▶ 0:18:40Chair Scott: The U.S. senate special committee on aging comes to order. Should you disrupt, you will be removed. Under the code, we can ban you from attending future hearings for one year. Today, we are gathered to address an issue weighing on the hearts and minds of many, one that affects a significant portion of our aging population -- anti-semitism.
▶ 0:19:10Chair Scott: This is timely as we reflect on passover and a time of renewal for the jewish community, and prepared to recognize jewish american heritage month in may. Recent surgeon antisemitic incidents includes violence and vandalism. It has become an alarming trend affecting jewish americans including holocaust survivors.
▶ 0:19:32Chair Scott: Many of these individuals, who have already endured persecution, are facing renewed threats that destabilize their lives. Anti-semitism is not a distant issue. It is an ongoing reality that continues to arise in our society. When my daughters were teenagers, we took them to auschwitz and birkenau. You can read everything you want to read. You can go to a holocaust museum.
▶ 0:19:59Chair Scott: But going there and seeing the systemic way they completely murdered jews is hard to believe. That anybody could have a lack of humanity. Older jewish americans overwhelmingly recognize the increasing threat of anti-semitism. According to the american jewish community's anti-semitism in america report, 96% of jewish americans over the age of 65 recognize that anti-semitism is a problem in the U.S. today.
▶ 0:20:30Chair Scott: More than 94% of jewish americans age 50 to 64 reported an increase in anti-semitism for the last five years. 43% have avoided wearing jewish symbols or publicly identifying as jewish, out of fear. The statistics are not just numbers. Represent lives, families, and communities being impacted by fear and violence. This should not be happening. Elderly jewish individuals have faced direct acts of aggression.
▶ 0:21:00Chair Scott: Reports have surfaced of elderly jewish individuals being harassed in public, attacked at protests, and even killed in antisemitic incidents. A holocaust survivor in new york was bound and verbally abused. In california, a 69-year-old jewish man was struck on the head by a megaphone by a pro-hamas protester, was hospitalized, and eventually died from blunt force trauma. That is absolutely despicable.
▶ 0:21:28Chair Scott: Such incidents have highlighted concerns among older jewish communities, particularly holocaust survivors, for whom these events we traumatized past experiences of persecution. In my home state of florida, we have a large population of seniors and jewish individuals, so this is deeply important to me and many in my state.
▶ 0:21:47Chair Scott: In our first hearing of this congress, I outline my priorities for the committee, and broke it down to key issues -- achieving physical and mental health, establishing financial stability, living in a safe community, and securing community support systems. If you are afraid of being targeted just because you are jewish, how could you possibly achieve those things?
▶ 0:22:10Chair Scott: If you could be attacked on the street simple because you are wearing a scarf or yarmulke, and you do not feel safe going for a walk or to the gym to exercise, can you have strong is glenn mental health? Can you say you live in a community when you feel isolated? When you think about the true impacts that anti-semitism or any hate has on people every single day, you realize it disrupts every part of their lives.
▶ 0:22:37Chair Scott: As we face these challenges, it is crucial we listen to those directly affected. Today, we are very fortunate to hear from remarkable witnesses whose experiences, expertise, and commitment to the safety and prosperity of the older jewish community and jewish community at large provides invaluable resources. These will help us understand how we can to protect elderly jewish citizens and ensure their safety in their communities.
▶ 0:23:01Chair Scott: We will hear from individuals who have witnessed and lived through these horrors, including a holocaust survivor, who will share their personal stories and perspectives. These are not just a reminder of our history, but her a call to action urging us to stand together as a congressional body and work to eliminate the rising tide of hate. I believe this issue is not just one for the jewish community, but one that requires collective action. This is a bipartisan action that requires a unified response.
▶ 0:23:29Chair Scott: Today, we will explore the steps congress can take to combat anti-semitism and predict seniors. We must act with urgency because every day we allow hate to grow unchecked, we risk the safety and dignity of our fellow americans. I want to take a moment to recognize a few groups that are here today -- aipac, the republican jewish coalition, the zionist organization of america, the endowment for the middle east, and members of dirge washington university's jewish community.
▶ 0:23:59Chair Scott: I also want to recognize the former congresswoman. Thank all of you for being here for this important hearing, for all you do for our jewish community all over the united states. I look forward to hearing from our witness today, and look forward to working to take meaningful action against this persistent threat. We will hear from the ranking member.
▶ 0:24:19Sen. Gillibrand: Thank you for holding today's hearing. It could not come at a more important time for our nation. Then friendly, people all across the globe. I want to thank our witnesses for being here today. Each of you are experts in this issue. I thank you for what you do for your congregants, the work you do for your communities. I particularly want to thank ava checked her -- david schaecter.
▶ 0:24:48Sen. Gillibrand: Personal testimony told over and over across your lifetime -- it makes a huge difference that you are here for us. Not only do american jews feel less safe in the wake of october 7, but I have heard from so many constituents that their anxiety levels are constantly off the charts, that there are macro aggressions and micro aggressions, but the feeling of anti-semitism and being attacked
▶ 0:25:19Sen. Gillibrand: And isolated is present -- is prevalent. These are not normal times. Since october 7, we have seen violence against jews continue to grow. We have seen incidents of anti-semitism heightened. We have seen students on campus be so isolated and so personally attacked that they cannot learn. This is not the united states that we are proud of. We need a united states that holds up the equality and civil rights of all of its citizens.
▶ 0:25:51Sen. Gillibrand: By speaking out on these issues of anti-semitism, we are creating a record about what is happening and what needs to be done. We know that people who have survived decades and decades of violence and anti-semitism have experienced the worst antisemitic hate and violence.
▶ 0:26:17Sen. Gillibrand: We have used the phrase never again. But do we really mean never again? We use the phrase never forget, but have we really meant never forget? And what happened on october 7 is the most egregious nightmare, the most disgusting, horrific, inhumane, barbaric attack that I have ever, ever heard testimony about or seen video footage of.
▶ 0:26:49Sen. Gillibrand: Satanic. Evil. Disgusting. We witnessed what happened in 2018 with the tree of life synagogue. Worshipers, people in the safety of their own religious community, the safety of their synagogue, being absolutely destroyed by someone who had murder and people on their mind.
▶ 0:27:18Sen. Gillibrand: Many of the victims were older adults who could not fully, who could not walk quickly, could not take cover. Federally funded activities like the not-for-profit security grant program, which helps organizations like synagogues and churches and places of worship to their buildings, hire security personnel, have barriers -- that money is
▶ 0:27:48Sen. Gillibrand: Essential, and we have to continue to fund that program to its fullest. We have to work in congress to provide top-down policies and resources that promote learning, allow for the effective prosecution of hate crimes, and empower law enforcement and communities to strengthen the ability to protect our neighbors.
▶ 0:28:12Sen. Gillibrand: As a mom with college-aged children, I can tell you no campus should be unsafe for people because of what they believe, because of their faith, because they are jewish. And so I call on every college campus to prioritize the safety of its students, and I think accountability is important. I do not agree that taking away nih funding or research funding is the right approach.
▶ 0:28:38Sen. Gillibrand: That I will stand with the students to make sure that these college campuses are safe, no matter what. I look forward to the testimony of these witnesses. I thank the chairman for holding such an important hearing. I look forward to the conversation.
▶ 0:28:53Chair Scott: I would like to welcome our witnesses today, all of whom bring important perspectives on the challenges facing the elderly jewish population in the face of rising anti-semitism. We are honored to be joined by the miami-dade county sheriff, who has been an important voice in the fight against anti-semitism and south florida. As two of her constituents are serving as witnesses before the committee today, I would like to introduce Mr.
▶ 0:29:21Chair Scott: David schechter and rabbi mark rosenberg. >> good afternoon, good afternoon, chairman rick scott, ranking member gillibrand, and members of the senate special. Thank you for inviting me to introduce Mr. david schechter, who is a holocaust survivor and president of the holocaust survivors foundation, usa, and founder of the holocaust memorial on miami beach.
▶ 0:29:49Chair Scott: David has devoted countless hours to educating students nationwide and advocating on behalf of the jewish community about the verse of the holocaust and the anti-semitism worldwide. We will not allow your story in the 6 million innocent lives lost to be forgotten, ever. I would like to thank david's wife, sidney, for traveling with him to be here today. It is a true honor to introduce him to you.
▶ 0:30:20Chair Scott: David schechter, you may begin your testimony.
▶ 0:30:25Mr. Schaecter: Chairman scott, ranking member gillibrand, members of the aging committee, my name is david schaecter. I am 95 years old, and a proud american, and a proud jew.
▶ 0:30:57Mr. Schaecter: And a survivor of two nazi concentration camps. I am a witness to the greatest act of anti-semitism, where 6 million jews were killed for no other reason other than being a jew.
▶ 0:31:19Mr. Schaecter: I was born in a small town in slovakia, czechoslovakia, in 1929. In 1940, my father was taken away from our family by the government. That was the last time I saw him.
▶ 0:31:45Mr. Schaecter: A year later, I was 11 years old. The rest of my family were rounded up and placed into train cattle cars. The car fit more than 50 people. And they put in 80. There was nowhere to sit.
▶ 0:32:13Mr. Schaecter: We couldn't -- only stand, or fall on top of each other. Sanitary facilities were limited to one bucket. Approximately 25% of the people were dead or dying when we arrived at auschwitz.
▶ 0:32:42Mr. Schaecter: When we arrived at auschwitz, the nazis separated us. My mother was holding the hands of my little sisters, maria and marianne, when they were taken away. This was the last time I saw them.
▶ 0:33:18Mr. Schaecter: My brother had me stand on his feet to appear taller, and I did , at 11 years old. I was shaved bald and given a tattoo on my right arm. We were assigned to a work detail.
▶ 0:33:50Mr. Schaecter: We rose every day at 6:00 a.m., and walked through the creek to our jobs, cleaning the railcars that we arrived in. The floors were covered with human feces, urine, blood, and corpses.
▶ 0:34:23Mr. Schaecter: I still smell the taste of filth and the chemicals we had to use. The nazis were not selective of how and who they beat, or who they killed.
▶ 0:34:45Mr. Schaecter: My brother would take beatings meant for me, and he shared his food with me, and he did small things to help me survive.
▶ 0:35:05Mr. Schaecter: For example, the grease canister for the axle of the trains -- he tried to get smaller canisters for me to carry.
▶ 0:35:33Mr. Schaecter: We were in auschwitz for more than two years before being transported to buchenwald in germany, nazi germany, in 1943. I was about 13 years.
▶ 0:36:02Mr. Schaecter: By this point, the war was not going well for the nazis. I remember the air I was breathing was horrendous. It was the smell of burning flesh and smoke. We knew what the nazis were doing.
▶ 0:36:36Mr. Schaecter: They also poisoned the water pipelines. We knew to avoid the water pipelines, to keep from getting sick. One day, I saw my brother drinking the water without boiling it. I did not want to live anymore, he said.
▶ 0:37:04Mr. Schaecter: The next day, he was sick of dysentery, frail, and weak. They marched us to work, but I could not pull him up, and I could not stop, because the guards pushed his gun beside my head.
▶ 0:37:33Mr. Schaecter: I let go of jacob, and he just laid there, and he continued, and we continued. About 10 seconds later, I heard the sound of the gunshot. I knew they had shot him.
▶ 0:38:05Mr. Schaecter: I never saw him after. After almost a year, around november of 1944, I was placed on another railcar along the route near bavaria. The U.S. air force bombed the train.
▶ 0:38:36Mr. Schaecter: I was alone without my brother to protect me. But I jumped out of the train car, and I ran like hell to the forest. After eight days I was found by the czech partisans.
▶ 0:39:03Mr. Schaecter: I was almost 15 years old, and weighed 83 pounds. After recovering at the hospital at the end of the war, I returned to my hometown.
▶ 0:39:25Mr. Schaecter: I had hoped to find comfort, but instead, I found more anti-semitism. I had to hide in a barn on the family farm before making my way back to the train station, back to go to prague.
▶ 0:39:54Mr. Schaecter: Other jews that returned had been killed. Many years before I learned my father had survived this madhouse and concentration camp. It was actually a salt mind -- a salt mine.
▶ 0:40:23Mr. Schaecter: But he had died three days after the liberation of typhoid. Before the war, he lived on a farm that was in our family for seven generations. I had lost 105 family members -- siblings and uncles and cousins. All murdered.
▶ 0:40:57Mr. Schaecter: Our land was taken. And I was an orphan. I came to america in 1950. I learned english in nine weeks and went to college. Upon graduation, I married and started a family.
▶ 0:41:23Mr. Schaecter: Today, I have two children, and five grandchildren. I wish I could say that antisemitism stopped after world war ii, but it rages on. On october 7, 2023, we saw hamas kill 1195 jews.
▶ 0:41:58Mr. Schaecter: It has been over 570 days, and we still have hostages. These atrocities are and were barbaric, to say the least.
▶ 0:42:27Mr. Schaecter: We are traumatizing the survivors. It barely scratches the surface. Protests on college campuses that intimidate and threatens
▶ 0:42:59Mr. Schaecter: Jewish students cannot be ignored. I remember vividly when a slovakian classmate taunted jewish kids, and what is
▶ 0:43:31Mr. Schaecter: Happening today looks like and feels like the same. The most recently, in pennsylvania, governors residence was burned by arsonist during passover.
▶ 0:43:57Mr. Schaecter: I spend my days going to school, talking about my experience, teaching children about dangerous anti-semitism. 18 states in the united states, including florida and new york, have a law requiring holocaust survivors shows widespread
▶ 0:44:33Mr. Schaecter: Endurance about the holocaust, especially, and we must do everything possible to educate the young people of the subject of restitution.
▶ 0:45:00Mr. Schaecter: We survivors have been pressing for years to ensure restitution of the assets such as stolen art, which is critical documenting the realities of the holocaust.
▶ 0:45:25Mr. Schaecter: That is why survivors in our family strongly support amendments and other legislation that will enable families to recover their property from those who still want to profit from the holocaust.
▶ 0:45:56Mr. Schaecter: This is also important because the legacy is for the past seven decades, of all the survivors who lived and died in poverty, without adequate food, medicine,
▶ 0:46:31Mr. Schaecter: Home care. Survivors suffered through extreme is a quote and mental health challenges do to long-term effects of starvation. Beatings. Disease. Malnutrition. And the murders of our loved ones.
▶ 0:47:03Mr. Schaecter: I am here reminding everyone that there is still thousands of survivors alive today who are in desperate need, and who cannot be forgotten. Thank you for having this hearing on anti-semitism. It has been a problem.
▶ 0:47:38Mr. Schaecter: And god almighty, it still is a problem. Thank you. >> now, I would like to welcome my dear friend and hello floridian, rabbi mark rosenberg,
▶ 0:48:09Mr. Schaecter: Who is my senior advisor as well as the senior chief chaplain of the miami-dade sheriffs office. He is also the chief chaplain of the florida highway patrol and florida department of law enforcement. Rabbi rosenberg has dedicated his life to serving the jewish community, especially in times of crisis.
▶ 0:48:30Mr. Schaecter: Particularly, rabbi rosenberg was a passionate voice of hope and comfort during the surfside tower collapse back in 2021, where 91 lives were tragically lost. His leadership and florida has helped to bridge the gap between law enforcement and jewish communities, ensuring that cultural competency and safety are priorities in dealing with acts of hate. Thank you for being such a strong voice for the jewish community in the state of florida. We welcome your testimony.
▶ 0:49:03Rabbi Rosenberg: Thank you sheriff. Members of the committee, good afternoon, and thank you for inviting me to speak on this issue. As a law enforcement chaplain, I work with many in the aging population, particularly during crises.
▶ 0:49:23Rabbi Rosenberg: The rise of anti-semitism is an issue that is discussed far too often as people are generally consistent -- genuinely concerned about this online cesspool of hate. When hate is allowed to simmer, it spills into the streets, confirming the worst anxieties. Whether it is one group that is more vulnerable -- the elderly.
▶ 0:49:48Rabbi Rosenberg: The aging population held on to the hope that the hatred they witnessed in their youth was a subjective history, a bird they need not and should not pass on to their descendants. So, they stayed silent. Why stress their children and grandchildren if the present reality does not reflect the trauma of the old world?
▶ 0:50:15Rabbi Rosenberg: But on october 7, the elderly saw their grandchildren slaughtered for being jewish. They came face to face with the horrific news that the past they thought they left behind will be the future. Perhaps the burden they thought was unnecessary to carry was just an illusion, and up people will once again take hold.
▶ 0:50:43Rabbi Rosenberg: Why do the elderly have more trepidation than anyone else? Because they have seen this movie before. They know how this starts. They sought jews barred from colleges and jewish businesses, boycotted in 1933. Are we not seeing the same in 2025? The holocaust did not start in 1941. The tracks to auschwitz were laid much earlier.
▶ 0:51:14Rabbi Rosenberg: I am not claiming there will be another holocaust in our years. If we are being honest, the holocaust did not start in the 1900s. It was the conclusion of anti-semitism that had fermented for centuries. After the war, the elderly thought that the holocaust was the final chapter in the story of anti-semitism.
▶ 0:51:38Rabbi Rosenberg: They believed the greatest country in the world had given them and their descendants unprecedented freedom. That is why they raised their children in the united states, without passing on the trauma of their youth. But now, the aging population is not just worried about the anti-semitism their grandchildren face today. They fear for the country that gave them freedom of religion, that it could be overtaken by a sinister agenda.
▶ 0:52:11Rabbi Rosenberg: If you had asked them before october 7 whether a holocaust or a spanish inquisition could ever happen again in america, the answer would be a resounding no, but now, such an assertion seems far less certain. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But perhaps monday. -- perhaps one day. What happens on student campuses is the new government.
▶ 0:52:42Rabbi Rosenberg: They never thought they would see this movie again, but here we are at the opening scene. The question is, will we drive the train off its tracks before it reaches auschwitz? I know this sounds intense, but these are the very real concerns of the elderly. After all, who knows the movie better than they do? What will calm their fears?
▶ 0:53:11Rabbi Rosenberg: Consequences before it is too late. If my child rooms into the street and I remain silent, I may not support it, but I can guarantee it will happen again. If there are no consequences for those who intimidate and bully under the guise of free speech, they will be emboldened to take more ground until we reach a dark place.
▶ 0:53:33Rabbi Rosenberg: For too long, people filled with hate have felt safe to show up at synagogues and educational facilities and public spaces, spewing hate and anti-semitism. They have bullied, intimidated, harassed, terrorized, and threatened in the hope of provoking a reaction. In florida, the laws halt such acts and provide consequences for those who harass based on religion or ethnicity. It even imposes felony charges.
▶ 0:54:05Rabbi Rosenberg: If we take legitimate action, we can stop hate and anti-semitism before it spirals out of control , as it has so many times. Winston churchill famously stated the further back you look, the farther forward you are likely to see. People will always have a home in the human psyche. The question is not whether we can eliminate it, but what power we have to stop the spread.
▶ 0:54:32Rabbi Rosenberg: We can show our aging population that trauma will not be their grandchildren's burden. We can show them that america is not just the land of the free, but also the land of the consequences. So in conclusion, we must accept that never again is now. We must accept that silence enables those who hate. We must accept that the aging community is reliving the trauma that should have never happened, let alone forgotten.
▶ 0:55:01Rabbi Rosenberg: We must accept that holocaust deniers exist, and we cannot deny their existence. We must accept the atrocities of october 7 -- murder, rape, the burden -- the burning of families and babies actually happened, and we cannot allow these crimes to be suppressed. We must accept that 250 hostages were taken, including holocaust survivors, and many are still waiting for their grandchildren to be returned from the hamas terrorists.
▶ 0:55:27Rabbi Rosenberg: And we must guarantee the elderly that the world they are leaving their children is better than the one they found. Thank you and I look forward to answering your questions.
▶ 0:55:37Chair Scott: Thank each of you. Sheriff, thank you for the introductions. Thank you for your powerful testimony. Next, we are pleased to welcome former congressman Mr. ted deutch from the great state of florida, who brings valuable experience in advocating for jewish communities, including his work here in congress, where he was instrumental in pushing for legislation to combat anti-semitism.
▶ 0:56:04Chair Scott: Under his leadership, the ajc fights rising hate and discrimination. Thank you for being here and I look forward to your testimony.
▶ 0:56:16Mr. Deutch: Chairman scott, ranking member gillibrand, and members of the committee, I'm honored to be here among my distinguished panelists. I want to thank you first of all for giving us the gift of your testimony. I am the ceo of the american jewish committee, a nonpartisan advocacy group that upholds the democratic values that we cherish. -- that we cherish.
▶ 0:56:45Mr. Deutch: In this committees history, there has never been a hearing on anti-semitism. This hearing unfortunately is both necessary and historic. Thank you, chairman and ranking member, for holding this hearing. I applaud your commitment to tackling anti-semitism in a nonpartisan and bipartisan manner. Earlier this year, ajc released our state of anti-semitism in america report and the top lines were startling. 73% of american jews feel less secure than they did a year ago.
▶ 0:57:15Mr. Deutch: 56% have changed their behavior because of fear of anti-semitism. Your constituents are deciding not to be openly jewish because they are they will be targeted. That is not the america any of us want. Of the 1.6 million american jewish seniors, including more than 30,000 holocaust survivors, 43% were worried they will be the victims of anti-semitism. More than halfway their loved ones will be. They have reason to worry.
▶ 0:57:45Mr. Deutch: They see antisemitic hate online. They saw posters of holocaust survivors torn down last week in newark. They hear from their grandkids about campus anti-semitism. It does not matter who is targeting jews, whether it is the far left or the far-right. For us, the impact and the fear are the same. Anytime a jewish person is under threat, it affects every jew because we are all interconnected. Rising anti-semitism is not just a jewish problem.
▶ 0:58:16Mr. Deutch: It is a crisis for our democracy and our society. Anti-semitism weakens our social cohesion. It impedes our ability to solve the challenges we face. This moment demands bold action from our leaders. What can congress do to fight anti-semitism at its roots? In order to fight the foundation of anti-semitism, we have to stamp out misinformation about the jewish community. We do that by educating people about the holocaust.
▶ 0:58:43Mr. Deutch: Ajc's translate hate is one such resource. Building off the success of the reauthorization of the never again education act, we also urge congress to pass the heel act, to direct the holocaust museum to ensure that every student in america understands why we say never again.
▶ 0:59:03Mr. Deutch: To counter the scourge of anti-semitism that has rocked campuses across the country, we urge congress to pass the anti-semitism awareness act and the protect students on campus act. Both are bipartisan bills that would help identify anti-semitism and empower students to report title vi violations they experience.
▶ 0:59:22Mr. Deutch: We are to congress also to work with the trump administration to support the department of education office for civil rights, including by providing at least $152 million in the fy I-26 appropriations process. I would also point out that closing more than half of the regional offices and cutting the number of title vi investigators means that fewer cases will be investigated and thoroughly and timely dispensed with.
▶ 0:59:50Mr. Deutch: Students deserve to know the federal government will be there for them and will step in when their rights are violated. In order to combat the inferno of online anti-semitism, we urge congress to consider a targeted and narrow reform of the communications decency act to tackle online anti-semitism that leads to violence in the real world. In social media companies should enforce their own rules meant to prevent harassment and hatred on their platforms.
▶ 1:00:18Mr. Deutch: It is also imperative to protect the jewish community from the threats we are facing now, and we urge congress to immediately work with the trump administration to unfreeze vital funding for the security grant program, and provide necessary funding for the security needs of nonprofits like synagogues and jewish community centers.
▶ 1:00:39Mr. Deutch: Finally, to best guarantee these efforts are as effective as possible, we urge congress to work with the trump administration to counter anti-semitism I taking a whole of government approach, and just as we fight anti-semitism and protect the jewish community, we must lift up the voices and lived experiences of jewish americans. Tomorrow marks the start of jewish-american heritage month.
▶ 1:01:04Mr. Deutch: Congress should codify this into federal statute to make sure the contributions and sacrifices that jewish americans have made to our country are celebrated everywhere. And I urge each of you -- I urge each of you and all of your senate colleagues, to recognize jewish life and jewish contributions to american society during the month of may. Meet directly with constituents. Hear their stories.
▶ 1:01:31Mr. Deutch: Understand that our contributions to america, our lives in america, contribute to the richness of our diversity and the greatness of our nation. My father, who earned a purple heart fighting the nazis at the battle of the bulge, always taught us that we are jews and we are americans, and we could not be more proud to be both.
▶ 1:01:56Mr. Deutch: Jewish seniors, those who have done so much for our nation, deserve to live out the remaining lives celebrating their family and community and observing their faith openly without worrying their children or grandchildren will be victims of anti-semitism. They deserve the freedom that was promised to them and every american. Ajc looks forward to working together with all of you to safeguard that foundational promise for our seniors, whose contributions and sacrifices have built the america we are all blessed to live in. Thank you.
▶ 1:02:29Chair Scott: Thanks for your testimony and what you do. I would like to recognize ranking number gillibrand to introduced the next witness.
▶ 1:02:40Sen. Gillibrand: I would like to recognize Ms. federman, the senior director of the intelligence desk for the security commission in new york -- committed a security initiative in new york. She manages the monitoring and investigations related to the safety and security of new york 's jewish community. Ms. federman works closely with law enforcement partners at state and federal agencies to provide critical intelligence on known threat actors and impending threats.
▶ 1:03:06Ms. Federman: Thank you, chairman scott, ranking member gillibrand, and numbers of the special committee on aging, for inviting me to speak with you today. As senator gillibrand mentioned, I am privileged to serve as the senior director of intelligence for the community security initiative of new york.
▶ 1:03:26Ms. Federman: In 2019, in the wake of the deadliest attacks against american jews, 15 juice ordered in 14 months across pittsburgh, jersey city, and muncie, many of whom were elderly individuals, the umbrella jewish organizations in new york founded csi as our way of actualizing never again. Csi is a conference of program to protect and enhance security for the 1.8 million jews in new york and southwest connecticut.
▶ 1:03:54Ms. Federman: We help ensure jews are never again murdered in her synagogues, schools, or grocery stores. I lead our intelligence desk, a team of four analysts whose main goal is to detect, investigate, and disrupt violent threats targeting the jewish community. Investigations we undertake are politically and ideologically agnostic. We have ported violent neo-nazis, isis inspired individuals, and other variants of anti-semite.
▶ 1:04:22Ms. Federman: We spend our days engaging in the sewers of the internet, scouring the threats. It is important to note that our focus is not on the albeit vile but nevertheless first amendment protected anti-semitic speech, but rather on credible threats that meet a higher threshold, including explicit expression of violent intent, such as "I'm going to shoot up a synagogue," weapons and intent to use them, or allegiance to a U.S.
▶ 1:04:52Ms. Federman: Designated terrorist organization. In 2024, we elevated 221 life-threatening instances to law enforcement and partner organizations at home and abroad. This is undeniably a profoundly disturbing number. This two months ago, one of my analysts detected a post on at -- on x in which a user announces intention to visit a prominent synagogue in manhattan, naming the date and time.
▶ 1:05:21Ms. Federman: He evoked adolf hitler and pledged to kill tenfold as many jews if he was stopped. Working closely with the nypd and the jersey state police, the individual was intercepted as he was in route to new york city. This is an example of one of many threats the csi team has helped to thwart.
▶ 1:05:40Ms. Federman: Based on our analysis, the most acute threats against the jewish community today stem from three main sources -- individuals radicalized by the current israel-hamas war, isis affiliated or inspired actors, or those who have neo-nazi beliefs. Recent plots corroborate our triple threat assessment. In july 2024, a canada-based isis supporter planned a mass casualty attack against chabad's world headquarters in brooklyn.
▶ 1:06:12Ms. Federman: In 2025, a white supremacist in massachusetts was arrested with weapons and a nazi flag after he posted online that it was time to kill jews. And as david said, just a few weeks ago, governor josh shapiro' his home was fired on during passover, and act allegedly motivated by the governor's pro-israel stance.
▶ 1:06:36Ms. Federman: Every date, jewish americans are victims of anti-semitic incidents that range from vandalism and harassment to assault. Just last week, the anti-defamation league released its 2024 audit of incidents, reporting a record-breaking 9003 hundred 54 incidents. Assaults increased by 21%.
▶ 1:06:58Ms. Federman: And 58% of the incidents contained elements of anti-israel bias, perpetrated by both anti-israel organizations and individuals and white supremacist groups. Particularly concerning is the 84% increase in anti-semitic activity on college campuses. Since october 7, jewish students faced intimidation and disruption to campus life.
▶ 1:07:20Ms. Federman: In response, csi launched our campus security initiative, working with campus hillel's, chabad rabbis, and mental health professionals at 25 universities. We provide everything from immense security funding and personal safety apps for students to weekly intelligence reports detailing trends, incidents, and upcoming protests. While not all campuses have seen the same level of disturbing activity, what we are witnessing on some is no longer mere protesting.
▶ 1:07:50Ms. Federman: At george mason university, a student plotted on isis-inspired attack on the israeli consulate. At the university of pittsburgh, jewish students were assaulted during a demonstration. At columbia university, jewish students have been spat on, shoved, and chased off by mobs chanting we don't want no zionists here. This is not activism. It is growing by the day.
▶ 1:08:15Ms. Federman: To address anti-semitism for the entire community, including the elderly, csi recommends increased funding $500 million for the nonprofit security group program, passage of the anti-semitism awareness act, and a fully funded office for civil rights within the department of education to efficiently investigate title vi complaints. Thank you for your bipartisan leadership in fighting anti-semitism. I look forward to your questions.
▶ 1:08:41Chair Scott: Thank you for your testimony. Thanks for what you do, as I keep saying. Thank each of you for being here today. Now, we are going to go to questions. Senator tuberville?
▶ 1:08:55Sen. Tuberville: Thanks for being here. Very much needed. Before I start my questions, I want to read a statement from a good friend of mine. Coach pearl is currently in jerusalem and will be there for a couple of weeks. He would have loved to have been here. Shalom from jerusalem.
▶ 1:09:21Sen. Tuberville: I am an american jewish college basketball coach, visiting my ancestral homeland. Yesterday was israel's remembrance day. Today is israel's independence day. This is a very emotional time for everyone here because this country has been up for since birth. Hours ago, I left the knesset, where I was in attendance along with prime minister netanyahu, president herzog, and about a thousand citizens honoring the fallen.
▶ 1:09:52Sen. Tuberville: I am angry. I am very angry. What I would ask of this committee is the courage to speak to our educators. We must teach our children. I am very proud that in the state of alabama, we have mandatory holocaust education for middle school students. If we choose not to teach them, somebody else will. None of us can explain or understand why the jewish people have been targeted.
▶ 1:10:24Sen. Tuberville: We have to do two things. We have to protect ourselves from those who want to kill us, and we have to try to live exemplary lives so that maybe the uncertain won't hate us. Our educational institutions want to stay neutral, leaving our young people to find out the truth on their own. I am proud to be airman american.
▶ 1:10:49Sen. Tuberville: This country save my families life, rescuing my grandfather in 1929. I will be forever grateful. God bless. Coach bruce pearl, auburn university. The issue we are seeing today on college campuses -- this is from me -- is being reinforced by the culture and values being taught on other campuses.
▶ 1:11:15Sen. Tuberville: Good people of this country being taught that palestinians are the freedom fighters, and the people are being oppressed. They are being taught that the facts on the ground in the middle east are not true. Why is this happening on university campuses? It is the same reason why our players would kneel for a flag and the national anthem, because they are not being taught to love this country. They have been taught that they are oppressed.
▶ 1:11:43Sen. Tuberville: They have not been taught to love and appreciate the opportunities this country gives them. They have not been top what is really going on in the middle east. Don't people want to have a cause, and they have now chosen to stand against freedom because of lies and propaganda. So, congressman, we have unfortunately seen anti-semitic attacks spike since october 7.
▶ 1:12:09Sen. Tuberville: Many of the victims of these attacks have been elderly jewish americans. How can the united states government better protect its citizens, particularly the elderly, from such attacks?
▶ 1:12:20Mr. Deutch: Thank you. First of all, I appreciate your reading of that statement from coach pearl, who stopped at the ajc global forum on his way to israel. We, as I'm sure you are, are quite proud of his leadership on these issues. There is an enormous amount that congress can do.
▶ 1:12:45Mr. Deutch: It is important, though, to emphasize that facts really matter here, and what you said is so important. Some of the protests that we saw, the ones that happened on october 8 and ninth, were not protests about anything that israel was doing. The idf, the israeli defense forces, had not even gone in to gaza yet.
▶ 1:13:14Mr. Deutch: The people who took to the streets immediately with signs that had a terrorist and a hang glider as their call to action -- they are doing one thing, which is to support hamas terrorists who slaughtered 1200 jews and whose goal is the destruction and massacre of jews.
▶ 1:13:34Mr. Deutch: Congress can play a vital role in helping to keep seniors, jewish seniors and all jews, safe by focusing on security, security grants.
▶ 1:13:48Mr. Deutch: Congress can play an important role in helping everyone understand and identify what anti-semitism actually is, for those who don't spend time thinking about this the way that we believe the country should, and passing the anti-semitism awareness act.
▶ 1:14:06Mr. Deutch: We think congress can play a really vital role in making sure that on those campuses, that when the civil rights of jewish students are violated, when anyone's title vi rights are violated, the office of civil rights has the funding necessary to actually conduct the investigations and hold those who committed these acts accountable. Accountability matters on campuses across america.
▶ 1:14:31Mr. Deutch: Jewish students have the right to speak out and feel right to k out and feel safe, like every other group on campus.
▶ 1:14:42Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. I am proud we now have the most row israel and pro-jewish president of my life back in the white house. President trump has made it clear if universities allow antisemitic up again to, they will lose federal funding. Outside this, what steps do universities and school administrators need to take to put an end to this?
▶ 1:15:08Rabbi Rosenberg: First they need to follow the law. Why don't we see college campuses -- why don't we see phones go missing every day? Why don't the 7/11 around the colleges have a problem with people? Because there is law and order. I strongly believe what my friend ted said, if we do that, we are not going to have an issue.
▶ 1:15:36Rabbi Rosenberg: If people are taught to love as young children, they need to know what's right and what's wrong. Right now it's right it it's a movement. I have been to campuses myself. I grew up in upstate new york, never experienced anything. We all got along. Now I have to walk to a college campus and feel weird that I am wearing a yarmulke. I don't feel I'm going to be robbed, I feel I feel I'm going to be identified because I am a jew.
▶ 1:16:02Sen. Tuberville: Thank you. My time is up but I appreciate you coming and speaking the truth. As my buddy bruce pearl would say, I think one of the biggest answers to this question is education. We need to educate people the right way. Thank you and god bless you.
▶ 1:16:21Chair Scott: Ranking member gillibrand. Reppo gillibrand Ms. federman, in 2024 new york led the nation in reported anti-semitic incidents with over 1400. These incidents are not isolated red they reflect a broader, troubling trend of rising anti-semitism.
▶ 1:16:44Chair Scott: The not for profit security grant program, which has been instrumental in helping at risk communities, particularly jewish institutions, helps to bolster the safety of these institutions. Congress recognized the importance of these programs by increasing funding in the coming 25 senate bill and approved an additional $405 million in ending rudy national security supplemental.
▶ 1:17:07Chair Scott: Even with increased funding, the not for profit security grants programs oversubscribed and less than half of applicants received the funding they need. Can you speak about the importance of this program and why you recommend appropriating at least $500 million for it?
▶ 1:17:25Mr. Deutch: Jewish --
▶ 1:17:27Ms. Federman: Jewish community institutions are often the source of jewish life in a community, including synagogues, schools, community centers. They are increasingly targets of vandalism and violent threats, whether bomb threats, swastika graffiti, or something more nefarious. In 2023 despite the $274 million funded in appropriations, only 43% of grant applications were funded.
▶ 1:17:58Ms. Federman: This leaves a significant number of at risk institutions without access to critical security enhancements. Expanding this event spent -- this investment in the same way will ensure vulnerable nonprofits must synagogues, churches will have the necessary resources to harden potential targets, train for emergency scenarios, and protect their communities.
▶ 1:18:21Ms. Federman: If I may give an example as to how imperative these grants are, in may 2024 over on brooklyn an individual attempted to run over jewish students at a religious jewish school. He drove his car on the curb, saw students outside and tried to run them over. Now they received funding and we have helped them put up a fence. This is going to ensure never again will their students be at risk in the same way.
▶ 1:18:51Ms. Federman: It is imperative that nsgp is funded further.
▶ 1:18:56Sen. Gillibrand: You also mentioned campus security initiative where you work with have odd -- with habad to ensure their security. What have you learned about the jewish community's need to mitigate anti-semitism on campuses? Have there been any policy decisions by campus administrators to help address these incidents?
▶ 1:19:17Ms. Federman: Yes, on a tactical level campuses have asked us for extended funding for events, security guards, particularly for events about israel featuring israeli individuals that tend to be targeted, or large-scale holidays, passover, seder, rosh hashanah services.
▶ 1:19:41Ms. Federman: We have also provided -- this came directly as an ask from the rabbis, from their students because they felt unsafe, we provided students with escorts to and from their dorms on passover last year because they were so concerned they would be assaulted, harassed. In a general sense, students just want the ability for normal campus life.
▶ 1:20:04Ms. Federman: They want to attend classes, about the middle east or innocuous objects and not feel they can't beat their mind, can't be israeli. They want to walk through campus without victory all and they want to go -- without vitriol, and they want to go to their houses and feel safe. In terms of policy decisions, we have seen success at nyu.
▶ 1:20:27Ms. Federman: They have, since spring 2024 when the encampments were popping up, changed their code of conduct to include the term zionist as a dog whistle. We know frequently someone will use it instead of saying jew to allege they are not anti-semitic.
▶ 1:20:46Ms. Federman: Nyu has changed their code of conduct, and it says if you are going to use coded language, call for the death of zionist, exclude zionists from a campus event or a place on campus, that violates their code of conduct.
▶ 1:21:02Sen. Gillibrand: And I would argue all of those are incidents of anti-semitism.
▶ 1:21:06Ms. Federman: Correct.
▶ 1:21:08Sen. Gillibrand: Can you talk about the antisemitism awareness act and how this act could enhance the federal government's ability to enforce title vi of the civil rights act, particularly in educational settings, and why it's imperative the senate has to pass this legislation and provide a clear definition of anti-semitism to the federal government?
▶ 1:21:31Sen. Gillibrand: I know I am out of time but can you talk a little about why we should be supporting more holocaust education programs in the united states, since 12% of U.S. millennials and gen z have never heard the word holocaust for.
▶ 1:21:47Mr. Deutch: Sure. Quickly on your second wind, -- second point, the answer is here with us. The reason kids need to learn about the holocaust is because, as fewer and fewer survivors are able to share their stories directly, we need to help provide that education. Every student in america should hear what david schaecter shared with us today.
▶ 1:22:16Mr. Deutch: The impact of that has to change the way they view the world and understand what can happen when anti-semitism goes unchecked. That's why that is critically important. As far as the antisemitism awareness act, it's critical to have a standardized definition of anti-semitism. Our definition is an educational tool and is meant to inform policymakers and police and prosecutors to understand what anti-semitism can look like. It's not a speech code.
▶ 1:22:48Mr. Deutch: I want to disabuse people of that idea, something we have heard a lot about. It's meant to help people identify what speech that is anti-semitic looks like so that policymakers have the ability to decide how to combat it. The question isn't whether anti-semitic language is acceptable, not whether it's protected speech.
▶ 1:23:13Mr. Deutch: It's whether it's something that we should simply allowed to continue that can lead to the kinds of instances all of us have been talking about on this and all. It's an important tool that policymakers should have and they will when congress passes this.
▶ 1:23:35Chair Scott: Let's start with Mr. schaecter. As a holocaust survivor, you have experienced firsthand the horrors of anti-semitism. How has the current rise in anti-semitism impacted you personally? And what do you see as the greatest threat to elderly jewish americans today?
▶ 1:23:57Mr. Schaecter: Well, I don't know how to describe age. These elderly, I don't think they possess the same stamina that I have at being 97 almost.
▶ 1:24:30Mr. Schaecter: But I don't want to be measuring what makes a guy on the stand, when he is trying to escape, trying to avoid, and trying to not be the guy who gets it all. Who is the victim. I for one speak to youngsters.
▶ 1:25:06Mr. Schaecter: I speak to children. I beg them to look at me. Do they think I am someone to be scared of? And they say no.
▶ 1:25:23Mr. Schaecter: So if the children say no, why should grown-ups go ahead and have the right to demean and the right to attack the helpless and the ones who are mostly the nicest of all time people.
▶ 1:25:56Chair Scott: Thank you. Rabbi rosenberg, you have worked with law enforcement in florida to bridge the gap between jewish communities and those who protect our streets. You have also been involved in cultural competency training with lawn oarsmen. How well can law enforcement agencies respond to anti-semitic incidents, particularly those affecting the elderly jewish population?
▶ 1:26:22Rabbi Rosenberg: That depends on which area. South florida, I would say law enforcement -- we do a lot of education to educate them. We could do a lot more many times across the state. If they would know more, they would be able to do a much better job. It comes back to what you were saying, we need to educate.
▶ 1:26:48Rabbi Rosenberg: The last time we did, the hamas raw footage video, we did it through the state. Some people wanted to see it, some were not that interested red the ones who saw it said, now we understand.
▶ 1:27:03Chair Scott: Ms. federman, what are some challenges organizations like yours had, tracking threats through the dark web?
▶ 1:27:13Ms. Federman: Our biggest challenge is the volume of threats we come across on a regular basis. We are reviewing thousands of alerts that we get with our tools that could indicate a life-threatening instance, and we have to consider every single one as a potential threat. It's not just the deep and dark web, it's also the surface web, x, facebook, instagram.
▶ 1:27:43Ms. Federman: The threats are pervasive and the biggest impediment is having the ability to go through all of them.
▶ 1:27:48Chair Scott: Social media sites, are they help? -- helpful?
▶ 1:27:53Ms. Federman: Not directly for our purposes. We are looking for threats, not engaging with them to remove anti-semitic content. We are focused on the high threshold of I'm going to commit violence, rather than general anti-semitic speech.
▶ 1:28:09Chair Scott: Does your law enforcement have the tools to be able to stop it?
▶ 1:28:14Ms. Federman: Yes. We are fortunate to work very closely at both the local level, the precinct level, with the nypd intelligence teams, new york state police, and fbi partners, and they have been incredibly responsive working to mitigate threats and working with us. They know if we are elevating something to them --
▶ 1:28:38Chair Scott: It's hard to believe people do it, right? It doesn't make sense. None of this makes any sense, right? >> Mr. schaecter, I wanted to start with saying thank you to you for such an extraordinarily powerful testimony. I am grateful for you.
▶ 1:29:03Chair Scott: I wish I could bring my two boys to hear from you about your story, and I will make sure they see your testimony. In college I did extensive holocaust studies, actually ote my undergraduate thesis about the holocaust. I do think we need to be doing more to invest in that type of education with our youth in the united states at this time.
▶ 1:29:29Chair Scott: The threat that you said, it's not just about what happened during the holocaust and world war ii, but what we have seen since october 7. I got off the phone with you don alexander's parents, talking with them about the fear that they feel. I can tell you how impactful that is to the jewish-american community in my home state. It's not theoretical. They feel it on a visceral, daily level.
▶ 1:29:59Chair Scott: We feel it on visceral activity at the forefront of our minds. I wanted to ask this to congressman deutch because it stuck out to me. He said thousands of survivors of the holocaust who need help -- that really stuck out to me because we are talking about this on the committee of aging.
▶ 1:30:26Chair Scott: Congressman deutch, there was part of our government agency, the administration for community living. They have a program called the holocaust survivors assistance program, something I worry is very much under risk because there has been an organization, the termination for the organization of community living.
▶ 1:30:53Chair Scott: Is there a concern that this could take away resources from elderly holocaust survivors in their time of need, as Mr. schechter pointed out -- as Mr. schaecter pointed out?
▶ 1:31:09Mr. Deutch: We are tracking it closely but I can't let the moment pass to express appreciation, not just for your advocacy for the alexander family but for speaking about it here. A number of people have stopped me on my way in and thought I had some garbage on my jacket.
▶ 1:31:33Mr. Deutch: It's a piece of tape that has the number of days, 572 days that hamas has held hostages, 59 hostages, including americans, including edon alexander. Chairman scott has been a hero on this issue. Your voice in speaking out makes these stories real for everyone and keeps up the pressure to help bring them home. David is right.
▶ 1:32:04Mr. Deutch: The holocaust survivor assistance program is critically important it are we tracking? Yes. All our advocacy around this issue is very straightforward. This is a program that takes care of those whose needs are great and whose histories demand that we be there for them so that we can help them live out their lives in dignity.
▶ 1:32:35Mr. Deutch: Any changes that would result in cutting back on funding, any changes that would impede the ability to ensure that mission that I think we all have in caring for seniors and for survivors in particular is something we should all work to prevent. I appreciate raising this, a vitally important issue and we have to stand together.
▶ 1:33:01Sen. Kim: I wanted to make sure it didn't fall by the wayside and I hope we can follow up on this. It's at the intersection between elderly, antisemitism, supporting holocaust survivors. We talked about the nonprofit security grant or graham. I am doing everything I can to for greg -- to protect that as there is conversation about abolishing ima.
▶ 1:33:29Sen. Kim: We want to preserve it, increase the funds. One thing I hear from the synagogues, the temples, it's not just one-off security they need. It's not something where they can have a capital project, increased security. This is the top budget item for every single year. How do we think about this in terms of persistent support? Not just a one-off grant? It's important they get that.
▶ 1:33:58Sen. Kim: For them to get a security grant once out of every x number of years, it's not enough. There is something we need to do to help with that persistent cost.
▶ 1:34:09Mr. Deutch: There is a lot we need to do. I would say what my fellow panelists spoke so clearly to is how urgent the needs are. The chairman was exactly right. For those of us on this panel, for those of us who focus on them, we know the challenges are enormous.
▶ 1:34:34Mr. Deutch: When you take a step back, it's not normal that every jewish institution in america, every single one, worries about the physical state the of the people who come through their doors. Kids, seniors, people coming into the synagogue to pray. That isn't normal. It is ultimately the reason why the whole hearing is so am orton. -- so important.
▶ 1:35:04Mr. Deutch: Why the fight against anti-semitism needs to be waged.
▶ 1:35:07Sen. Kim: Everybody has to speak up.
▶ 1:35:09Mr. Deutch: Everybody. There can be zero-tolerance for anti-semitism. When you hear something from a constituent, when we hear something on a neighbor, when we know something is said that isn't right, that is based on anti-semitic tropes meant to stir up anti-semitism, we all have an obligation to call it out as we would any other kind of hatred, because anti-semitism
▶ 1:35:40Mr. Deutch: Never stops with the jews. Not in america, not any country throughout history.
▶ 1:35:44Chair Scott: It's just the beginning. It's an attack on other people, pure hatred that builds within people.
▶ 1:35:51Sen. Kim: The trauma that they carry gets so pervasive, especially for the parents I talked to in new jersey. Fear every day about their kids and well-being.
▶ 1:36:03Chair Scott: They are trying to force jewish day schools to be shut down, scare people that they shouldn't send their kids there. It is ongoing. Did you want to say something?
▶ 1:36:21Mr. Schaecter: Yes, I am almost embarrassed to make this question -- or answer it. Not every survivor is a college graduate. I am a college graduate.
▶ 1:36:45Mr. Schaecter: I have been fitted in this country because the opportunity. They didn't ask me what church I belong to.
▶ 1:37:02Mr. Schaecter: They accepted me because I was told to take a test, take another test, and sure enough I was accepted, and sure enough I graduated, and sure enough I did that when this thing called the
▶ 1:37:33Mr. Schaecter: High-tech world became here in america, like no other place on earth. I was in that place called america and I was given a job, because my graduation was in the field of high-tech. And high-tech was the world.
▶ 1:38:07Mr. Schaecter: And I was there and god almighty -- and I, god almighty, was so lucky.
▶ 1:38:16Chair Scott: Thank you.
▶ 1:38:18Sen. Kim: Thank you, chairman, for pulling this hearing together.
▶ 1:38:24Sen. Alsobrooks: Thank you, Mr. chair cotton and to all have come to testify. I want to begin by underscoring what my colleagues have already shared, that anti-semitism is a real and rising threat, not only in maryland but rising through our country. Any active hate or form of discrimination is unacceptable and absolutely must be condemned.
▶ 1:38:55Sen. Alsobrooks: According to the anti-defamation league in maryland, we saw a 211% increase in anti-semitic incidents in 2023, including harassment, vandalism, and assault. Last month a baltimore man was sentenced for setting fire outside the jewish museum in maryland. These acts are intended to stoke fear, division, and they have no place in our state or country. I want to thank Mr.
▶ 1:39:24Sen. Alsobrooks: Schaecter so much for being here today. Your survival story, your lifelong commitment to educating others is powerful, inspiring. Really honored to have you here today. I just have a couple of questions. I am a baby of the 70's, 1971 to be exact.
▶ 1:39:50Sen. Alsobrooks: At the time I was born at the edge of the civil rights movement, one of the things I can tell you happened routinely is we sat at the kitchen table and had dinner each night. There was a very real discussion about the civil rights movement and the fact that the african-american and jewish community were friends and allies and we would not have seen the successes we did except for that ally ship.
▶ 1:40:17Sen. Alsobrooks: I would like to ask you because I know american jews and black civil rights leaders have long worked together in the struggle for civil rights in this country. How does finding shared values and building relationships across communities help to combat hate and make our larger community safe to mark -- safe?
▶ 1:40:42Mr. Deutch: It's a really important question. The importance of recognizing fundamentally that we are all in this together in america, it's the story of our nation. What you describe and the history of the civil rights movement speaks powerfully to that realization.
▶ 1:41:03Mr. Deutch: It's the reason that there were so many in the jewish community who recognized the importance of standing up during the civil rights movement, understanding that discrimination against one group ultimately holds everyone down.
▶ 1:41:25Mr. Deutch: As we fast-forward to where we are today, it is very much consistent with the exchange we had a moment ago about how anti-semitism, the world's oldest hate, which for thousands of years has plagued the jewish community, when it rises up as it has, when there is so much misinformation, so many threats, they are too is the opportunity for the rest of the community to
▶ 1:41:57Mr. Deutch: Stand with the jewish community, to push back against this hatred and lies and help set the record straight, for the very same reason that coming together during the civil rights movement , as you pointed out, was so critical. Coming together in the fight against anti-semitism is so critical.
▶ 1:42:19Sen. Alsobrooks: The administration for community living has invested nearly $5 million annually in a five-year initiative with the jewish federations of north america to expand person centered, trauma informed services for holocaust survivors and other older adults with histories of trauma. This program has supported 15,000 survivors and trained more than 10,000 professionals nationwide.
▶ 1:42:46Sen. Alsobrooks: The administration for community living ensures older adults and people with disability can live with dignity, security, and independence they deserve. Congressman, you used to represent a district with a large senior population and I wonder if you might be able to highlight how disrupting the services provided to seniors, including jewish seniors, harm our most vulnerable communities.
▶ 1:43:12Mr. Deutch: It is as you point out, the issue of not just need, but trauma. And what it means when we have this moment, this last moment, to ensure that the now small number of survivors can live out their lives in dignity.
▶ 1:43:36Mr. Deutch: That means not having to revisit trauma, having the wherewithal to celebrate their remaining years with their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And it means making sure the means to do that are not ripped away from them.
▶ 1:43:52Sen. Alsobrooks: Thank you. Thank you, Mr. chair.
▶ 1:43:56Chair Scott: Congressman? >> we have seen disturbing instances where individuals including licensed health care workers have made threats online. Shocking. They would deny care or provide substandard treatment to jewish patients. How would you respond to threats like these, particularly when they come from individuals in the public trust like the health care sector?
▶ 1:44:23Mr. Deutch: Chairman scott, it's --
▶ 1:44:27Chair Scott: It's hard to believe, right?
▶ 1:44:29Mr. Deutch: It starts again with no tolerance for it. When someone makes clear -- let's just be clear about one thing. As rebecca said a little while ago, what we have seen, especially online, is the willingness to determine that somehow it's acceptable to just replace the word jew with zionist, that justice will
▶ 1:45:01Mr. Deutch: Acknowledge they can't get away with saying online or anywhere that jews are not welcome that jews should be killed. That somehow, when it comes to zionists -- and let's be clear, for the vast majority of jews, israel isn't just a country they care about, it central to their religious identity as part of the jewish people.
▶ 1:45:25Mr. Deutch: When they are told by a doctor or someone whose trust we need to count on, that they are not going to be accepted if they are zionists, they are being told jews cap come -- can't come.
▶ 1:45:47Mr. Deutch: It's one of the reasons we work with notional media companies to make sure they understand when you take israel and zionism and put it in the place of jew to fulfill the desires of the anti-semites who are doing it, that they have a role to play to make sure that doesn't happen. That's exactly what we need to impress upon them.
▶ 1:46:07Chair Scott: So if let's say in south florida a health care worker at a hospital put out online, a jewish patient, I'm going to give them substandard care, what should anybody in the community do -- everybody in the community do?
▶ 1:46:28Mr. Deutch: As you know, not everyone goes to a hospital voluntarily. The idea that there may be professionals who have said that if a patient comes in that their care will be different, lesser, or shunned altogether because they happen to be jewish , that can't be tolerated.
▶ 1:46:56Mr. Deutch: It wouldn't be tolerated if someone made a comment like that about any other group. I would think the hospital practice would take action to ensure that that person can't carry out those anti-semitic desires.
▶ 1:47:09Chair Scott: Take miami, how many people live in miami? Miami-dade. >> 2.9 million residents, not counting tourism.
▶ 1:47:21Chair Scott: If a hospital in miami had a health care worker that said they were going to give jews substandard care and 10,000 people sent a letter to the ceo of the hospital, what do you think would happen?
▶ 1:47:34Mr. Deutch: I would certainly expect that if someone in the hospital staff made a statement like that that was publicized and confirmed to be accurate and people complained, that the hospital would want to take action on behalf of of the entire hospital and all of the patients.
▶ 1:47:54Chair Scott: That's the example of what everybody could do, whether you are jewish or not. Thank you all. I want to thank everybody, all of our witnesses, for being here today, sharing your powerful stories and expertise. The rising tide of anti-semitism is a dire threat to the safety and dignity of our elderly jewish population and all americans.
▶ 1:48:21Chair Scott: We have a moral obligation to protect those who are most honorable, especially those who survived the horrors of the holocaust. The action we take today can make a difference. Every law we passed him every policy, every conversation brings us one step closer to ensuring that elderly jewish americans and holocaust survivors can live in peace and security.
▶ 1:48:46Chair Scott: I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance solutions that will make an impact on protecting jewish people and seniors. I personally don't understand why anybody has an anti-jewish statement. It floors me. We will keep the record open for additional questions and statements until next wednesday at 5:00 p.m. Thank you all for being here. This meeting is adjourned. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap.org]