WASHINGTON – The US House of Representatives unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution condemning the “antisemitic attack” on a synagogue in Pittsburgh that left 11 worshipers dead.
The resolution on Wednesday honors “the memory of the victims of the attack, and offering condolences to and expressing support for their families, friends, and community.” A gunman shouting antisemitic epithets raided a synagogue complex and killed worshipers on October 27 before police subdued and arrested him.
Rep. Mike Doyle, the Pennsylvania Democrat who represents the Squirrel Hill neighborhood that is home to the Tree of Life synagogue complex, introduced the resolution last week. He was joined by the co-chairs of the House of Representatives Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism: Representatives Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel, both New York Democrats; Chris Smith, a Republican from New Jersey; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican from Florida; Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat; Kay Granger, a Texas Republican; Marc Veasey, a Democrat from Texas; and Peter Roskam, an Illinois Republican.
“We will carry the memory of those lost in the Tree of Life synagogue building attack, the deadliest antisemitic incident in US history, and work to ensure that all Americans are free to worship in peace and security,” the task force said in a statement.
The resolution, which says it “stands with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, the United States, and across the world,” also “condemns rising antisemitism in the United States and around the world;” “reaffirms the commitment of the United States and its allies to defeat antisemitism 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.”