Good morning, the committee will come to order. And without objection the chair is authorized to declare a recess of the committee at any time. With that ill now recognize myself to give an Opening Statement. Two days ago, the entire world came together to Mark International holocaust Remembrance Day. In addition, 75 years ago this week, in january 1945 , the auschwitz broken out concentration camp was liberated from the nazis. It was one of the most infamous sites of the nazi genocide. More than 1 Million People were murdered there. The purpose of todays hearing is to commemorate these brave anniversaries remember the nose we lost and to honor those who are still with us. But it is not enough to simply recognize these things, we must also contemplate what led to these atrocities. We must remember the lholocaust in order to help combat bigotry, hate and violence of all kinds today i am so pleased to have our distinguished panel here today. I have asked them to help us come together on todays solemn occasion, help us rise above issues that may divide us and help us unify our efforts around a common purpose of hope and inclusion. On this day of all days, i hope we can all do that. One issue we will discuss today is what we can do to ensure that future generations never forget the lessons of the holocaust. This may sound hard to believe but the Pew Research Center recently issued a report finding that fewer than half of americans surveyed new how many jews were killed in the holocaust. Another report found that only 38 percent of american teenagers surveyed new the nazis killed 6 million jews and only a third new that hitler was democratically elected. The best way i know to help people remember the holocaust is to hear firsthand on the people who went through it. We are very fortunate to have that opportunity today. In addition, the Holocaust Memorial museum just a few blocks from your comment is an outstanding and gripping institution. Ocdedicated to remembering the holocaust in order to fight today. I am also pleased to announce that on monday, the house of representatives passed Bipartisan Legislation that 393 bills that i introduced and offered called but never again education. To give teachers Additional Resources to teach about the holocaust. I hope the senate will pass this bill and send it to the president as soon as possible. Because the lessons of the past must inform our approach to fighting hate today. For example this morning we will hear testimony about the horrific shooting the tree of life synagogue. The most deadly assault against the Jewish Community in american history. After that, the massacre of a group of Holocaust Survivors, a volunteer in the Holocaust Museum road to the pittsburgh Jewish Community in solidarity. Translating why they dedicated their lives to sharing the horrors they experience. They wrote and i quote, we seek to remind people especially young people our countrys future leaders that he can never be ignored. Complacency is dangerous. Standing up and pushing back is the only way we can make a better future. Unfortunately, there has been a sinister increase in hate crimes recently. Not only against jewish communities but against africanamericans. Muslims, immigrants and others. And in november the fbi released data showing the highest number of reported Violent Crimes in the United States in exceeding years. The number of hate groups exploded to more than 1000 in 2018. This was a record high and a 30 percent increase over the past four years. To take just one example, when we watch the gruesome video footage of the neonazi attack in charlottesville, we see an excruciating detail the evil that still poisons our society to this day. I want all of our members to know that our committee is dedicated to fighting bigotry , hate and violence of all kinds. Todays hearing which commemorates the 75th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz now is one in a series we are holding on these issues in 116th congress. Chairman raskin has held for hearings in the civil rights and Civil Liberties committee. To confront White Supremacy religious persecution and our governments response. Chairman lynch from the National Security subcommittee has worked with chairman raskin to investigate the National Security implications of these threats. Ts going forward, we are planning additional hearings including one on Voter Suppression and minority communities, antimuslim dissemination, antiimmigrant actions. And issues acing that lgbt community. I have been in touch with many of you over the past week and i hope you will come to me with any additional thoughts, ideas or proposals that you think are committees to take up as part of this series. We mark this day of remembrance just weeks after a recent spate of antioxidant attacks in new york city. Including an attack at a rabbis hold during the festival of konica. It was heartening to participate in the solidarity march in new york, following these attacks and i hope we can Work Together with that same spirit of solidarity today. I now want to recognize Ranking Member jordan of the but before i do i want to thank him personally for his support of the holocaust never again education. Thank you mister jordan and you are recognized. Thank you for calling this hearing today and thank you to all of our witnesses for being with us today in your testimony. And i want to apologize on the front end, i have to head across to the other side of the capital here in a few minutes. Theres a proceeding inthe senate has been going on for a couple of weeks. On monday we recognized the International HolocaustRemembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of auschwitz. We pause to remember the 6 million innocent lives taken by this evil area as Vice President and said we have an obligation of remembrance to never let the memory of those who died in the holocaust be forgotten by anyone anywhere in the world. We must never forget the horrors of the holocaust and must always condemn antisemitism in all its forms. I would like to dig a moment to recognize mister next shop year, witness who i just met here today with us is also himself holocaust survivor, its an edincredible honor to have you with us today thank you againfor your testimony. One of the most important ways in which the United States forced the jewish people is through our unwavering support of the state of israel. Since the formation of israel 1948 United States has had a special bond with the israeli people. Since President Trump took office for years ago, you made it his mission to strengthen this important bond. President trump has worked to ensure the whole world knows that the United States and stands firmly with the state of israel. President trump in just three years, in just three years heres what happened. Recognize the long hikes as a part of israel. He has withdrawn from the failed Iranian Nuclear deal. He has taken Decisive Action to eliminate solomonic, one of the greatest terrorist threats in israel and the middle east. Oppose the boycott divestment and section movement by those who want to diminish israel to issue an executive order antisemitism on College Campuses, around the United States and just yesterday , President Trump released a groundbreaking peace plan. But maybe most importantly, President Trump fills a decadesold promise to the people of israel and recognized in jerusalem as the capital of that state. Past president s have routinely made this promise to deliver 1976 former president carter ran on a platform that said we recognized and support the established status of jerusalem as the capital of israel, us should be moved from tel aviv to jerusalem and in 1993 president clinton jerusalem is still the capital of israel and in 2000 llbush said as soon as i take office i will move the Us Ambassador to the city of israel, its chosen capital and in 2008, democratic nominee for president barack obama said jerusalem will be the capital of israel, i said before and i will say it again president from the promise last year. Recognizing jerusalem as the capital of israel and officially moving up in the theater shows the israeli people they have the support of the United States of america. We should all be proud of this close friendship with israel and the people and the work that the president has done to solidify the relationship area as the committee continues to address the crimes we would be wise to listen to and learn from the testimony today. Vacuum m chairwoman and i kneeled back. You very much and i like to recognize 2 of my colleagues, a representative lawrence and wasserman schultz. They are both founding members of the congressional caucus on black , jewish relations. Miss lawrence. Thank you chairwoman maloney for holding this hearing and drawing attention to the alarming rise in antisemitic acts and hate crimes in the United States. Im glad to see our community , committee will be using our Oversight Authority to find innovative ways for the government to combat antisemitic and the rise in White Supremacy analogy. Last year, i formed the congressional caucus on black jewish relations. The two discuss the relationships between africanamericans and jewish communities. Also to highlight our shared story of combating racism, and how the two groups in this country and Work Together to combat a crimes moving forward. I sharedhistory of slavery and the holocaust. As given us a heightened sensitivity to hatred and to racism in our country. If you cochair for the cochairs of the caucus it is bipartisan, i represent its john lewis, lee selden, wilford and my colleague tion this committee, Debbie Wasserman schultz area we are all committed to advancing the needs of these 2 communities area unfortunately antisemitic acts have become far too prevalent in our society. Since the beginning of 2020, already we are still, theres been at least three reported antisomatic incidents in my inhome state of michigan and more than 25 across the United States. The last few years has seen a disturbing spike in antisemitic attacks where more than 100 reported in 20 alone, according to the Antidefamation League. Most recent audit of antisomatic incidents, 857 percent increase over 2017. As local communities experience a substantial rise in hate crimes, the federal igovernment must assist state and local government and Law Enforcement entities to develop ways to combat a rise in identity based hate crimes. This pattern of hate illustrates a disturbing trend in our country that must be reversed. Hate filled antisomatic acts will not be tolerated and i will not stand by idly as creditors of these senseless attacks seek to atsow your across our country. The First Amendment gives all americans right to freedom of religion. Will not allow, we will not allow that right to be hindered by asmall fraction. Who use their awful agenda to spread hate and crimes. I look forward to working with the leadership of this amazing chairwomans maloney of this committee, members of the caucus on black and jewish relations all the members of the congress and in the words of Martin Luther king injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. And i want to thank you again, madam chair for holding this hearing. Iq. Thank you madam chair, i had the gentlewoman for convening this important hearing. I served proudly as the first jewish woman to represent florida and the United States congress. And i just returned from israel and auschwitz birkenau with a bipartisan delegation led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi for the 75th anniversary of his liberation. Over 1 million men, women and children lost their lives at auschwitz birkenau alone. We walked train tracks that transported innocent people to captivity and the gas chambers and visiting this historic monument genocide, only reaffirmed for me that we cannot ignore the resurgence and hate that we see now. To live a moral imperative of never again, we must hold hearings like this and shine a light onbigotry and white supremacist ideology. It is important too for this hearing the fight against antisemitism and bigotry is about more than support for the state of israel. The story of the shallot must also be clear. The systematic mass extermination did not happen overnight. It began with a speech , harassment and attacks on vulnerable communities area as these symptoms reemerge, we must seek out. Today, we will do that. We must also educate the American People by highlighting the amazing placements of persecuted communities in the United States. During important events like the upcoming black History Month in february Jewish American heritage month with we celebrate in may. L educating one another about our cultures, traditions and accomplishments when so many people across the country are unfamiliar with minority communities achievements and traditions is essential. Do that if each of us think about it there are many of us who have populations of humanities and our own districts that are either tiny or minuscule and the first time that many members of congress interacts with a Minority Community is when they join the United StatesCongress Area that is why its important to hold hearings like this one today madam chair i appreciate our ability to make sure that we can with our nation of every denial of one anothers humanity. I want to thankthe panelists , especially for being here, for being in the fight every day to make sure that we continue to shine a spotlight and bigotry and hate in all its forms and i particularly want to thank my colleague and your friend congresswoman Brenda Lawrence for her leadership and vision to establish the congressional caucus on blackjewish relations and im proud to join her as a cochair of that organization and look forward to our workarea i yelled back. I welcome our witnesses. I recognize represented raskin to introduce our first distant with witness. Thank you maam chair for calling this hearing and for giving me an opportunity to introduce to everyone a remarkable constituents from my district. afear. Was a little boy in romania wwhen a policeman arrived to arrest him, his sister and his parents. To take them to a ghetto. For the crime of being jewish area astonishingly, remarkably, they survived the holocaust but mister safir lost 32 other family members to the genocidal war waged upon the Jewish Community of europe. Since the holocaust and it, the civilized world as come together with one reverent, never again and yet we live in a time of resurgence authoritarianism, propaganda , Conspiracy Theory, mass psychological manipulation, human rights violation, antisemitism, racism and religious persecution, fanaticism and violence. Since yesterday the civil rights Civil Liberties subcommittee madam chair held a hearing on accelerating global religiouspersecution , taking place under the guise blasphemy, heresy and apostasy laws and ideological real education including the internment of millions of Muslim Leaders and the genocide against the road and get in burma. Here at home, the last decade of dirty work by Cambridge Analytic and Vladimir Putin injecting racial and religious poison into the social media has helped to propagandize and activate the most dangerous and unstable elements of our Society Creating a wave white supremacist violence and terror against synagogues, churches t, jews in their homes, systemic walmart and anyone the outsider. We got to get a hold on the convergence of rising white supremacist violence and off the charts gun violence. We must continue to pressure the federal government as we been doing in this committee to devise a Strategic Plan to combat the rise of violent White Supremacy and domestic terror here in the United States. Today we can focus on Mister Shafir whose resilience is a lesson to all americans in these dark times. Last year at 82, remarkably he became the only holocaust survivor known ever to scale mount kilimanjaro, a feat accomplished by keeping in mind the words his father spoke to him in the holocaust never give up. We are honored by