Calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism and educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish-American community.

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
That the House of Representatives—
calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and counter all acts of antisemitism;
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;
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;
honors the contributions of Jewish-American servicemembers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect freedom; and
commits to protecting religious freedom in America by ensuring all Americans, including Jewish Americans, can worship without fear of violence or persecution.