| R 395 |
| 2024 -- S 3166 Enacted 06/13/2024 |
| S E N A T E R E S O L U T I O N |
| CONDEMNING ANTISEMITISM IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND BEYOND |
Introduced By: Senator Samuel D. Zurier |
| Date Introduced: June 13, 2024 |
| WHEREAS, Antisemitism, which includes harassment on the basis of actual or perceived |
| Jewish origin, ancestry, ethnicity, identity, affiliation, or religious faith, remains a persistent, |
| pervasive, and disturbing problem in American society; and |
| WHEREAS, In 2010, the U.S. Department of State adopted the following definition of |
| antisemitism: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred |
| toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish |
| or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and |
| religious facilities”; and |
| WHEREAS, Jews continue to be a targeted minority in the United States, who make up |
| only 2 percent of the country’s population, but against whom antisemitic hate crimes accounted |
| for 9.6 percent of all hate crimes reported in 2022 according to an FBI report; and |
| WHEREAS, Eleven worshippers were killed, and several others were injured in the |
| deadliest attack against the American Jewish community at the Tree of Life Synagogue in |
| Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 27, 2018; and |
| WHEREAS, On October 7, 2023, Hamas committed horrific atrocities in Israel, causing |
| the murder of Jews in numbers not seen since the Holocaust, and testimonies of sexual violence, |
| beheadings, burnings and other horrific acts perpetrated by Hamas have been emerging as Israelis |
| begin to process the trauma; and |
| WHEREAS, Polling released by the Jewish Federations of North America on November |
| 7 found that 74 percent of American Jews believe there is a lot of anti-Semitism in the United |
| States today; and |
| WHEREAS, Institutions and community organizations have a responsibility to protect |
| citizens from acts of hate and bigotry, including antisemitism; and |
| WHEREAS, The White House has released the first ever comprehensive plan to counter |
| antisemitism in the United States, providing valuable tools to inform more accurate reporting, |
| investigation, and policymaking and increase understanding on the rise of antisemitism in the |
| country; and |
| WHEREAS, The White House plan includes language indicating the impact of hate and |
| bigotry on all Americans: “Antisemitism threatens not only the Jewish community, but all |
| Americans. People who peddle these antisemitic conspiracy theories and fuel racial, ethnic, and |
| religious hatred against Jews also target other communities—including Black and brown |
| Americans; Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders; LGBTQI+ individuals; |
| Muslim Americans; women and girls; and so many others.”; and |
| WHEREAS, The State of Rhode Island is home to the United States’ oldest synagogue, |
| Touro Synagogue in Newport, RI. In 1790, George Washington wrote a letter to the congregation |
| in Newport extolling the virtues of Rhode Island as a home for religious plurality that “gives |
| bigotry no sanction”; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby condemns and rejects |
| antisemitism and strongly stands against hate, bias or violence based on identity. We moreover |
| remain committed to the principles of nondiscrimination and human rights, and reaffirm our |
| community as a safe and affirming one for people of all religions and identities; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. |
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| LC006281 |
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