Recognizing the significance of Jewish American Heritage Month as a time to celebrate the contributions of Jewish Americans to the society and culture of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 382) condemning the rise of antisemitism and calling on elected officials to identify and educate others on the contributions of the Jewish American community, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 382, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, Jewish American Heritage Month, first proclaimed by George W. Bush in 2006 and by each successive President since, recognizes the great contribution that the Jewish community has given to this country since its founding. Recognizing this month is particularly important because of the rise of anti-Semitism over the last few years.

Recently, Mr. Speaker, the Judiciary Committee heard testimony regarding anti-Semitism and the violence that has now erupted.

In our hearing, Barry Borgen told the committee about attacks on his son in New York City. Joseph Borgen was targeted simply for wearing his yarmulke and was beaten by several individuals for nothing other than being recognized as an observant Jew. He was kicked, punched, hit, and, in fact, pepper sprayed by his attackers in a horrific attack simply because of his faith.

At this time around the world, we see the rise of anti-Semitism. America for more than half a century, for almost a century, has become the beacon of freedom for the world. In that time, we have had to show the world that anti-Semitism has no place in America and should have no place in the rest of the world.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to associate myself with the ranking member's statements. I have served, as long as I have served, with the gentleman from New York. Mr. Nadler has been a leader on this, and this is a bipartisan issue, one that each year we are honored to come before this Congress and renew our statement of solidarity with this community that has, in fact, as the gentleman said, grown in numbers, mostly because they have been persecuted around the world.

This year is no exception. As we speak, the President of Ukraine is being called a Nazi in order to diminish who he is and his faith. It is only in this kind of a world where you can use terms like that as a Russian head of state in order to try to diminish somebody duly elected.

As I said in my opening statement--and I will say it again and again every chance I get--if America does not lead in crushing anti-Semitism and denouncing it, the rest of the world will take it as it is okay to do. We cannot ever again allow what we saw in World War II. We cannot ever again turn a blind eye to the growth of anti-Semitism here or around the world. I stand with my colleague from New York in saying that is more essential this year than ever before.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, much will be said on this floor today about anti- Semitism, and it should be, but let us not fail to expand the deliberation on why we have a Jewish American Heritage Month. We don't just have it to combat anti-Semitism. We have it as an awareness of the great contribution that the Jewish community has given to this country from before its birth through today in education and culture, and of that culture, how much the American people do not know about the richness of the family traditions and the like that the Jewish community brings to us.

It is often said, maybe just in passing, that we are a Judeo- Christian society, but many people miss that that small minority represents a great part of who we are as a nation.

As we observe this month, we need to observe this month recognizing the amazing contribution that, as Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz said, we, in fact, are talking about 2 percent of the population who does far more than you would begin to believe 2 percent can do, Mr. Speaker.

I want to make sure that we all understand that the importance of this month is the importance of the contribution of this community to our society for over 200 years.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, this should be the kind of resolution that would be a given, but it is never a given until you say it and say it and say it again.

We say--and we must say--``never again'' about the Holocaust, but we also must say that anti-Semitism has no place in this great country of freedom.

Mr. Speaker, you cannot have freedom of religion unless you have freedom of all religions, and freedom of religion isn't simply that I can practice my religion and denounce the other or that I can have slurs about the other. Religious freedom is the acceptance that we have a God or the right to not have a God, and in so doing, we must accept the other person's limited changes.

There is so little difference between the beliefs of the Jewish community and the beliefs of all of America that those differences should unite us in their smallness rather than divide us.

America, like every country in the world, needs to get to know its neighbor. This is the month in which we get to know our neighbor.

Mr. Speaker, if you are fortunate enough to have a Jewish neighbor or a Jewish friend or someone who can help you understand the richness of their culture and their religion, then you are very fortunate. If you are not, then you need to seek one out.

That is why we are doing this here today, because it doesn't happen without being said and said again. We say, one last time, never again to anti-Semitism in America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York for yielding and his support of the resolution, along with his decades of work supporting the Jewish-American community.

Before I speak on this resolution, Mr. Speaker, I am compelled to mention the tragic shooting that took place in my district last night in Hollywood Beach. My heart goes out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this tragic act of gun violence.

I thank Mayor Josh Levy, the first responders, dispatchers, hospital staff, and local leaders that are working around the clock to take care of their community. We wish the speediest of recoveries to all of those injured.

Tonight, I rise in strong support of my resolution to properly recognize Jewish American Heritage Month and condemn the rising scourge of anti-Semitism that Jewish Americans face. It is also not lost on me that today marks the first day of the trial for the domestic terrorist alleged to have carried out the Tree of Life synagogue shooting. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the entire Pittsburgh community today.

I am not sure there are words that could encapsulate the pride that I have for this year's historic Jewish American Heritage Month. For the first time, the House and the Senate will both mark Jewish American Heritage Month, or by its nickname JAHM, by considering and passing bipartisan resolutions with the support of House Members and Senators from across the country.

In 2005, during my first term in office, I introduced the legislation that passed the House, and with the assistance of the late Arlen Specter in the Senate, urging then-President Bush to proclaim the national observation of a month recognizing Jewish Americans' contributions to the rich tapestry that comprises diversity that makes our Nation truly great.

Since 2006, each May, every President, including Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden, have issued JAHM proclamations.

While this month is a time of celebration, we must also never forget that JAHM is a critical tool in countering anti-Semitism. The FBI reports that even though Jewish Americans account for only a little over 2 percent of the population in the United States, they are victims of 63 percent of reported religiously motivated hate crimes.

In addition, the Anti-Defamation League's Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in 2022 tracked 3,697 anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, representing a 36 percent increase from 2021 and the largest number on record since the ADL began tracking anti-Semitic incidents in 1979.

However, one of the most effective ways to combat anti-Semitism is through education and awareness, which is a paramount reason why JAHM is so important; so much so that the Biden administration recently released the first-ever U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which specifically directs Federal agencies to organize and participate in Jewish American Heritage Month events and calls on State and local leaders to use JAHM to raise awareness of anti-Semitism while celebrating the contributions and impact of Jewish Americans on our society.

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

Unfortunately, it is not widely known that so many significant contributions to American success were led by Jewish Americans. In fact, due to our small numbers, there are still pockets of this country where some Americans have never met a Jewish person. I have witnessed that here in this building with some of our colleagues representing districts with either no or few Jewish Americans. That is why I have encouraged my colleagues and community leaders at large to embrace JAHM as a chance to share stories and host events or conversations in your own districts and communities.

I hope that each year, JAHM continues to grow to become a widely celebrated heritage month, joining the ranks of the other rightfully important heritage months that highlight our strengths and diversity.

America would not be what it is today, or what it someday can be, without such a rich mosaic of people. No other nation has that.

While this resolution will not stop hate or anti-Semitism in its tracks, it uses the full voice of Congress to say that there is more that unites us than divides us. It says that whether your culture or religion makes up 20 percent or 2 percent of the population, you belong and should be safe here. It says

hate will have no space here, no matter who it targets.

I know that the concept of JAHM and the anti-hate messages it represents are worthy of this House's support.

In closing, I would be remiss if I did not thank my co-leads on this resolution, Congressman Kustoff of Tennessee, the distinguished Democratic leader, Mr. Jeffries of New York, and Congressman Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

I also thank Majority Leader Scalise, Democratic Whip Clark, Judiciary Committee Chairman Jordan, and Ranking Member Nadler, as well as their staff, and especially my staff, for their work to bring this timely resolution to the floor during Jewish American Heritage Month.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on this important resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong 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 tireless work on this topic.

We, in the House of Representatives, have been marking Jewish American Heritage Month since 2005. Of course, Jewish contributions to the mosaic of the United States began centuries ago.

In fact, the Jewish-American community dates back to the mid-17th century when 23 Jews fleeing the Portuguese Inquisition found refuge in what we now call New York City in 1654.

Jewish families have put down roots across this country, and thousands and thousands more have crossed oceans to seek security, freedom, and religious liberty. That small Jewish community, which began with 23 individuals fleeing the inquisition, has grown into more than 6 million people. Jewish Americans have become part of the central fabric of the United States.

As the most senior Jewish Member of Congress, I am proud to represent a district with one of the largest Jewish communities in the United States and one that is home to so many historic Jewish institutions that represent the rich diversity of this community. This includes 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, which hosted the first bat mitzvah in the United States and the first Ashkenazic synagogue in the United States, Congregation B'Nai Jeshurun, which split off from Shearith Israel in 1829.

This May, during Jewish American Heritage Month, while we celebrate that history and the contributions of Jewish Americans, we also recommit ourselves to fighting anti-Semitism in all its forms.

Anti-Semitism is not a new presence in our society. It is a scourge that has plagued Jewish communities around the world for millennia. Still, the harrowing recent uptick in anti-Semitic attacks across the country means that we must redouble our efforts to combat this hatred.

I applaud the White House for developing the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, which was released just last week. This historic effort includes concrete steps that we can all take, including civil society, local government, Congress, and the executive branch, to bring to life the priorities brought forth by this strategy.

This month and every month, we fight against anti-Semitism and celebrate the countless contributions made by Jewish Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the chief sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Landsman).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green).

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

I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for bringing forward this important resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York, Ranking Member Nadler, for yielding and for his leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of H. Res. 382, an important bipartisan resolution condemning the rise of anti-Semitism and highlighting the importance of Jewish-American heritage.

I start by recognizing my friend, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the author of this resolution, for her leadership in making Jewish American Heritage Month a reality and in leading so many efforts to stand up for the Jewish community and speak out against anti- Semitism. I am proud to join her and Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick and David Kustoff, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and many others, as an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, this month is Jewish American Heritage Month, a time to recognize and celebrate American Jews and their many important contributions to our society.

For centuries, since the first arrival of Jews in 1654, Jewish Americans have enriched communities in every part of our country, forming an indelible part of our national fabric. Jews have contributed to every facet of American life, from science and medicine to education, business, technology, music, theater, art, sports, philanthropy, the labor movement, the fight for civil rights, and the pursuit of justice.

The history of the Jews, time and time again, has been about resilience and achievement in the face of adversity.

It is deeply meaningful for us to have a month dedicated to telling the rich and remarkable story of the American Jewish experience.

Yet, as we celebrate the contribution of Jews to America, we cannot ignore the alarming rise of anti-Semitism here in the United States and around the world. According to the FBI, anti-Semitic hate crimes rose by nearly 20 percent in 2021. The data also shows that Jews are the single leading targets of religiously motivated hate crimes in this country.

It is clear that we need a better, stronger, and national-level commitment to counter this steep rise in anti-Semitism.

That is why, last year, more than 125 members of the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces For Combating Anti-Semitism, which I am proud to co-chair, signed a letter to President Biden calling for a unified national strategy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism.

Last week, the White House did just that, releasing the first-ever ``United States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism,'' a truly comprehensive, whole-of-society effort to combat hatred of Jews.

This important plan recognizes that we all have a role in this fight. It highlights the importance of raising awareness and understanding of anti-Semitism. It requires education both inside and outside the classroom and the workplace. It calls on Members of Congress individually and in a bipartisan group to speak continually about the evils of anti-Semitism and to share this message with our constituents.

I am committed to working with my colleagues to further combat anti- Semitism and other forms of hate which threaten our values and the foundation of our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank all of those who helped us be able to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month, and I urge my colleagues to join in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the first Jews arrived in New York in 1654. This month, we honor the innumerable contributions and storied history of Jewish Americans.

I rise today in support of H. Res. 382, honoring Jewish American Heritage Month. I thank my colleagues--my dear friend Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Brian Fitzpatrick, Leader Hakeem Jeffries, David Kustoff, Jerry Nadler, and so many others--who join in making this resolution possible.

Back before we had even gained our independence from England, Jewish Americans like Haym Salomon were financing our American Revolution and saving our young Nation from economic collapse. American heroes like Hyman Rickover gave birth to America's nuclear Navy.

Jews are active in every aspect of American life, with contributions in the military, STEM, law, medicine, and entertainment. Jews are fully part of the American story, and the American story is fully interwoven into our identities as Jews.

For more than 350 years, Jews have found refuge and welcome in America. Sadly, we have also seen periods of anti-Semitism, and, today, at this moment, anti-Semitism is on the rise across the country. From verbal assaults to physical attacks, Jews are facing scary and difficult moments. Even in communities without Jews, anti-Semitism is raising its head.

That is why I am so grateful and proud that this month President Biden's White House put out the whole-of-society strategy to fight anti-Semitism.

Standing up to the rising tide of hate is one essential step to putting America back together again. Together, I know we can stamp out anti-Semitism, and together this month, I am proud that we are celebrating Jewish-American heritage.