A resolution commemorating the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 417 Commemorating the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES NOVEMBER 12, 2019 Mr. MURPHY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations RESOLUTION Commemorating the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. Whereas November 9, 2019, through November 10, 2019, marks the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass; Whereas Kristallnacht began as a pogrom authorized by Nazi party officials and was carried out by members of the Sturmabteilungen (commonly known as the ‘‘SA’’), the Schutzstaffel (commonly known as the ‘‘SS’’), and the Hitler Youth; Whereas Kristallnacht marked the first large-scale anti-Se- mitic operation of the Nazi Party and a crucial turning point in Nazi anti-Semitic policy; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Nov 13, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR417.IS SR417 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •SRES 417 IS Whereas, during Kristallnacht, synagogues, homes, and busi- nesses in Jewish communities were attacked, resulting in murders and arrests of Jewish people in Germany and in Austrian and Czechoslovakian territories controlled by the Nazis; Whereas the events of Kristallnacht resulted in the burning and destruction of 267 synagogues, the looting of thou- sands of businesses and homes, the desecration of Jewish cemeteries, the murder of 91 Jews, and the arrest and deportation of 30,000 Jewish men to concentration camps; Whereas the shards of broken glass from the windows of syn- agogues, Jewish homes, and Jewish-owned businesses ransacked during the violence that littered the streets gave the pogrom the name of Kristallnacht, commonly translated as the ‘‘Night of Broken Glass’’; Whereas Kristallnacht— (1) proved to be a crucial turning point in the Holo- caust, marking a shift from a policy of removing Jews from Germany and German-occupied lands to murdering millions of people; and (2) was a tragic precursor to the Second World War; Whereas, despite numerous global efforts to eradicate hate, manifestations of anti-Semitism and other forms of intol- erance continue to harm societies on a global scale; and Whereas, in 2018— (1) anti-Semitic acts in France increased by more than 70 percent compared to the previous year, according to data from the Government of France; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Nov 13, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR417.IS SR417 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •SRES 417 IS (2) anti-Semitic crimes in Germany, which include hate speech, increased by 20 percent, according to data from the Government of Germany; Whereas, because hate crimes in the European Union are generally under reported, the real figures on anti-Semi- tism in France, Germany, and other states in the Euro- pean Union are likely much higher; Whereas, while the United States has made progress towards addressing anti-Semitism, recent events demonstrate that much work remains; Whereas, in 2017, the Anti-Defamation League recorded 1,986 anti-Semitic incidents across the United States, in- cluding physical assaults, vandalism, and attacks on Jew- ish institutions, which represents a 57-percent increase compared to anti-Semitic incidents recorded in 2016; Whereas recent anti-Semitic acts in the United States in- clude— (1) the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in October, 2018; and (2) the shooting at the Chabad of Poway Synagogue in Poway, California, in April, 2019; Whereas, according to the Anti-Defamation League, since the Tree of Life Shooting occurred, at least 13 White su- premacists have been arrested for their alleged roles in terrorist plots, attacks, or threats against the Jewish community in the United States; and Whereas Kristallnacht teaches mankind how hate can pro- liferate and erode societies and serves as a reminder that the United States must advance global efforts to ensure that barbarism and mass murder never occur again: Now, therefore, be it VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:37 Nov 13, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR417.IS SR417 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •SRES 417 IS Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) recognizes the 81st anniversary of 2 Kristallnacht; 3 (2) pays tribute to the more than 6,000,000 4 Jewish people killed during the Holocaust and the 5 families affected by the tragedy; 6 (3) continues to support United States efforts 7 to address the horrible legacy of the Holocaust and 8 combat manifestations of anti-Semitism domestically 9 and globally; and 10 (4) will continue to raise awareness and act to 11 eradicate the continuing scourge of anti-Semitism at 12 home and abroad, including through work with 13 international partners, such as— 14 (A) the Organization for Security and Co- 15 operation in Europe (referred to in this resolv- 16 ing clause as the ‘‘OSCE’’); 17 (B) the Tolerance and Non-Discrimination 18 Unit of the OSCE; and 19 (C) the Personal Representative on Com- 20 bating Anti-Semitism of the OSCE. 21 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:03 Nov 13, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR417.IS SR417 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS