2023 Senate Resolution 42

Whereas, For millennia, the Jewish people have sustained their shared religious, cultural, and ethnic identity and traditions in the face of enslavement, persecution, genocide, segregation and discrimination, and all manner of adversity; and

Whereas, Ever since the first Jew set foot in America, members of the Jewish community have made indelible contributions to the culture, history, and social fabric of Michigan and the United States of America, strengthening the country and helping shape all areas of American life; and

Whereas, The belief in the greatness of the American way of life, the freedoms enshrined in American law and jurisprudence, and the opportunities sustained by American democracy drew generations of Jewish immigrants to America, including Jews fleeing persecution and pogroms in Europe and the Middle East, Holocaust survivors, and Jews trapped behind the Iron Curtain; and

Whereas, This history encouraged many Jews to become leading proponents and supporters of the civil rights movement, marching shoulder to shoulder with African Americans and others, united in support for equal rights, equal protection under the law, and the recognition and respect of human dignity; and

Whereas, The Jewish community has prominently participated in virtually every civil rights effort in the American experience, fighting against discrimination and bigotry in all its forms and demanding the equal rights of every member of society; and

Whereas, Despite the advances made in promoting social justice for other minority groups, the Jewish community continues to be subjected to antisemitism and Jew-hatred, including discrimination in the workplace, at school, and in public spaces; and

Whereas, This antisemitism and Jew-hatred has manifested in places of work, on campuses, and in society, expressing itself as both discrimination and violence targeting Jews for their identity and seeking to deny their shared identity, including their indigenous connection to their ancestral homeland; and

Whereas, Hate crimes directed against the Jewish community have skyrocketed in recent years, inspiring the formation of a grassroots End Jew Hatred civil rights movement to alter public discourse and make Jew-hatred unacceptable in contemporary society, empowering Jews with positivity and strength to discover and enjoy their heritage in whichever manner they choose, without fear of attack or persecution; and

Whereas, We all share an obligation to condemn and combat Jew-hatred in all its forms; and

Whereas, April 29, 2022 marked the recognition of the first “#EndJewHatred Day,” where people joined together to commit to ending Jew-hatred across the United States and to work towards the promise of a bright future that can only be achieved by fighting racism and bigotry today; and

Whereas, We recognize the urgent need to stand resolute against Jew-hatred so that the intergenerational trauma of the past shall never be repeated; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That the members of this legislative body recognize April 29, 2023, as #EndJewHatredDay; and be it further

Resolved, That we condemn Jew-hatred in all its forms and shall stand resolute to end discrimination against, and persecution of, the Jewish community.