(JTA) — A bipartisan resolution condemning the “anti-Semitic attack” on a synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 worshippers dead was introduced Thursday in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The resolution was written to “honor the memory of the victims of the attack, and offer condolences to and express support for their families, friends, and community.”
Rep. Mike Doyle, the Pennsylvania Democrat who represents the Squirrel Hill neighborhood that is home to the Tree of Life synagogue, introduced the resolution. He was joined by the co-chairs of the House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism: Reps Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel, both D-N.Y.; Chris Smith, R-N.J.; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla.; Ted Deutch, D-Fla.; Kay Granger, R-Texas; Marc Veasey, D-Texas; and Peter Roskam, R-Ill.
“This heinous attack, which took the lives of 11 innocent people, simply because they were Jewish, was a horrible reminder that this age-old bigotry is alive in the 21st century,” the task force said in a statement. “We hope our colleagues will join us in swiftly passing this resolution and standing in solidarity with Jewish communities around the world.”
The resolution, which says it “stands with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, the United States, and across the world,” also “condemns rising anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world”; “reaffirms the commitment of the United States and its allies to defeat anti-Semitism in all its forms throughout the world”; and “supports the right of Americans to freely exercise their religious beliefs and rejects all forms of terror and hate.”
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