The US Capitol Building. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a resolution on Thursday condemning “all forms” of anti-Semitism to mark Yom Hashoah, or Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.

“Antisemitism is on the rise around the world and here in America,” said Cruz in a statement. “In just the last few weeks, we have seen it manifested as hateful cartoons in major news publications, antisemitic smears in the halls of Congress and murders at houses of worship,” referencing such illustrations in the international edition of The New York Times and the Chabad of Poway shooting in Southern California, where one woman was killed and three others injured. Both instances happened within the week.

Cruz continued, “I urge my Senate colleagues to put aside partisan politics so we can come together as an institution and unequivocally condemn antisemitism.”

“This bipartisan effort is about making clear that we will do everything in our power to combat the rise in antisemitism. In my home state, we saw white supremacists terrorizing—and even murdering—people in Charlottesville while chanting antisemitic slogans lifted from Nazi rallies and a president unwilling to forcefully condemn such an atrocity,” said Kaine. “The shooting last weekend at Chabad of Poway was another tragic reminder of this deep-rooted prejudice. We must stand together against hate in all its forms.”

The resolution briefly mentions antisemitism’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 is co-sponsored by 42 other senators, most of them Republican.

The Anti-Defamation League applauded the resolution.

“As we were cruelly reminded days ago in #Poway, #antiSemitism is real and can be deadly. At a time when #antiSemitic incidents are near an all-time high, we are grateful to @SenTedCruz & @TimKaine for this bipartisan call to condemn & combat anti-Semitism,” tweeted the ADL.

As we were cruelly reminded days ago in #Poway, #antiSemitism is real and can be deadly. At a time when #antiSemitic incidents are near an all-time high, we are grateful to @SenTedCruz & @TimKaine for this bipartisan call to condemn & combat anti-Semitism. https://t.co/Wc0E8nA97H pic.twitter.com/8UkPe4VAss

— ADL (@ADL) May 2, 2019