House lawmakers respond to Sydney attack with resolution, proposals

House lawmakers responded to the attack on a Chanukah celebration in Sydney with new proposals to combat antisemitism in the United States and a measure condemning the shooting.

On Wednesday, the chair and ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on the Australian government to protect its Jewish community and affirming the support of the House to combat antisemitism domestically.

“As a Christian, I stand in solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community and the families of those who lost their lives at a time meant for celebration,” stated Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.), chairman of the committee.

“This heinous attack is yet another reminder of the lasting grip that the scourge of antisemitism has throughout the globe,” he said.

Ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) said that “the United States must stand firmly with our Australian allies against antisemitic violence wherever it occurs.”

A pair of proposals introduced on Thursday seek to improve domestic efforts to combat Jew-hatred.

Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) put forward bipartisan legislation to strengthen the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in its efforts to protect Jews on college campuses.

The bill would require the Department of Education to audit universities that receive frequent discrimination complaints and force universities to report more information about civil rights allegations and better inform students of their rights.

Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) and Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) co-sponsored the bill, which also has the endorsement of the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Jewish Federations of North America.

A partisan proposal led by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Thursday would create a new “Office of the National Coordinator to Counter Antisemitism” within the U.S. Department of Justice and accuses the Trump administration of falsely using claims of Jew-hatred to attack its political opponents.

“Despite the real and documented crisis of antisemitism, there has been a systematic pattern of weaponizing antisemitism accusations by the Trump administration to pursue ideological and partisan political objectives unrelated to protecting Jewish communities from discrimination and hatred, including attacks on educational institutions for political disagreements, suppression of constitutionally protected speech and enforcement of ideological conformity,” the legislation says.

“The Department of Education has launched investigations into approximately 60 institutions of higher education, not primarily to protect Jewish students from discrimination, but to use the false premise of antisemitism accusations as pretext for forcing the elimination of academic programs related to diversity and Middle Eastern studies,” it states.

JNS sought comment from the Departments of Justice and Education.

Nadler described the act as a “progressive” response to the attack in Sydney.

“This bill shows that moderates and those aligned with the current Israeli government do not enjoy a monopoly over the fight against antisemitism and hate,” Nadler stated.

Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) co-sponsored the legislation.

©JNS