Hoyer Statement on House Resolution to Condemn Antisemitism 

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement tonight after voting for the House resolution condemning the drastic rise of antisemitism in America:

“For eight weeks, Republicans have sought to turn our longstanding, bipartisan support for Israel into a partisan wedge issue at a time when Israelis are counting on us more than ever before as they respond to Hamas' devastating attack on October 7. Republican leaders have held ten votes related to Israel and antisemitism since the war began, many of which were efforts to exploit Jews' pain and the dire situation in Israel to divide our Congress. Today's resolution condemning the dangerous rise of antisemitism in America and around the world was just the latest example. Fifty-nine days after Hamas' attack, this House still hasn't advanced a bill that's passable in the Senate and that provides Israelis with what they actually need: military and humanitarian aid.

“I voted for the resolution today because Congress has a duty to denounce antisemitism wherever it appears, reaffirm our commitment to the inclusion and safety of the Jewish community, and call on our counterparts abroad to do the same. That is especially true as we observe the alarming 388% increase in antisemitic incidents throughout America in the weeks since the war began. From college campuses to online comment sections, places of worship to places of work, Jews have experienced the same destructive prejudice, baseless stereotypes, and menacing violence that the Jewish community has endured for thousands of years.

“The resolution's effort to draw an equivalency between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, while partially accurate, left out important nuance and purposefully divided our Congress. There are Jews who disagree with Zionism, and they are obviously not antisemitic. It is also true that many people – including supporters of Hamas – frequently use the term 'anti-Zionism' in an effort to sanitize actions that are clearly antisemitic. It is acceptable to criticize the Israeli government on matters of policy, as is the case with any other nation. It is unacceptable, however, to call for the complete destruction of the State of Israel and to deny Jews' absolute right to live peacefully in their ancestral homeland.

“Ever since the modern State of Israel was founded 75 years ago, Democrats and Republicans have worked together to build, maintain, and strengthen our invaluable U.S.-Israel relationship. I urge Speaker Johnson and his Republican colleagues not to break that tradition by conditioning our support for Israel on unrelated partisan objectives and by needlessly dividing our House on an issue that has always brought us together. Instead, they need to work with us to act on the bipartisan consensus that exists to deliver this aid – not next week, not next month, not next year, but right now.”