Bill Text: NJ ACR216 | 2020-2021 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 6-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-06-14 - Reported from Assembly Comm. as a Substitute, 2nd Reading [ACR216 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2020-ACR216-Introduced.html
ASSEMBLY CONCURRENT RESOLUTION No. 216
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
INTRODUCED MAY 12, 2021
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
SYNOPSIS
Condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
A Concurrent Resolution condemning all forms of anti-Semitism and rejecting attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred.
Whereas, All Americans have a stake in fighting anti-Semitism, as all Americans have a stake in fighting every form of bigotry and hatred against people based on religion, race, or place of birth and origin; and
Whereas, Anti-Semitism is the centuries-old bigotry and form of racism faced by Jewish people simply because they are Jews; and
Whereas, Anti-Semitism includes blaming Jewish people when things go wrong, calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jewish people in the name of a radical ideology or extremist view of religion, or making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or stereotyped allegations about Jewish people; and
Whereas, Jewish people are subjected in the media and political campaigns to dangerous anti-Semitic myths as well, including that Jews control the United States government or seek global, political, and financial domination; and
Whereas, Accusing Jews of being more loyal to Israel or to the Jewish community than to the United States constitutes anti-Semitism because it suggests that Jewish citizens cannot be patriotic Americans and trusted neighbors, when Jews have loyally served our nation every day since its founding, whether in public or community life or military service; and
Whereas, Scapegoating and targeting of Jews in the United States has persisted for many years, including by the Ku Klux Klan, the America First Committee, and modern neo-Nazis; and
Whereas, There is clear evidence of increasing incidents and expressions of anti-Semitism throughout the world; and
Whereas, A May 2014 survey by the Anti-Defamation League, "The ADL Global 100: An Index of Anti-Semitism," which surveyed people in over 100 countries about their attitudes toward Jewish people, found that a majority of people surveyed overall have either not heard of the Holocaust or do not believe it happened as has been documented by factual accounts and recorded by historians; and
Whereas, The January 2015 terrorist massacre of 12 people at the offices of "Charlie Hebdo" magazine in Paris, the subsequent killing of four French Jews at a kosher market just hours before the Jewish Sabbath, the closing of Paris' Grande Synagogue for the first time since World War II, the closing of Jewish schools in Belgium and other European nations, and the fears of ongoing anti-Semitism in Europe's largest Jewish communities demonstrated to Jews and all people everywhere that Jewish life in France, Europe and throughout the world is difficult and uncertain in the face of growing anti-Semitic hatred and violence; and
Whereas, On August 11 and 12, 2017, self-identified neo-Confederates, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and Ku Klux Klansmen held white supremacist events in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they marched on a synagogue under the Nazi swastika, engaged in racist and anti-Semitic demonstrations, and committed brutal and deadly violence against peaceful Americans; and
Whereas, In 2017, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported a 37 percent increase in hate crimes against Jews or Jewish institutions and found that attacks against Jews or Jewish institutions made up 58.1 percent of all religious-based hate crimes; and
Whereas, A 2018 report from the Anti-Defamation League noted that in 2018 there were 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents against Jews and Jewish institutions; and
Whereas, On October 27, 2018, the perpetrator of the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the history of the United States killed 11 worshippers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reportedly stated that he "wanted all Jews to die"; and
Whereas, New Jersey ranked third in the nation in anti-Semitic incidents in 2018, with 200 anti-Semitic incidents reported; and
Whereas, In New Jersey, Bergen, Middlesex, Ocean, and Union counties had the largest number of reported anti-Semitic incidents in 2018 at 36, 23, 21, and 19, respectively; and
Whereas, In 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported an increase in hate crimes against Jews or Jewish institutions and found that attacks against Jews or Jewish institutions made up 60.3 percent of all religious-based hate crimes; and
Whereas, There is an urgent need to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities, and synagogues, schools, cemeteries, and other institutions; and
Whereas, Anti-Semitism is a challenge to the basic principles of tolerance, pluralism, and democracy and the shared values that bind Americans together; and
Whereas, The First Amendment to the Constitution established the United States as a country committed to the principles of tolerance and religious freedom, and the Fourteenth Amendment established equal protection of the laws as the heart of justice in the United States; and
Whereas, Adherence to these principles is vital to the progress of the American people and the diverse communities and religious groups of the State of New Jersey; and
Whereas, Prejudice against Jewish people as a national, ethnic, religious, or racial group has no place in New Jersey or in the United States of America and violates the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States; now, therefore,
Be It
Resolved by the General Assembly of the State
of New Jersey (the Senate concurring):
1. The New Jersey Legislature unequivocally condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts in this State, the United States, and throughout the world to justify anti-Jewish hatred.
2. The New Jersey Legislature applauds the leaders in the United States and those foreign leaders who have condemned anti-Semitic acts and calls on those who have yet to take firm action against anti-Semitism in their countries to do so.
3. The New Jersey Legislature supports expanded Holocaust education programs that increase awareness, counter prejudice, and enhance efforts to teach the universal lessons of the Holocaust, genocide, intolerance, and discrimination.
4 The New Jersey Legislature calls upon the citizens of New Jersey and the State's government entities to continue to be vigilant with efforts to prevent and report acts of anti-Semitism, hate crimes and other violations of human rights and religious freedom.
5. Copies of the resolution, as filed with the Secretary of State, shall be transmitted by the Clerk of the General Assembly or the Secretary of the Senate to the President of the United States, the United States Secretary of State, the Governor, and to each member of Congress elected from this State.
STATEMENT
This resolution condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts to justify anti-Jewish hatred. Throughout the last decade, there has been clear evidence of increasing incidents and expressions of anti-Semitism throughout the world.
More recently, in a 2018 report, the Anti-Defamation League noted that in 2018 there were 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents against Jews and Jewish institutions, which included the deadliest attack on Jewish persons in American history on October 27, 2018 at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where 11 worshippers were killed. In 2018, a report showed New Jersey ranked third in the nation in anti-Semitic incidents with 200 anti-Semitic incidents reported. In 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported an increase in hate crimes against Jews or Jewish institutions and found that attacks against Jews or Jewish institutions made up 60.3 percent of all religious-based hate crimes.
There is an urgent need to ensure the safety and security of Jewish communities, and synagogues, schools, cemeteries, and other institutions. Anti-Semitism is the centuries-old bigotry and form of racism faced by Jewish people simply because they are Jews. Anti-Semitism is a challenge to the basic principles of tolerance, pluralism, and democracy and the shared values that bind Americans together. The First Amendment to the Constitution established the United States as a country committed to the principles of tolerance and religious freedom, and the Fourteenth Amendment established equal protection of the laws as the heart of justice in the United States. Adherence to these principles is vital to the progress of the American people and the diverse communities and religious groups of the State of New Jersey. The New Jersey Legislature unequivocally condemns all forms of anti-Semitism and rejects attempts in this State, the United States, and throughout the world to justify anti-Jewish hatred.
