117 SRES 526 ATS: Condemning the antisemitic terrorist attack that occurred at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue on January 15, 2022, in Colleyville, Texas, expressing gratitude that no innocent lives were lost, and applauding the dedication and bravery of law enforcement and emergency response officials in responding to the attack.
U.S. Senate
2022-02-17
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III
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. RES. 526
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 17, 2022
Mr. Cruz (for himself, Mr. Cornyn, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Grassley, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Risch, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Cramer, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Boozman, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Hagerty, Mr. Hickenlooper, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Brown, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Warnock, Mr. King, Mr. Hawley, Mr. Young, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Coons, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Romney, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Moran, Mr. Braun, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cotton, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Graham, Mr. Marshall, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. Tillis, Mr. Burr, Ms. Collins, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Booker, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Warner, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Lankford, Mr. Portman, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Scott of South Carolina) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Condemning the antisemitic terrorist attack that occurred at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue on January 15, 2022, in Colleyville, Texas, expressing gratitude that no innocent lives were lost, and applauding the dedication and bravery of law enforcement and emergency response officials in responding to the attack.
Whereas on the afternoon of January 15, 2022, 4 individuals at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas were taken hostage and held at gunpoint by an armed antisemitic terrorist;
Whereas during the hostage standoff, the terrorist echoed the demands of other militant Islamists, including the Islamic State (ISIS), Ayman al-Zawahri, lieutenant to Osama bin Laden and mastermind of many of deadliest al Qaeda terror attacks, and others within al Qaeda, that the United States release from Federal prison a certain radicalized terrorist known as the “Lady of al Qaeda”;
Whereas the “Lady of al Qaeda” was captured in Afghanistan with handwritten notes about perpetrating a “mass casualty attack” and a list of targets located in the United States that included the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and Wall Street, and was later convicted of the attempted murder and assault of United States nationals in 2010 and sentenced to 86 years in prison;
Whereas the hostages were able to run to safety and escape due to the quick thinking and bravery of one of the hostages, who threw a chair at the terrorist;
Whereas the safe resolution to the January 15th terrorist attack on Congregation Beth Israel demonstrated the critical importance of professional safety and security training, facility walk-throughs, and security assessments for all Jewish community institutions;
Whereas since 2005, through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, Congress has supported professional safety and security training for houses of worship, which was conducted by Jewish community institutions, including Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue, and by the Secure Community Network under the auspices of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America;
Whereas the perpetrator targeted the people worshiping at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue because they were Jewish;
Whereas the people of the United States are grateful for the swift action of local, State, and Federal law enforcement officials and emergency response teams who responded to this vile and antisemitic attack;
Whereas Good Shepherd Catholic Community Church provided support and housed family members of the worshipers held inside Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue during the 11-hour standoff;
Whereas Pleasant Run Baptist Church offered their thoughts and support during the standoff, and allowed for their parking lot to be used by the media;
Whereas worshipers who were watching the service virtually contacted local law enforcement officials once they realized there was an incident underway at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue;
Whereas antisemitism is a pernicious and offensive form of prejudice that runs contrary to the values of the United States; and
Whereas in 2020 and 2021, there were 8,366 incidents of extremism or antisemitism in the United States;
Whereas while there can be no exhaustive definition of antisemitism in all its many forms, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has developed the Working Definition of Antisemitism, with examples, that serves as an essential definitional tool used to determine contemporary manifestations of antisemitism;
Whereas more than half of the religiously motivated hate crimes reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2020 were anti-Jewish hate crimes;
Whereas Jewish Americans make up about 2 percent of the population of the United States but crimes against them make up 55 percent of the anti-religious hate crimes in the United States;
Whereas the number of antisemitic incidents, including assaults, vandalism, and harassment, in the United States have increased over the past decade: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)
condemns the antisemitic attack at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue of Colleyville, Texas on January 15, 2022;
(2)
expresses gratitude that there was no loss of innocent life and that the hostages were able to escape unharmed and return safely to their loved ones;
(3)
honors the selfless and dedicated service of the law enforcement and emergency response officials who responded to the attack;
(4)
condemns antisemitism in the United States, and around the world; and
(5)
reaffirms the commitment of the United States—
(A)
to condemn antisemitism in all its forms;
(B)
to protect the right of the people of the United States to freely exercise their religious beliefs; and
(C)
to ensure the safety and security of all people of the United States.