S.Res. 738

96 SRES 738 ATS: Recognizing the significance of Jewish American Heritage Month and calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism.
 U.S. Senate
 2026-05-19
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 III  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. RES. 738  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   May 19, 2026   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   RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of Jewish American Heritage Month and calling on elected officials and civil society leaders to counter antisemitism.
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
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.