(JTA) — A resolution commemorating Kristallnacht that notes the synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh and Poway will soon be introduced in the Senate.
The resolution, which will be introduced by Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., on Tuesday, recalls the pogroms that erupted on Nov. 9-10, 1938, in Germany and Austria and marked the first wide-scale use of violence by the Nazis against Jews.
It proposes that the Senate recognize the Kristallnacht anniversary and pay tribute “to the more than 6,000,000 Jewish people killed during the Holocaust and the families affected by the tragedy.”
But it also lists evidence of the growth of anti-Semitism in the United States, as well as Europe.
“Whereas, while the United States has made progress towards addressing anti-Semitism, recent events demonstrate that much work remains,” the text states, noting the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018 and the shooting at the Chabad of Poway in the San Diego area in April.
The draft resolution further states that Senate “continues to support United States efforts to address the horrible legacy of the Holocaust and combat manifestations of anti-Semitism domestically and globally.”
Kristallnacht “teaches mankind how hate can proliferate and erode societies,” it says, “and serves as a reminder that the United States must advance global efforts to ensure that barbarism and mass murder never occur again.”
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.