Following his meeting with Nasi of Dirshu, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, Republican Member of Congress, Don Bacon, attacked the violence against Jews in the USA, and seeks to stand with the Jewish community ^ Watch his speech in Congress
Transcription of speech by Member of Congress Don Bacon:
Thank you, madam speaker, I rise today to address a very concerning, uptick in hate crimes against members of the Jewish community in recent weeks.
To be clear, these incidences have not been isolated and their sheer volume should frighten us all. We must do more to acknowledge these crimes against our Jewish brothers and sisters and ensure perpetrators of these crimes are held accountable.
Perhaps the telling signs for how dangerous things have gotten, is a statistical data.
Those who clearly identified as Jews, with their garb and outward trappings have been viciously and frequently targeted.
According to the ADL there have been 80% increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, some include Nazi propaganda in public parks, at synagogues, as well as suspensions in schools related to anti-Semitic attacks, in Lincoln, Nebraska, the South Street Temple was spray-painted with swastikas, and racial epithets, in Omaha about 35 headstones were toppled and more than $50,000 of damage caused to the Temple Israel cemetery.
I’ve repeatedly condemned this behavior and stand with Nebraska Jewish community and all of those across the US, who have experienced similar situations.
Recently I had the pleasure of meeting one of the most prominent leaders of the Orthodox Jewish community, Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter, the son of Holocaust survivors, who founded the Dirshu the largest Torah organization in the world.
Rabbi Hofstedter was compelled to come to Washington to address my colleagues and I about the various serious issues related to the safety and security of the state of Israel, including the hatred towards Israel, that has manifest of itself in many cases towards the entire Jewish people.
I committed to Rabbi Hofstedter, that we in congress will do everything in our power to continue standing up for the Jewish people and assuring their safety from New York to Nebraska, all across the United States.
During this address to my colleagues and I, the rabbi remarked that perhaps at no time, since the 1930s have we found ourselves in a more similar situation. Jewish lives are being threatened both domestically and on a global scale. However, after watching the hate crimes against our Jewish brothers and sisters over the last few weeks, its abundantly clear that the rabbi’s words are sadly and tragically understated.
It’s time for all of us in Congress to wake up to the reality of the hatred that’s being directed towards the Jewish people and assure that “never again” truly means “never again”.
Cowardice emboldens the enemy. What Rabbi Hofstedter and the Dirshu represent is the true antidote to this venomous hatred that has been exhibited towards the community he leads.
We must not buckle under fear but rather call out the haters and show that the Jewish people as a community will never stand down.
They will continue to practice their Jewish heritage with their heads held high
Out of the darkness of the Holocaust, the rabbi decided to dedicate his life to reviving the levels of Jewish scholarship and education to the levels that were predating the Holocaust.
As a son of Holocaust survivors, the rabbi’s personal life’s mission that he has chosen to undertake and execute upon is to serve as a source of inspiration for every member of this legislative body.
Just as Martin Luther king has once said “darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
So I thank Rabbi Hofstedter for all that he and members of the Dirshu continue to do to advance Jewish scholarship and education in the face of the evil that has perpetrated on community in recent weeks.
May God bless them all. May God bless the United States of America.
Madam speaker, I yield back.
