The People's Night

Floor Speech

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Mr. ZELDIN. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Walker for his leadership in our conference and his great representation of his district. It is an honor to be joining the gentleman tonight for this important time on the House floor.

I come here to appeal to all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats, to reject the anti-Israel and anti- Semitic hatred that we are starting to see infiltrate American politics and even the Halls of Congress.

It is important that we all come together, that we work together to not empower, not embrace, not associate with individuals and rhetoric and policy that promotes this anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred, but that we reject it.

It was just a couple weeks ago that this Chamber came together nearly unanimously to reject white supremacy. What is taking so long for House Democratic leadership to schedule a vote on H. Res. 72 that I introduced with Congressman Budd, Congresswoman Stefanik, Congressman Walker as a cosponsor, and others as well? Why can't we come together as forcefully and urgently to reject that anti-Semitism and that anti- Israel hatred?

We have House Democrats who have associated with, taken pictures with, embraced Louis Farrakhan. He said: ``So when they talk about Farrakhan, call me a hater, you do what they do, call me an anti- Semite. Stop it, I'm anti-termite.'' Louis Farrakhan said that last year.

He also said: ``Satanic Jews have infected the whole world with poison and deceit.''

This is offensive to me, as someone who is Jewish. But I am talking to colleagues who aren't Jewish, and they are offended as well by Farrakhan and the fact that there are Members of this Chamber who associate with this person.

In 1984, Farrakhan said about Adolph Hitler: ``He was a very great man.''

Activist Tamika Mallory called Louis Farrakhan ``the greatest of all time.'' Her fellow organizer, Linda Sarsour, said: ``Only Jews . . . are ones that condone violence against Arabs and are cool with mosques being attacked.''

I have no problem standing here in the well of this Chamber rejecting it. I don't know what is taking so long for House Democratic leadership to schedule a vote on H. Res. 72, so they can join us in condemning it as well.

There is a freshman Representative from Michigan, Representative Rashida Tlaib, who supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. She invited Abbas Hamideh to attend her swearing-in events this month. Abbas said, in 2016: ``Israel does not have a right to exist. The terrorist entity is illegal and has no basis to exist, other than a delusional, ISIS-like ideology.''

Also this month, that person said: ``I'm willing to go back to my country Palestine, if the Zionist terrorists go back to Poland. Deal? Let's get that ball rolling ASAP. Get off Twitter, and let's make that happen.''

This same Representative said of those who support Israel: ``They forgot what country they represent.''

Well, as someone who has been in the United States Army for over 15 years, has deployed into combat in defense of this country, a former Army paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, never once in my life have I forgotten what country I represent.

It is kind of ironic that someone who, on their victory night, wraps themselves in the Palestinian flag is trying to lecture us, especially for supporting our Nation's greatest ally in Israel.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement is one that is founded by someone named Omar Barghouti, who said: ``We are witnessing the rapid demise of Zionism, and nothing can be done save it, for Zionism is intent on killing itself. I, for one, support euthanasia.''

He also said: ``Many of the methods of collective and individual `punishment' meted out to Palestinian civilians at the hands of young, racist, often sadistic and every impervious Israeli soldiers . . . are reminiscent of common Nazi practices against the Jews.''

So when you are embracing BDS, know that this is what the founder of BDS says. This goes beyond anti-Israeli hatred. It is anti-Semitic hatred.

What is taking so long? This Chamber that had no problem rushing to this well and nearly unanimously rejecting white supremacy has a problem rejecting this?

Meanwhile, our students, in the name of the BDS movement, on college campuses all across this entire country, are being subjected to blatant anti-Semitism.

For example, at New York University, the student government passed a resolution supporting BDS. The Bronfman Center for Jewish Life was temporarily closed in response to threatening Twitter posts by a student who expressed ``a desire for Zionists to die.''

Other college campuses include a University of Michigan professor who refused to write a letter of recommendation for a qualified student to study abroad solely because she was seeking to study abroad in Israel.

A Students for Justice in Palestine cofounder and University of California, Berkeley, professor spoke at a national conference and shared an anti-Semitic meme of an Orthodox Jewish person in his presentation.

At Warren Wilson College, an invited speaker said: ``Jews are doing the same thing to the Palestinians as the Nazis did to the Jews.''

The examples go on, whether it was Charlottesville, where the leadership said that Jews must die, that he wanted all Jews to die, or whether it was the shooting that took place in Pittsburgh.

We are motivated, my colleagues and I, to this Chamber to stand against anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred. Everyone in this Chamber should join us.

I went kindergarten through 12th grade, college, law school, 4 years of Active Duty, and I never once experienced anti-Semitism. It has no business infiltrating American politics; it has no business infiltrating the campuses of United States universities and colleges; and it has no business infiltrating the Halls of Congress.

I encourage an immediate vote on H. Res. 72.

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