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A RESOLUTION condemning any and all manifestations of antisemitism. 1
WHEREAS, the Jewish-American experience is a story of faith, fortitude, and 2
progress and is connected to key tenets of American identity; and 3
WHEREAS, generations of Jewish people have come to this Nation fleeing 4
oppression, discrimination, and persecution in search of a better life for themselves and 5
their children; and 6
WHEREAS, these Jewish-Americans have created lives for themselves and their 7
families and played indispensable roles in our Commonwealth’s civic and community 8
life, making invaluable contributions to our Commonwealth through their leadership and 9
achievements; and 10
WHEREAS, on August 21, 1790, President George Washington sent a letter to the 11
Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, expressing that the newly formed 12
United States would be a Nation that "gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no 13
assistance" and that the Jewish people should "dwell in this land, [and] continue to merit 14
and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants...and there shall be none to make him 15
afraid"; and 16
WHEREAS, alongside this narrative of achievement and opportunity, there is also a 17
history, far older than the Nation itself, of racism, bigotry, and other forms of prejudice 18
manifesting in the scourge of antisemitism; and 19
WHEREAS, antisemitism is an insidious form of prejudice stretching back 20
millennia that attacks the humanity of the Jewish people and has led to violence, 21
destruction of lives and communities, and genocide; and 22
WHEREAS, conspiracy theories that Jews are uniquely evil and influential has led 23
to mass killings of Jews throughout time, including the poisonous Nazi ideology that 24
resulted in the murder of 6 million Jews, including 1.5 million Jewish children, and 25
millions of other victims of the Nazis in Europe; and 26
WHEREAS, over the course of the past decade, Holocaust distortion and denial has 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 1820
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grown in intensity; and 1
WHEREAS, recent surveys of Holocaust knowledge among millennials and Gen Z 2
in the US found a shocking lack of historical information, including 63 percent of 3
respondents who did not know that 6 million Jews were murdered during the Holocaust 4
and 36 percent who thought that "two million or fewer Jews" were killed; and 5
WHEREAS, there is a documented and dangerous rise of antisemitism globally and 6
in the United States, where Jews are increasingly affected by the grotesque spread of 7
misinformation and lies including blame for the spread of COVID–19, false claims 8
including the control of the media and the financial system, accusations of dual loyalty, 9
and a multitude of negative stereotypes; and 10
WHEREAS, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, there has been a 11
troubling rise of antisemitism in the United States, including acts of violence, 12
intimidation, and radicalization on college campuses; and 13
WHEREAS, the Kentucky Jewish Council’s Antisemitism Report 2022 recorded 14
over 30 serious incidents of antisemitism in the commonwealth in 2022, including 15
attempted murder, threats against Jewish institutions, and use of dangerous tropes in 16
politics and media; and 17
WHEREAS, the Kentucky Jewish Council’s chairman, Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, 18
presented their Antisemitism Report on to members of the Kentucky Legislature, the 19
Office of the Governor, Office of the Attorney Generals Office, and the public, and 20
included a call for action; and 21
WHEREAS, this rise in antisemitism is matched by a national trend, including a 22
167 percent increase in 2021 over the previous year, a terrorist taking members of the 23
Jewish community hostage in Colleyville, Texas, and recurring violence on the streets of 24
New York City; and 25
WHEREAS, this rise in hate has also been seen online, including promotion of 26
antisemitic cults by NBA player Kyrie Irving, unhinged ranting by neo-Nazi Nick 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 1820
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Fuentes, and most troubling, repeated threats and antisemitic diatribes by international 1
icon Kanye West, which inspired a tremendous wave of antisemitic sentiment; and 2
WHEREAS, this disturbing trend is also seen internationally, with violence against 3
Jews on the streets of London, Berlin, and across France, continued calls for Jewish 4
extermination and Holocaust denial from Iran, and frequent attacks on Jewish civilians in 5
Israel; and 6
WHEREAS, in 2021, Kentucky became the first state in the United States to accept 7
the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Definition of Antisemitism, 8
supported by the Jewish community around the world, as a tool to recognize and combat 9
this pernicious hatred; and 10
WHEREAS, the rise in antisemitism goes against the values of the United States of 11
America and the Commonwealth of Kentucky, as well as the morals of our society; 12
NOW, THEREFORE, 13
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 14
Commonwealth of Kentucky: 15
Section 1. The members of the House of Representatives both individually and 16
collectively, hereby: 17
(1) Call on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to use their 18
bully pulpit to condemn and combat any and all manifestations of antisemitism; 19
(2) Call on elected officials to condemn and combat any and all denials and 20
distortions of the Holocaust and to promote Holocaust and antisemitism education; 21
(3) Call on social media platforms and local print media to institute stronger and 22
more significant efforts to measure and address antisemitism on their platforms while 23
protecting free speech concerns; 24
(4) Commit to ensuring the safety, security, and dignity of Jewish Kentuckians in 25
all aspects of their lives, including the workplace, college and university campuses, 26
synagogues, and at home, and the development of these measures; and 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 23 RS BR 1820
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(5) Support the right of Kentuckians to freely exercise their religious beliefs and 1
reject all forms of terror and hate. 2
Section 2. The Clerk of the House of Representatives is directed to transmit a 3
copy of this Resolution to Representative Kevin Bratcher for delivery. 4