WASHINGTON D.C.—The United States House of Representatives passed HR 927 on December 13, condemning antisemitism on university campuses and the testimony of university presidents in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
The resolution passed with 303 yeas and 126 nays with all nays but one, Rep. Thomas Massie (KY-4), coming from Democrats.
Snohomish County’s own Rep. Rick Larsen was among the Democrats voting no who took to Twitter the day of the vote to say: “I strongly condemn antisemitism on college campuses. The House already passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan resolution condemning antisemitism on college campuses in November. Today, I reiterate that I strongly condemn antisemitism on college campuses.”
By referencing the “House already passed an overwhelmingly bipartisan resolution,” Larsen was referring to House Resolution 798, which passed the house on November 2 with a roll call vote of 396 yeas and 23 nays. Larsen was among those voting in favor of this resolution last month.
“Antisemitism and the safety of Jewish lives are not a political game. I will continue to stand with Washington state’s Jewish community and with all who denounce and meaningfully work against antisemitism,” said Rick Larsen. “I support the bipartisan resolution reaffirming that the United States condemns Hamas & stands with Israel.”
The Washington delegation was split on the vote with Representatives Suzan DelBene (D, WA-01), Pramila Jayapal (D, WA-07), Derek Kilmer (D, WA-06), and Marilyn Strickland (D, WA-10) all voting against the resolution condemning antisemitism on university campuses and the testimony of University Presidents in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Representatives Dan Newhouse (R, WA-04), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D, WA-03), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R, WA-05), Kim Schrier (D, WA-08), and Adam Smith (D, WA-09) voted in the affirmative.
Larsen, while condemning antisemitism, also condemned a rise in islamophobia following the October 7 attacks.
On November 26, three Palestinian-Americans were gunned down in the streets of Burlington on their way to a family Thanksgiving gathering. They were promptly transported to a nearby hospital where two were in stable condition and the other faced life-threatening injuries.
“This act is awful and full of hate. No one on the streets of the U.S. should be afraid, yet Islamophobia continues to exist, and I denounce it. I will be thinking of these young Americans and their friend, an LPR with the equal right to be free from hate,” said Larsen concerning the Burlington shooting.
The Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) documented an unprecedented 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias during the month of November. The organization reported an average of 406 in a 29-day period, CNN first reported.
On the other hand, since Hamas terrorists perpetuated the deadliest attack against the Jewish people since the holocaust, on October 7, 2023, the Anti-Defamation League has recorded 2,031 antisemitic incidents, 400 of which occurred on college campuses. This is more than a 330% increase from last year.
According to a recent study from the Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International, 73% of Jewish college students surveyed have experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism on campus since the beginning of the school year, up from 32% the prior year.
Jewish and Israeli students have faced physical violence, hate filled disruptions in the classroom, calls from students and faculty advocating for the elimination of Israel and other forms of persistent harassment, the resolution passed Wednesday states continuing that “many university administrations have failed to address the rise of antisemitism.”
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing prior to the resolution’s passing on December 5, 2023, to hold these administrations accountable.
The resolution further calls out several university faculty members for their comments including President Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania, President Claudine Gay of Harvard University, and President Sally Kornbluth of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who at some point have either defended antisemitic incidents as “contextual” or outright denied harassment occurred.
Kornbluth classified antisemitism as harassment only if targeted at an individual but not a group of people.
Magill has since resigned but the resolution calls for the resignation of all others specifically aforementioned listed.
“Acts of hate, intimidation, discrimination, and violence-based on ethnicity or religion have no place in our country or in the global community: Now, therefore, be it resolved, that the House of Representatives strongly condemns the rise of antisemitism on university campuses around the country; and strongly condemns the testimony of University of Pennsylvania President Elizabeth Magill, Harvard University President Claudine Gay, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Sally Kornbluth and their failure to clearly state that calls for the genocide of Jews constitute harassment and violate their institutions’ codes of conduct in front of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce on December 5, 2023,” the resolution states.
On Friday, December 15, Senate Republican Leader John Braun (R-Centralia) and Senator Jesse Salomon (D-Shoreline) introduced legislation on December 15 requiring Holocaust education within schools to combat the rise of antisemitic sentiments in Washington.
“The urgency for this bill was created by the attack on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent pro-Hamas demonstrations, increases in antisemitism, and even calls for genocide we are witnessing on our college campuses,” Senator Braun wrote in a statement to the Lynnwood Times.
Senator Salomon, who serves on the state’s Hate Crimes Task Force Advisory Group, has been a vocal critic of college presidents not condemning antisemitism on campuses.
The bill, SB-5851, gives Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) until July 1, 2027, to require Jewish Holocaust curriculum in all K-12 public schools. Upon bill passage, April will be designated international genocide prevention and awareness month to formally recognize the Holocaust and other genocides. Also, students between grades six through 12 will be offered an optional stand-alone elective on Holocaust and genocide education.
“While the events of October 7 were the driving force in me introducing this legislation, the details of the bill go back years, reflecting the work of the Holocaust Center for Humanity and OSPI in its 2019 report to the Legislature,” said Braun.
Both Braun and Salomon believe Holocaust education is the key to closing a generational gap on the perception of antisemitism and their views of Jewish people. More than 80% of a first-ever 50-state survey of people in the Millennial and Gen Z generations believe more education about the Holocaust is needed.
“There is a rising tide of antisemitism, and I believe that it is due in large part to the lack of education and understanding among our young people,” Braun said. “A recent survey found that 63% of Millennials and Gen Z members don’t know that six million Jews died in the Holocaust. We do a disservice to our students and to our state if we allow this ignorance to persist.”
The survey also found that nearly 36% of Millennials and Gen Z thought the death toll of the Holocaust was less than 2 million and 11% of the respondents thought the Jews were to blame.
The generational divide on the perception of antisemitism and their views of Jewish people were echoed in a Harvard CAPS-Harris poll conducted between December 13-14. It reported that 67% of voters between the ages of 18 and 24 believe Jews are an oppressor class and should be treated as such, while 73 percent of all voters disagreed with this sentiment. Within the same poll, 62% of all respondents stated that university presidents did not go far enough to condemn antisemitism on their campuses in their Congressional testimony; while, in contrast, 67% of those ages 18-24 stated that the presidents did go far enough.
FEATURED IMAGE: Holocaust Center for Humanity, photo by Aaron Leitz, courtesy of Olson Kundig.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
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