REP. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ STATEMENT ON ANTI-SEMITISM, HAMAS AND ISRAEL

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to admonish the alarming increase of anti-Semitism we have witnessed over the last few weeks.

While the Anti-Defamation League released a terrifying report just last month about anti-Semitism growing throughout the world. Tragically, my own constituents have personally experienced terrifying and heinous crimes against them just this past week.

On Monday morning, congregants and neighbors were horrified to find that swastikas had been spray-painted on the walls of Torah V’Emunah synagogue in Miami-Dade County.

In Miami Beach over the weekend, a Jewish couple found their car had been egged and the words “Hamas” and “Jew” had been smeared on their cars.

These deplorable acts are atrocious and despicable. For all of us who care about the rights of minority populations in this country who celebrate the rich diversity that makes up our great nation – we cannot…and must not be silent.

It is amazing to many of us that these actions are occurring in 2014, not 1930 Nazi Germany. But unfortunately, we are also witnessing what Anti-Defamation League Director and Holocaust survivor Abe Foxman recently called the worst anti-Semitism since World War II.

In France, in an episode that is chillingly reminiscent of Kristalnacht we witnessed angry rioters throw firebombs at synagogues and ransack and destroy Jewish-owned businesses.

In Belgium, a cafe actually publicly displayed a sign saying dogs were allowed in the café, but Jews were not.

Thankfully, we have seen the leaders of European countries including Germany, France and Italy condemn this kind of behavior. There are countless voices across Europe speaking up in the face of this barbarism.

But this anti-Semitism is real. This hatred is real and the violence is real.

Many not close to this issue may ask why? To us, it’s clear.

This recent surge of anti-Semitism is borne out of knee-jerk vitriolic reaction to violence raging in Israel and Gaza.

But this conflation of anti-Semitism with the recent actions of Israel in defense of her people is completely misplaced. Israel’s actions are a direct response against rocket attacks from a terrorist organization whose stated mission is Israel’s destruction and who thrives on a continuing narrative of anti-Semitism.

Unfortunately, we only see a few lone voices around the world protesting against a Hamas government that knowingly and willingly puts its citizens – its children – in harm’s way, placing them in jeopardy and sacrificing their lives to engender sympathy for their evil cause.

We hear little from much of the world against a terrorist organization that chose to invest in rockets and building tunnels for plotting murderous attacks against innocent civilians instead of investing in homes, schools and hospitals for its citizens.

Instead of condemning these cowardly practices by Hamas, we have however seen people rage equally against Israel, Israelis and Jews anywhere.

The words and phrases these protestors are using cannot be spoken on this House floor…they have been dug up from the worst episodes of human history.

That is why I am proud to stand with all of you tonight. To stand with President Obama and Secretary Kerry and send a clear message that these actions will not be tolerated. We must stand by the commitments we made as a community and as the world to never again stand silent in the face of this kind of horror…this kind of bigotry…this kind of injustice.

We will not stand idly by as vitriolic speech turns into violence against innocent people. Never again.