WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), alongside Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), announced the passage in the Senate by voice vote of the Never Again Education Act (H.R.943), bipartisan legislation they introduced that would establish a dedicated federal fund through the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to provide teachers with resources and training necessary to teach our students the important lessons of the Holocaust. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives 393-5 in January. The Senate version of the bill has 77 cosponsors, representing more than three quarters of the U.S. Senate. Following its passage in the Senate, the bipartisan legislation now advances to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
“Anti-Semitism is on the rise in the United States and across the globe. We must act to reverse this dangerous course,” said Senator Rosen. “The best way to prevent an atrocity like the Holocaust from occurring again is through education. As we commemorate the recent 75th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust, the Never Again Education Act will give schools needed resources to cover one of the darkest chapters in our history. Through education, we can provide insight into the past, and use it to prevent anti-Semitism now. I’m glad to see my bipartisan legislation pass the Senate, and hope the President will swiftly sign it into law. I will continue working on policy solutions to fight back against hatred in whatever form it takes.”
“Combatting hate and intolerance must always be a priority and I’m glad that the Senate agrees. Passing this bill by unanimous consent today sends a strong message that the Congress is overwhelmingly united in combatting antisemitism and hate through education. Children are not born with hate in their hearts, it is up to us to make sure they never learn it,” said Rep. Maloney. “To do that, we must make sure our educators have the tools they need to teach about the Holocaust, an incredibly difficult subject to teach and for students to understand. I want to thank Senators Rosen, Cramer, Rubio, and Blumenthal for moving this bill so quickly through the Senate and their partnership in this effort.”
“Anti-Semitism is a serious threat in the United States and around the world. We are obligated to fight against such bigotry, and failing to educate the next generation would only make history more likely to repeat itself,” said Senator Cramer. “The Never Again Education Act legislation gives parents and teachers more resources and training to teach our children about the lessons of the Holocaust. I thank my colleagues for recognizing the importance of this effort, and I look forward to the President signing it.”
“By passing this bipartisan bill, the U.S. Senate reaffirms its commitment to ensuring that the horrors of the Holocaust at the hands of the evil Nazi regime are never forgotten,” said Senator Rubio. “It is our duty to equip America’s future generations with the facts to prevent history from ever repeating itself and to fight anti-Semitism in all its forms both domestically and abroad.”
“Ensuring that the past horrors of the Holocaust aren’t forgotten will help combat anti-Semitism and hate in our present and future. Our bipartisan effort will help preserve firsthand accounts of the Holocaust and other primary sources, which are vital to teaching future generations about one of the darkest chapters in human history,” said Senator Blumenthal.
“Senator Rosen has been building consensus on the urgency of quality Holocaust education within her caucus and across the aisle since introducing the Never Again Education Act in the Senate. Today, her hard work paid off. Hadassah applauds Senator Rosen for her principled leadership and unrelenting determination, without which this day might not have come,” said Rhoda Smolow, Hadassah National President, and Janice Weinman, Hadassah CEO/Executive Director.
“Even, in the era of COVID-19, we have seen an unprecedented wave of violent anti-Semitic attacks across the country and the sense of threat is universal. Holocaust education and specifically the Never Again Education Act is one legislative vehicle that will help alleviate this problem. We are so pleased to have partnered with a bipartisan group of extraordinary leaders in the Senate led by Senators Rosen (D-NV), Cramer (R-ND), Rubio (R-FL) and Blumenthal (D-CT) who have championed this important measure and secured final passage in Congress,” said Mark Wilf, Chair of the Jewish Federations of North America Board of Trustees.
BACKRGOUND: In addition to Senators Rosen, Cramer, Rubio, and Blumenthal, co-sponsors of the Senate legislation include Senators Martha McSally (R-AZ), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), John Boozman (R-AR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Steve Daines (R-MT), Angus King (I-ME), Pat Roberts (R-KS), Bob Casey (D-PA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Rob Portman (R-OH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jim Risch (R-ID), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Todd Young (R-IN), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Susan Collins (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tom Carper (D-DE), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Gary Peters (D-MI), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Doug Jones (D-AL), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kamala Harris (D-CA), John Hoeven (R-ND), Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Roy Blunt (R-MO), David Perdue (R-GA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Tom Udall (D-NM), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Jack Reed (D-RI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Tim Scott (R-SC), Mike Braun (R-IN), and John Thune (R-SD).
The Never Again Education Act is backed by numerous organizations, including Hadassah, Jewish Federations of North America, Christians United for Israel, the Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Union for Reform Judaism, National Council of Jewish Women, World Jewish Congress North America, B’nai B’rith International, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Agudath Israel of America, HIAS, Jewish Women International, National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry, Republican Jewish Coalition, American Jewish Congress, Jewish War Veterans of the USA, and the National Education Association, among many others.
Last year, Rosen launched the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, with co-chair Senator James Lankford (R-OK).
In January, Senators Rosen, Lankford, Cardin, Cramer, and Menendez introduced a resolution commemorating the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp by Allied Forces during World War II. The bipartisan resolution unanimously passed the Senate in February.
Senator Rosen holds the distinction of being the third female Jewish Senator in U.S. history, as well as the first former synagogue president to serve in the United States Senate. As such, Senator Rosen has been an outspoken advocate of combating anti-Semitism in the United States, the Middle East, Europe, and around the world.
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