Los Angeles, May 14, 2020) -- StandWithUs commends legislators, both federal and state, for taking a strong stand to prevent the further spread of antisemitism and combat discrimination against Israel. The global Coronavirus pandemic has breathed new life into one of the world’s oldest diseases: antisemitism. Antisemitic crimes are on the rise, and old slanders and lies are again fostering hatred against Jews and the Jewish state. In passing the Never Again Education Act, the U.S. Congress has committed to proactively educate our nation’s youth about history and its lessons about the dangers of antisemitism. At the same time, the State of Missouri has voted to cease doing business with companies that discriminate against Israel. On May 13, 2020, the U.S. Senate in a unanimous vote, passed the Never Again Education Act to expand Holocaust education across the United States. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and had 76 co-sponsors. The House passed (393-5) a companion bill, which was introduced by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which commemorated the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau. "This critical, bipartisan legislation is a proactive measure to educate and provide states and schools with the resources necessary to incorporate Holocaust education into their classrooms, ensuring that all students understand the evils of the Holocaust and its impact,” said Rep. Stefanik. “Children are not born with hate in their hearts, it is up to us to make sure they never learn it,” said Rep. Maloney in a statement. “To do that, we must make sure our educators have the tools they need to teach about the Holocaust, an incredibly difficult subject to teach and for students to understand.” StandWithUs also commends the State of Missouri House for passing (95-49) the "Anti-Discrimination Against Israel Act" (HB2179) on May 14, 2020. Under this act, Missouri citizens are protected against the use of their tax dollars in contracts with companies engaged in discriminatory boycotts against Israeli companies. A corresponding bill passed the state Senate unanimously on April 30th. This bill, which follows similar legislation in 28 other states, sends a clear message that hate and bigotry have no home in Missouri. This bill stresses that it prevents the state from doing business with companies, not individuals, that boycott Israel. Additionally it applies only to commercial conduct, not speech; therefore, it does not violate citizens' First Amendment rights. StandWithUs congratulates the Missouri legislature for passing this important legislation at such a challenging time and urges Governor Mike Parson to sign the bill. “Since Israel's establishment in 1948, the Jewish state has faced countless efforts aimed at isolating and undermining its very existence," said Roz Rothstein, co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs. "Missouri has made it clear that it will not tolerate singling out and targeting the world’s only Jewish state. We applaud the Missouri legislature and its citizens for taking this important action, rejecting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign and acknowledging that a peaceful future cannot be anchored in a discriminatory movement.” In remembering the history of the Holocaust and standing up to present-day discrimination, the people of Missouri and of the United States are transforming “Never Again” from a slogan into a reality. About StandWithUs StandWithUs (SWU) is an international, non-profit and non-partisan Israel education organization that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism. Through university fellowships, high school internships, middle school curricula, conferences, materials, social media, educational films and missions to Israel, StandWithUs supports people around the world who want to educate their schools and communities about Israel. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has chapters, programs and activities on 5 continents, including the U.S., Israel, UK, Canada, South Africa and Brazil. For the last 7 years, SWU has consistently received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator (4 stars) and Guidestar (Platinum). www.standwithus.com and www. facebook.com/standwithus and www.twitter.com/standwithus
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