WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) addressed Members of Congress, advocates, educators, and Holocaust survivors during a Congressional briefing on the need for greater investment in Holocaust education. During her remarks, Senator Rosen discussed legislative actions she has taken to combat anti-Semitism, including introducing the Never Again Education Act, bipartisan legislation that would establish a dedicated federal fund to provide teachers with resources and training necessary to teach our students the important lessons of the Holocaust.
“It’s our responsibility to our neighbors, friends, community, and children to work together and prevent anti-Semitism before it starts because through education we can enlighten and empower our communities,” said Senator Rosen. “I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan Never Again Education Act, which would establish a federal fund to finance grants to help teachers develop and improve Holocaust education programs across our country. We must continue working across the aisle to combat anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms.”
BACKGROUND: Earlier this week, Senator Rosen launched the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, with co-chair Senator James Lankford (R-OK).
Senator Rosen holds the distinction of being the third female Jewish Senator in U.S. history, as well as the first former synagogue president to serve in the United States Senate. As such, Senator Rosen has been an outspoken advocate of combating anti-Semitism in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and around the world.
Senator Rosen is a cosponsor of the bipartisan Anti-Semitism Awareness Act of 2018, which adopts a broad definition of anti-Semitism for the purposes of enforcing federal antidiscrimination laws in education. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education to consider this new definition of “anti-Semitism” as part of its assessment of whether an action based on an individual’s Jewish ancestry was motivated by anti-Semitic intent, in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in education. Among other things, the definition includes making stereotypical allegations about the power of Jews as a collective, denying the Holocaust, and accusing Jewish citizens of a country of being more loyal to Israel to than to the interests of their own nation.
Earlier this year, Senator Rosen helped introduce bipartisan legislation to upgrade the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism to the rank of an ambassador and require its Presidential appointment and Senate confirmation. Last Congress, Rosen co-sponsored this bipartisan legislation and helped advance it in the House, where it passed by a vote of 393-2.
Senator Rosen also attended the swearing in of the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Rosen was the only sitting Member of Congress to attend the swearing-in ceremony for Special Envoy Elan Carr.
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