Sen. Chuck Schumer compared the current rise of anti-semitism to World War II — condeming Americans for the implications these acts can have on future generations.
MADISON (WKOW) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D – NY) shared in a major address to the Senate on Wednesday his concerns that Americans aren’t taking a stand to condemn acts of antisemitism, claiming that there has been an increase in hate crimes against Jewish people since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
“I have noticed a significant disparity between how Jewish people regard the rise of antisemitism, and how many of my non-Jewish friends regard it,” said Schumer. “To us, the Jewish people, the rise of antisemitism is a crisis — a five-alarm fire that must be extinguished.”
Schumer said he felt compelled to speak out against the issue as the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history, stating Jews have felt isolated during this time of conflict as Americans from varying backgrounds have taken a stance on the issue.
Health officials in Gaza report that the war has taken nearly 16,000 Israeli and Palestinian lives. Schumer made a note of the historical trauma shared by both Palestinians and Jews across the Middle East, detailing instances of oppression Jewish people have faced for generations.
“I implore every person, every community, every institution to stand with jewish americans, not to ignore it, not to shrug your shoulders, to denounce it as antisemitism in all its forms, especially the double standard wielded against the jewish people for generations to isolate us. The time for solidarity must be now,” Schumer said.
Schumer argued that Jews have rallied in support of African-American and Asian American communities, LGBTQ+ rights and other oppressed groups.
Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY) acknowledged Schumer’s remarks in a rare display of bipartisan support, thanking him for a powerful explanation of the historical implications of the conflict.
“I had an opportunity to listen to the majority leader’s speech this morning. It was extraordinary,” McConnell said. “I share his disgust at the alarming rise of antisemitism in America and around the world in the wake of the October 7th attacks. Again, I stand with him in condemning this hatred and I stand with our ally Israel as it defends, literally, it’s right to exist.”
Schumer recounted his personal experiences of losing family members to the war and the anti-Semitic events that led to the Holocaust, calling on Americans to educate themselves on the history of the Jewish people.