over 10,000 antisemitic incidents recorded. In Ventura County, a 69-year-old Jewish man, Paul Kessler, was bludgeoned to death by an anti-Israel protester as other anti-Israel protesters chanted “Hitler should have smashed you.” The Pennsylvania governor’s mansion was set on fire with Governor Josh Shapiro and his family inside as they celebrated Passover; the arsonist said he committed the act over what Governor Shapiro “wants to do to the Palestinian people.” In Yonkers, Ahmed Al Jabali attempted to stab Jewish barber Slava Shushakov to death to “punish Jews” over Gaza, leaving Mr. Shushakov with serious injuries. These examples, only a handful out of hundreds of violent antisemitic attacks in the past 20 months, underlie the need for urgent, serious action.
While the House will vote on two non-binding resolutions this week condemning the antisemitic attacks in Washington D.C., and Boulder, Colorado, the Jewish community is reeling, and we need Congressional leaders to come together and support real policy change.
We urge Senate Major Leader John Thune to utilize Rule 14 to bring a clean Antisemitism Awareness Act for a vote in the Senate, and we urge Speaker Mike Johnson to once again swiftly pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act in the House. Codifying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism is long overdue, and is more urgent now than ever as we see one violent anti-Zionist terror attack after another. You cannot fight antisemitism if you are unwilling to define it.
We also urge President Trump and Congressional Appropriators to fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) at long-requested levels of $500 million. This money will fund security grants to nonprofit institutions which face terrorist threats, including synagogues and Jewish community institutions. It will help them put in place additional security measures like security cameras, locked doors, security guards, and more that could thwart terror attacks like the one that transpired at the Capitol Jewish Museum.
The Jewish community needs real action, not just resolutions.
###