The U.S. Senate unanimously passed on Thursday a bipartisan resolution, introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), condemning anti-Semitism.
“‘In the United States, Jews have suffered from systematic discrimination in the form of exclusion from home ownership in certain neighborhoods, prohibition from staying in certain hotels, restrictions upon membership in private clubs and other associations, limitations upon admission to certain educational institutions, and other barriers to equal justice under the law,’” said Cruz. “This is a shameful legacy, and it makes it all the more incumbent that we as a Senate, speak in one voice and stand resolved that the United States condemns and commits to combating all forms of anti-Semitism.”
“Right now, we are seeing an uptick in hate crimes against Jewish communities. We have to acknowledge that anti-Semitism is real, it’s dangerous, and it’s growing,” said Kaine. “Those of us in leadership positions need to stand up against it, and I’m grateful that Senator Cruz reached out to work together on this bipartisan effort. I’m proud the Senate came together to unanimously pass our resolution that shows we will do everything in our power to combat this rise in anti-Semitism.”
The resolution briefly mentions anti-Semitism’s history from The Protocols of the Elder of Zion to the Holocaust to the campaign to boycott Jewish businesses to the hatred Jews currently face.
It was co-sponsored by 46 other senators, most of them Republican.
Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) were the only non-Republicans to co-sponsor the resolution.
The Senate passage occurred more than three months after the U.S. House of Representatives was criticized for watering down and passing a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.
It was in response to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who defended her remarks accusing her “Jewish colleagues” for attacking her and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for labeling every criticism of theirs as anti-Israel because of the faith of the two congresswomen, in addition to slamming her critics regarding “the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country.”
The House nor Senate resolution mentioned Omar by name.
