Wyden, Merkley, Bonamici, Hoyle, Salinas, Bynum, Dexter Statement on Antisemitism and Hate
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley along with U.S. Reps. Suzanne Bonamici, Val Hoyle, Andrea Salinas, Janelle Bynum and Maxine Dexter today issued the following statement on antisemitism and hate in response to recent hateful acts in Oregon.
“Speaking out against antisemitism and hate rooted in identity tests our values as Oregonians. Standing against hate means standing up for fundamental human rights everywhere. We condemn rising antisemitism in all its forms. We must meet that test with moral clarity and unwavering resolve. Every Oregonian deserves safety and dignity, regardless of religion, race, gender, sexuality, immigration status, or background.
Recent hateful acts in Oregon are painful reminders of the work ahead. The swastikas scrawled at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education, and the arson at the Center for African Immigrants and Refugees Organization’s daycare in Southeast Portland, are horrifying attacks on our shared humanity. We must respond not with silence, but with solidarity.
Next month marks the 90th anniversary of the Nuremberg Laws, a shameful moment in recent global history when Nazi Germany etched the persecution of Jews into law. The world’s failure to respond to those laws is a sobering reminder of how injustice can take root when silence prevails. We cannot make that mistake again.
We should not, however, equate legitimate and necessary criticism of the current Israeli government with antisemitism. Each of us will keep speaking out against Benjamin Netanyahu elevating his self-interest above all else, fueling a humanitarian crisis in Gaza with widespread hunger, malnutrition and a devastating loss of life -- all while hostages remain in Hamas’ horrific captivity.
Legitimate criticism of a foreign country’s policy and its leaders can never devolve into prejudice against any one person or group of people such as the swastikas scrawled at the Oregon Jewish Museum or torching a daycare that serves immigrant and refugee children.
No one should ever be targeted because of who they are. And we will never stop fighting for an Oregon, and a world, where every person is treated with dignity and respect.”
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