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Congressional Daily Record
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Issued
May 19, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS
SENATE RESOLUTION 738—RECOGNIZING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JEWISH AMERICAN
HERITAGE MONTH AND CALLING ON ELECTED OFFICIALS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
LEADERS TO COUNTER ANTISEMITISM
Mr. SCOTT of Florida (for himself, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Graham, Mr. Paul, Mrs. Capito, Mrs. Moody, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Warnock, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Duckworth, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Fetterman, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Slotkin, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Kaine) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 738
Whereas “Jewish American Heritage Month” has its origins
in 1980, when Congress enacted the Joint Resolution entitled
“Joint Resolution to authorize and request the President to
issue a proclamation designating April 21 through April 28,
1980, as `Jewish Heritage Week' ”, approved April 24, 1980
(Public Law 96-237; 94 Stat. 338);
Whereas, on April 24, 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued
the proclamation for “Jewish Heritage Week”, and in that
proclamation, President Carter spoke about the bountiful
contributions made by the Jewish people to the culture and
history of the United States;
Whereas Congress has played a central role in recognizing
“Jewish American Heritage Month” since the Senate and the
House of Representatives passed resolutions in 2005 and 2006,
respectively, urging the President to proclaim the national
observation of a month recognizing the Jewish-American
community;
Whereas, since 2006, Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump, and
Biden have all issued proclamations for “Jewish American
Heritage Month”, which celebrates Jewish Americans and
encourages all people of the United States to learn more
about Jewish heritage and the contributions of Jewish people
throughout the history of the United States;
Whereas the people of the United States celebrate the rich
history of Jewish people in the United States and the more
than 350-year history of Jewish contributions to society in
the American Colonies and United States;
Whereas the United States has long served as a haven for
Jewish people escaping oppression in search of liberty,
justice, and tolerance;
Whereas the Jewish-American community dates back to 1654,
when a group of 23 Jewish people, fleeing persecution at the
hands of the Portuguese Inquisition, fled Brazil and found
refuge in what is now New York City;
Whereas several prominent Jewish Americans heroically
supported the American Revolution and Jewish community
leaders advocated for freedom of religion for all Americans
upon the founding of the Nation;
Whereas, in 1790, President George Washington expressed his
support for religious freedom for Jewish Americans in a
letter to the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island,
affirming that the newly founded United States would give
“to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance,” and
offered his wishes that “the children of the Stock of
Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy
the good will of the other Inhabitants”;
Whereas Jewish Americans have established deep roots in
communities across the United States and served their
neighbors and the United States as loyal and patriotic
citizens, always grateful for the safe harbor that the United
States has provided for them;
Whereas the Jewish-American community has grown to over
6,000,000 people, representing approximately 2 percent of the
population of the United States in 2024;
Whereas Jewish Americans have served in government, won
Nobel prizes, led universities and corporations, advanced
medicine and philanthropy, created and performed in enduring
works of performing and visual art, written great novels,
become emblems of justice as members of the Supreme Court,
and so much more;
Whereas, since the founding of the United States, more than
1,000,000 Jewish-American men and women are estimated to have
served in the United States Armed Forces, participating in
every major American conflict;
Whereas at least 18 Jewish-American members of the Armed
Forces have received the Medal of Honor, the United States
highest award for military valor in combat, of which 4 were
presented posthumously;
Whereas, according to his Medal of Honor citation, on June
30, 1862, during the Civil War, United States Army Private
Benjamin B. Levy, “a drummer boy, took the gun of a sick
comrade, went into the fight, and when the color bearers were
shot down, carried the Union colors and saved them from
capture”;
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor
citation, on October 26, 1918, during World War I in France,
United States Army Sergeant William Sawelson heard “a
wounded man in a shell hole . . . calling for water,” and
“left shelter and crawled through heavy machinegun fire to
where the man lay, giving him what water he had in his
canteen,” and after returning to obtain more water, “was
killed by a machinegun bullet”;
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor
citation, on July 7, 1944, in the Battle of Saipan during
World War II, United States Army Captain Ben L. Salomon was
serving as a surgeon when Japanese troops “started
overrunning his hospital,” and he “stood a rearguard
position in which he had no hope of personal survival,
allowing the safe evacuation of the wounded . . . before
being killed himself”;
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor
citation, between July 23, 1950, and April 20, 1953, during
the Korean War, United States Army Corporal Tibor Rubin, a
Holocaust survivor who immigrated to the United States, was
“severely wounded . . . and subsequently captured by Chinese
forces” but “chose to remain in Chinese prison despite
offers of an early release” and, instead, “risked his own
safety . . . to find food for other soldiers and provide
medical care to the sick and wounded prisoners”;
Whereas, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor
citation, on July 12, 2018, in Afghanistan, United States
Army Sergeant First Class Christopher A. Celiz “voluntarily
exposed himself to intense enemy machine-gun and small-arms
fire . . . thereby allowing U.S. and partnered forces to
regain the initiative, maneuver to a secure location, and
begin treatment of a critically wounded partnered force
member,” whose life was saved and, after being hit by enemy
fire, he “motioned to the aircraft to depart rather than
remain behind” to evacuate him, sacrificing his own life
“to protect his team”;
Whereas the bravery and valiance of Jewish-American
servicemembers, including those that made the ultimate
sacrifice, illustrate the profound contributions that the
Jewish-American community has made to defending the United
States Constitution, freedom, and the American way of life;
Whereas, since Hamas' deadly attack on Israel, on October
7, 2023, antisemitism in the United States has reached record
highs with incidents targeting Jews and those who are
perceived as Jewish;
Whereas, on May 21, 2025, 2 Israeli Embassy staff members,
Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, were fatally shot
outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, and the
suspect shouted, “Free Palestine”;
Whereas, on June 1, 2025, in Boulder, Colorado, several
individuals took part in a peaceful walk organized by “Run
for Their Lives”, showing support for the hostages still
held captive by Hamas;
Whereas, during this walk, an individual shouted “Free
Palestine” and threw 2 lit Molotov cocktails into the crowd,
resulting in multiple injuries, including severe burns, and
the death of Karen Diamond, an 82-year-old woman from
Boulder, Colorado;
Whereas, according to American Jewish Committee, 91 percent
of American Jews say they feel less safe as a Jewish person
in the United States due to violent attacks on American Jews
in the past year;
Whereas, according to the Jewish Federations of North
America, 50 percent of Jewish institutions with a physical
presence, such as synagogues, community centers, and day
schools, lack the resources to adequately protect themselves
against these rising threats;
Whereas, according to the American Jewish Committee, 73
percent of Jewish adults report experiencing antisemitism
online, including on social media;
Whereas, according to Hillel International, 85 percent of
Jewish college students have
experienced or witnessed some form of antisemitism since the
October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks;
Whereas, in 2025, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 6,274
antisemitic incidents in the United States, which equals an
average of 17 incidents per day and represents the third-
highest year for antisemitic incidents since the Anti-
Defamation League began tracking this data in 1979, with
incidents remaining 70 percent higher than in 2022 and nearly
double pre-October 7 record highs;
Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation has aggregated
2024 hate crime data showing that reported single-bias anti-
Jewish hate crime incidents reached a new all-time high,
comprising roughly 70 percent of all reported religion-based
hate crime incidents in the United States;
Whereas one of the most effective ways to combat
antisemitism and hate is through increasing education and
awareness about the contributions Jewish Americans have made
to the United States through the arts, entertainment, science
and technology, the military, the government, business,
culinary traditions, and other fields; and
Whereas, as the strength of a society can be measured by
how that society protects its minority populations and
celebrates their contributions, it is altogether fitting for
the United States to once again mark the month of May as
“Jewish American Heritage Month”: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) recognizes the significance of Jewish American Heritage
Month as a time to celebrate the contributions of Jewish
Americans to the society and culture of the United States;
(2) calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil
society leaders to condemn and counter all acts of
antisemitism;
(3) calls on elected officials and State and local leaders
to educate the public on the contributions of the Jewish-
American community and uplift Jewish stories and voices;
(4) takes all possible steps to ensure the safety,
security, and dignity of American Jews in all aspects of
their lives, including at the workplace, college and
university campuses, synagogues, and home;
(5) honors the contributions of Jewish-American members of
the Armed Forces who have gone above and beyond the call of
duty to protect freedom; and
(6) commits to protecting religious freedom in America by
ensuring all Americans, including Jewish Americans, can
worship without fear of violence or persecution.