Title
Resolve: That the Malden City Council Condemns Rising Antisemitism
WHEREAS, the Jewish American experience is a story of faith, fortitude, and progress and is connected to key tenets of American identity, and generations of Jewish immigrants have come to this Nation fleeing oppression, discrimination, and persecution in search of a better life for themselves and their children; and
WHEREAS, Jewish Americans who have created lives in our Nation and in our Malden community for themselves and their families have played indispensable roles in our Nation and City’s civic and community life, have made invaluable contributions to our Nation and City through their leadership and achievements, and have been integral contributors to our collective struggle for a more just and fair society; and
WHEREAS, the City of Malden historically provided a welcoming home for Jewish immigrants from Lithuania and other European nations who made significant contributions to our urban fabric, from Suffolk Square to Faulkner to the West End and to this day, aspires to be welcoming not only to the Jewish community but to all; and
WHEREAS, on August 21, 1790, President George Washington sent a letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, expressing that the newly formed United States would be a Nation that ‘‘gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance’’ and that the Jewish people should ‘‘dwell in this land [and] continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants . . . and there shall be none to make him afraid.’’; and
WHEREAS, antisemitism is an insidious form of prejudice stretching back millennia that attacks the humanity of the Jewish people and has led to violence, destruction of lives and communities, and genocide; and
WHEREAS, over the past decade, Holocaust distortion and denial has grown in intensity and there is a documented, dangerous rise of antisemitism, both verbal and violent, globally and in the United States, leaving many Jews increasingly unsafe in public spaces and Jewish houses of worship;
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Malden City Council:
1. Calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and Community leaders to use their voice to condemn and combat any and all manifestations of antisemitism; and
2. Calls on elected officials to condemn and combat any and all denials and distortions of the Holocaust and to promote Holocaust education and antisemitism awareness.