Anti-Semitism is Unacceptable

Floor Speech

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Mr. BACON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address the very concerning uptick in hate crimes against members of the Jewish community in recent weeks. To be clear, these incidents have not been isolated, and their sheer volume should frighten us all.

We must do more to acknowledge these crimes against our Jewish brothers and sisters and ensure the perpetrators of these crimes are held accountable.

Perhaps the most telling sign of how dangerous things have gotten is the statistical data. Those who clearly identify as Jews, with their garb and outward trappings, have been viciously and frequently targeted.

According to the ADL, there has been an 80 percent increase in anti- Semitic incidents in the United States. Some include Nazi propaganda in public parks and synagogues as well as suspensions in schools related to anti-Semitic attacks.

In Lincoln, Nebraska, the South Street Temple was spray-painted with swastikas and racial epithets. In Omaha, about 75 headstones were toppled and more than $50,000 in damage caused at the Temple Israel Cemetery.

I have repeatedly condemned this behavior and stand with Nebraska's Jewish community and all of those across the U.S. who have experienced similar situations.

Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the most prominent leaders of the orthodox Jewish community, Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter, the son of Holocaust survivors who founded the Dirshu, the largest Torah organization in the world.

Rabbi Hofstedter was compelled to come to Washington to address my colleagues and me about the very serious issues related to the safety and security of the State of Israel, including the hatred toward Israel that has manifested itself in many cases toward the entire Jewish people.

I committed to Rabbi Hofstedter that we, in Congress, will do everything in our power to continue standing up for the Jewish people and ensuring their safety, from New York to Nebraska and all across the United States.

During his address to my colleagues and I, Rabbi Hofstedter remarked that perhaps at no time since the 1930s have we found ourselves in a more similar situation. Jewish lives are being threatened both domestically and on a global scale. However, after watching the hate crimes against our Jewish brothers and sisters over the last few weeks, it is abundantly clear that the rabbi's words were sadly and tragically understated.

It is time for all of us in Congress to wake up to the reality of the hatred that is being directed toward the Jewish people and ensure that ``never again'' truly means ``never again.''

Cowardice emboldens the enemy. What Rabbi Hofstedter and Dirshu represent is the true antidote to this venomous hatred that has been exhibited toward the community he leads.

We must not buckle under fear but, rather, call out the haters and show that the Jewish people as a community will never stand down. They will continue to practice their Jewish heritage with their heads held high.

Out of the darkness of the Holocaust, Rabbi Hofstedter decided to dedicate his life to reviving the levels of Jewish scholarship and education to the levels that were predating the Holocaust. As the son of Holocaust survivors, Rabbi Hofstedter's personal life's mission that he has chosen to undertake and execute upon ought to serve as a source of inspiration for every Member of this legislative body. Just as Martin Luther King once said: ``Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.''

I thank Rabbi Hofstedter for all that he and the members of the Dirshu continue to do to advance Jewish scholarship and education in the face of the evil that has been perpetrated on their community in recent weeks. May God bless them all. May God bless the United States of America.

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