house resolution no.324
Rep. Thanedar offered the following resolution:
Whereas, The Jewish-American experience is a story of faith, fortitude, and progress and is connected to key tenets of the American identity. Generations of Jewish people have come to this nation fleeing oppression, discrimination, and persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their children. These Jewish Americans have created lives for themselves and their families and have played indispensable roles in our nation's civic and community life, making invaluable contributions to our nation through their leadership and achievements. On August 21, 1790, President George Washington sent a letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, expressing that the newly formed United States would be a nation that "gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance" and wished that the Jewish people "who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants … and there shall be none to make him afraid." We should acknowledge and celebrate the crucial contributions that Jewish Americans have made to our collective struggle for a more just and fair society, leading movements for justice and equality and working to ensure opportunities for all; and
Whereas, Alongside this narrative of achievement and opportunity, there is also a history, far older than the nation itself, of racism, bigotry, and other forms of prejudice manifesting in the scourge of antisemitism. Antisemitism is an insidious form of prejudice stretching back millennia that attacks the humanity of the Jewish people and has led to violence, the destruction of lives and communities, and genocide. Conspiracy theories that Jewish people are uniquely evil and influential have led to mass killings of Jewish people throughout time, including the poisonous Nazi ideology that resulted in the murder of 6,000,000 Jewish people, including 1,500,000 Jewish children, and millions of other victims of the Nazis in Europe; and
Whereas, Over the course of the past decade, Holocaust distortion and denial has grown in intensity. A 2020 survey of all 50 states in the United States on Holocaust knowledge among Millennials and Gen Z, conducted by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), found a clear lack of awareness of key historical facts. Sixty-three percent of respondents did not know that 6,000,000 Jewish people were murdered during the Holocaust, and 36 percent thought that "two million or fewer Jews" were killed; and
Whereas, Michigan residents are not immune from believing these falsehoods. The 2020 Claims Conference study found that, among Michiganians between ages 18 and 39, 14 percent of respondents believed that Jewish people caused the Holocaust, more than the 11 percent who believed this nationwide. Twice as many respondents in Michigan outright denied that the Holocaust happened, compared to the national result of 3 percent. And a higher proportion of respondents from Michigan, 18 percent, reported having seen Nazi symbols both in their community and on social media, than the 13 percent reported for the whole United States; and
Whereas, There is a documented and dangerous rise of antisemitism globally and in the United States. In this country, Jewish people are increasingly affected by the grotesque spread of misinformation and lies, including blame for the spread of COVID-19; false claims, including the control of the media and the financial system; accusations of dual loyalty; and a multitude of negative stereotypes. The use of antisemitic language, conspiracy theories, and hatred has increased on multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, including tropes about Jewish control and messages praising Hitler and demonizing all Jewish people; and
Whereas, There have been numerous incidents of antisemitism in the 2020s, as documented by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). These incidents are increasing at an alarming rate; and
Whereas, The American Jewish Committee (AJC)'s 2021 State of Antisemitism in America report is a survey of American Jewish people and the general public's perceptions of antisemitism. This report revealed that 24 percent of Jewish Americans have been personally targeted by antisemitism in the past 12 months; 4 in 10 Jewish Americans changed their behavior at least once out of fear of antisemitism; 90 percent believe antisemitism is a problem in the United States; and 82 percent feel it has increased in the past 5 years; and
Whereas, According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jewish people were the target of almost 55 percent of religiously motivated hate crime incidents in 2020: 683 out of 1,244 incidents. This is a massively disproportionate share of hate crimes, considering that only about 2.6 percent of those who report having any religious preference are Jewish, based on data gathered in Gallup polls; and
Whereas, The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported sharp increases in antisemitism in 2021, compared to 2020. The ADL's 2021 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in the United States recorded 2,717 acts of assault, vandalism, and harassment this past year alone, an average of more than 7 incidents per day. This was a 34-percent increase from 2020 and the highest year on record since ADL began tracking antisemitic incidents in 1979. In 2021, 525 antisemitic incidents took place at Jewish institutions, an increase of 61 percent over data collected in 2020, and antisemitic assaults increased by 167 percent in 2021, compared to 2020. This increase is partially attributable to a substantial surge of antisemitic incidents in May 2021, during a military conflict between Israel and Hamas that began on May 10 and lasted through the end of the month. During the conflict, 297 antisemitic incidents were reported, a 141 percent increase compared to 2020. Jewish individuals were violently attacked in major cities, including New York and Los Angeles, and many of the perpetrators explicitly referred to Israel or Zionism; and
Whereas, According to the ADL, Michigan was the state with the fifth highest number of antisemitic incidents in 2021. Out of a total of 2,717 incidents in the United States, 112 occurred in Michigan, or about 4 percent. This was out of proportion to the state's population in that year, which was ranked 10th in the United States, with about 3 percent of the nation's people, based on data from the United States Census Bureau. In March 2021, a social media content creator harassed customers at a Kosher market in Michigan; and
Whereas, There are regular acts of antisemitic vandalism against synagogues and Jewish schools in the United States, and numerous nonlethal attacks have been made on Jewish Americans, leaving many Jewish people feeling increasingly unsafe in public spaces and houses of worship. In October 2018, 11 people were shot and killed at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh. The ACJ's 2021 State of Antisemitism in America report revealed that 56 percent of respondents' religious institutions had increased security since this shooting. A recent example of violent antisemitism took place on Saturday, January 15, 2022. During religious services at Congregation Beth Israel, a terrorist held 4 people, including a rabbi, hostage at gunpoint for 11 hours. Following this hostage situation, police departments in a number of American cities, including New York and Los Angeles, have said that they are stepping up patrols at synagogues and other locations associated with the Jewish community; and
Whereas, Harassment at Jewish institutions also occurs in Michigan. The ADL reports that Witness for Peace, an antisemitic and anti-Israel group led by a Holocaust denier, has been protesting outside an Ann Arbor synagogue since 2003. As of 2021, they held protests every week, carrying signs with slogans such as "Israel: No Right to Exist" and "Heil Hitler!"; and
Whereas, The rise in antisemitism is part of the larger trend of the rise of hate-filled movements that are targeting marginalized communities here in the United States, and especially in Michigan; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That we condemn antisemitism in all forms, by all actors, wherever it occurs, as an affront to basic human decency and a civilized society; and be it further
Resolved, That we urge all Michigan community leaders to take steps to prevent antisemitism and report any antisemitic incidents to local law enforcement, the Michigan Attorney General's Hate Crimes Unit, or the Michigan Department of Civil Rights; and be it further
Resolved, That we urge the Michigan Attorney General and Michigan Department of Civil Rights to investigate and address the ongoing and rising cases of antisemitism in Michigan; and be it further
Resolved, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to the Michigan Attorney General, the Governor of Michigan, and the Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.