Never Again Education Act passage hailed

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada)

This article was updated on May 15 with additional comments
WASHINGTON, D.C. (SDJW) — Jewish and pro-Israel organizations responded favorably to the passage in the U.S. Senate of the Never Again Education Act, H.R. 943, which would provide federal funding to help give teachers across the country the necessary resources to teach about the Holocaust in their classrooms. The bill passed the House on January 27 and now goes to the President for his signature.  Following are comments from some of the organizations:

American Jewish Congress — Jack Rosen, president of the American Jewish Congress, stated: “The American Jewish Congress applauds this week’s passage of the Never Again Education Act by the U.S. Senate. Both the House and the Senate have now passed this important bill that expands Holocaust education resources across the country. We thank Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), for introducing the bill and all the members of the Senate that, similarly to their colleagues in the House, recognized the importance of the legislation. Particularly, we would like to highlight the leadership, determination, and consensus-building efforts of Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV). We commend their work in drafting the legislation and in gathering the necessary bipartisan support to guarantee the swift passage of the bill in both chambers of Congress. It is encouraging to see that, even in politically divisive times, our elected leaders have the ability to unite in remembering the world’s darkest hours and in safeguarding the important lessons of history in order to protect future generations. Recent polls have shown that Americans are not educated enough about the Holocaust and its horrors. This important bill will designate $10 million over five years to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) to expand and enhance Holocaust education for the younger generations. The American Jewish Congress looks forward to the President’s signing of the bill and to its enactment.”

Anti-Defamation League — “I am grateful for the leadership of Senators Jacky Rosen and Kevin Cramer, and Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Elise Stefanik, and to all Senators for passing this bill today, during Jewish American Heritage Month, to ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust will be passed from one generation to the next,” said ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt. “Through the study of the Holocaust, students can grow as responsible citizens in a democratic society and develop critical thinking, empathy, and social justice skills for the future. We look forward to President Trump signing the bill into law and to working closely with teachers and districts across the country to ensure that Holocaust education is uniform and consistent across the country.”

With the passage of time, memory of the Holocaust has faded. A recent Pew study indicates that Millennials know less about the Holocaust than previous generations. ADL’s Global 100 poll determined that only an estimated 54 percent of the entire world population has even heard of the Holocaust. A survey released by ADL in January found that 19 percent of American adults say, “Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust.”

H.R. 943, which passed today (Wednesday0 , was introduced by Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY). The Senate companion, S. 2085, was introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

The Never Again Education Act would address the gap in knowledge by expanding the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s education programming to teachers across the country, requiring the Museum to develop and disseminate accurate, relevant, and accessible resources to improve awareness and understanding of the Holocaust and educate individuals on the lessons of the Holocaust as a means to promote the importance of preventing genocide, hate, and bigotry against any group of people.

The bill also authorizes $10 million over five years to go to these activities. ADL supported a letter led by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Jacky Rosen to the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, asking for the funding to ensure implementation of Holocaust education programming.

*Christians United for Israel (CUFI) — On Wednesday, the leadership of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, issued statements welcoming Congressional passage of the Never Again Education Act, which passed by unanimous consent on Wednesday. The bill had previously advanced through the House of Representatives with overwhelming support and now heads to the President’s desk for his signature.  “If there exists a silver bullet to defeat the spread of bigotry and hatred, it is education. Through this legislation, teachers around the country will have federal support in their efforts to stamp out anti-Semitism by teaching about its abhorrent consequences,” said CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee. “CUFI’s eight million members have made combating the rising tide of anti-Semitism a top priority, and we are extremely grateful for the tremendous bipartisan support the Never Again Education Act has enjoyed in both Capitol chambers,” Hagee added. “The Never Again Education Act was one of our top legislative priorities. This success would not have been possible without the exceptional leadership of Senators Rosen, Cramer, Murkowski and Manchin, and their House colleagues, Representatives Maloney and Stefanik.  In addition, we are grateful to Hadassah for their partnership on this effort. We look forward to this bill being signed into law by the President without delay,” said CUFI Action Fund Chairwoman Sandra Parker.

*Combat Anti-Semism MovementSacha Roytman-Dratwa, The Combat Anti-Semitism Movement Director : By approving this Act, members of the United States Senate have transformed the phrase ‘Never Again’ into real and purposeful action. We know that the only way to fight the darkness of anti-Semitism, hatred and discrimination is to teach the light of tolerance and respect. The Never Again Education Act breathes new life into this struggle at a time when we need it the most.We applaud the members of the Senate, from both sides of the aisle, who put their political differences aside in order to approve this important legislation. In doing so, they have sent the critical message that anti-Semitism is not a partisan issue and that people of all religions, faiths and backgrounds must unite around the goal of ending the hatred and bigotry which plagues our society.” 

 

* Hadassah — Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America National President Rhoda Smolow and CEO/Executive Director Janice Weinman released the below joint statement today following Senate approval of the Never Again Education Act by unanimous consent. The bill – which establishes a new federal program and fund to award Holocaust education grants to educational institutions offering classes, resources, teacher training, and student field trips – first passed the House (H.R. 943) on January 27, 2020. It is now ready for President Donald J. Trump to sign into law. “The Never Again Education Act is our last best chance to make a significant and lasting impact against the rising tide of hatred in our country. The stakes are so high for communities across America, which is why Hadassah and its members have advocated for this bill relentlessly. Together, we’ve built up overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers to support educators and ensure students learn the universal lessons of the Holocaust. Hadassah deeply appreciates the efforts of Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Elise Stefanik and Senators Jacky Rosen, Kevin Cramer, Marco Rubio and Richard Blumenthal for spearheading the bills in the House and the Senate; Senators Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin for their support as chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources; and The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Christians United for Israel (CUFI) and Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) for joining us in this effort. Now, the bill is headed to the White House. President Trump last year said ‘that American students should learn the important lessons of the Holocaust’ and that ‘we should promote awareness of these lessons.’ We agree. And we look forward to the president signing the Never Again Education Act into law.”

*Republican Jewish Coalition — Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matt Brooks issued the following statement: “The men and women of the United States Senate deserve credit for setting aside their differences to clear the way for swift and unanimous passage of this much-needed legislation. We are especially grateful to Senator Kevin Cramer and Senator Jacky Rosen who led the way on the bill. We are also thankful to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and dozens of Senators on both sides of the aisle who came together to act on growing concerns that today’s young Americans are not learning what they need to know about the Holocaust. RJC is proud to have contributed to the effort by leading Jewish organizations to secure passage of the Never Again Education Act. Our involvement was spurred by strong leadership from within our organization’s Board of Directors, animated by the conviction that improving Holocaust education must be a national priority. President Trump has spoken of the need for education about the Holocaust and we know he will come through for Jewish Americans yet again by signing the Never Again Education Act into law.”

StandWithUs — StandWithUs commends legislators, both federal and state, for taking a strong stand to prevent the further spread of antisemitism and combat discrimination against Israel. The global Coronavirus pandemic has breathed new life into one of the world’s oldest diseases: antisemitism. Antisemitic crimes are on the rise, and old slanders and lies are again fostering hatred against Jews and the Jewish state. In passing the “Never Again Education Act,” the U.S. Congress has committed to proactively educate our nation’s youth about history and its lessons about the dangers of antisemitism. At the same time, the State of Missouri has voted to cease doing business with companies that discriminate against Israel. On May 13, 2020, the U.S. Senate in a unanimous vote, passed the Never Again Education Act to expand Holocaust education across the United States. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and had 76 co-sponsors. The House passed (393-5) a companion bill, which was introduced by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorated the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. “This critical, bipartisan legislation is a proactive measure to educate and provide states and schools with the resources necessary to incorporate Holocaust education into their classrooms, ensuring that all students understand the evils of the Holocaust and its impact,” said Rep. Stefanik. “Children are not born with hate in their hearts, it is up to us to make sure they never learn it,” said Rep. Maloney in a statement. “To do that, we must make sure our educators have the tools they need to teach about the Holocaust, an incredibly difficult subject to teach and for students to understand.”

StandWithUs also commends the State of Missouri House for passing (95-49) the “Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act” (HB2179) on May 14, 2020. Under this act, Missouri citizens are protected against the use of their tax dollars in contracts with companies engaged in discriminatory boycotts against Israeli companies. A corresponding bill passed the state Senate unanimously on April 30th. This bill, which follows similar legislation in 28 other states, sends a clear message that hate and bigotry have no home in Missouri. This bill stresses that it prevents the state from doing business with companies, not individuals, that boycott Israel. Additionally it applies only to commercial conduct, not speech; therefore, it does not violate citizens’ First Amendment rights. StandWithUs congratulates the Missouri legislature for passing this important legislation at such a challenging time and urges Governor Mike Parson to sign the bill. “Since Israel’s establishment in 1948, the Jewish state has faced countless efforts aimed at isolating and undermining its very existence,” said Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs. “Missouri has made it clear that it will not tolerate singling out and targeting the world’s only Jewish state. We applaud the Missouri legislature and its citizens for taking this important action, rejecting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign and acknowledging that a peaceful future cannot be anchored in a discriminatory movement. In remembering the history of the Holocaust and standing up to present-day discrimination, the people of Missouri and of the United States are transforming “Never Again” from a slogan into a reality.

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Preceding compiled from news releases.