WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK), co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism, released the following statement regarding last night’s mass-stabbing attack at the home of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg during a Hanukkah celebration in Monsey, New York.
“Last night, at a celebration of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, the scourge of anti-Semitism reared its ugly head, bringing darkness with it. We are deeply saddened by this horrific act of anti-Semitic violence that left multiple people injured,” said the Senators. “This vicious attack represents a disturbing trend of violence against the Jewish community in the United States, and globally, and we must work to put a stop to this epidemic. No one should be made to feel unsafe for celebrating their faith, let alone subject to this kind of horrendous assault. In the wake of this evil attack and nearly a dozen others against the local Jewish community over the past several days and weeks, including a massacre at a kosher grocery store in New Jersey, we must come together to condemn these acts of hate, to take action to support and protect one another, and to empower our communities to combat anti-Semitism. We cannot stand silent while targeted acts of anti-Semitism continue to occur.”
BACKGROUND: Earlier this year, Senators Rosen and Lankford launched the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism. The collaboration is the first of its kind in the United States Senate, serving as a corollary to the House of Representative’s Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism.
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