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September 25, 2026
September 23, 2026 The Honorable Mike Johnson Speaker of the United States House of Representatives United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Speaker: I submit this statement for the record in support of H.R. 10052 and S. 5289, the Right to Worship Act. I am grateful to Representatives Brad Knott, Tom Suozzi, Michael Lawler, and Josh Gottheimer and Senators Ted Cruz and Elissa Slotkin for their bipartisan leadership in introducing this important legislation to protect the fundamental right of Americans to worship without fear, intimidation, or deliberate disruption. For Jewish Americans, this protection is particularly urgent. Synagogues should be places where Jewish families can gather in prayer, celebrate Shabbat and holidays, educate their children, and sustain their communities. No one should have to approach a synagogue wondering whether protesters will block the entrance, intimidate worshippers, prevent families from entering, or deliberately disrupt religious services. The Right to Worship Act recognizes a basic principle of religious liberty: Americans must be able to enter their houses of worship and participate in religious services without being subjected to conduct that meaningfully interferes with their ability to worship. The legislation establishes a narrowly tailored 100-foot protection zone around entrances to houses of worship during scheduled religious services and prohibits knowing conduct that disrupts services or hinders, deters, threatens, or intimidates people seeking to attend. This protection is not about preventing peaceful expression or legitimate public debate. The legislation specifically distinguishes protected expression from conduct that interferes with the ability of people to worship. That distinction is essential. Americans have a constitutional right to express their views, including views with which others strongly disagree. But that right should not be used as a justification for preventing another person from exercising the equally fundamental right to freely practice their religion. The need for this protection is especially clear for Jewish communities. In recent years, Jewish Americans have faced protests, intimidation, threats, and security concerns at and around synagogues and other Jewish institutions. Jewish families should not have to choose between exercising their faith and avoiding confrontation at the doors of their houses of worship. The right to worship is a foundational American freedom. It belongs to Jews, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, and Americans of every faith. Protecting houses of worship therefore is not a special accommodation for any one religious community. It is a protection of religious liberty itself. We also recognize the importance of maintaining the careful balance between religious freedom and the First Amendment's protection of speech and peaceful assembly. The Right to Worship Act addresses that balance by focusing on conduct that actually disrupts religious services or prevents or intimidates individuals from attending them, rather than on the viewpoint or content of someone's speech. We support continued careful consideration of the legislation to ensure that its protections remain clear, appropriately tailored, and consistent with constitutional rights. For Jewish Americans, the ability to walk through the doors of a synagogue and worship openly is not an abstract principle. It is an essential part of Jewish communal life and religious freedom. A Jewish family should be able to attend services on Shabbat or a holiday without being blocked, threatened, intimidated, or made to feel that entering their synagogue is itself an act of confrontation. Religious freedom cannot exist if people are technically free to worship but are effectively prevented from doing so by intimidation or deliberate disruption at the doors of their houses of worship. We strongly support the goals of the Right to Worship Act and urge Congress to advance this bipartisan legislation. Protecting the right of Americans to gather, pray, and practice their faith is a constitutional responsibility and a fundamental American value. The freedom to worship belongs to all of us. Congress should ensure that every American can exercise that freedom without fear. Sincerely,
September 23, 2026
September 23, 2026 The Honorable Mike Johnson Speaker of the United States House of Representatives United States House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Speaker: I submit this statement for the record in support of H.R. 9211, the Jewish American Security Act. I am deeply grateful to Representatives Dan Goldman and Mike Lawler for leading this important bipartisan effort to confront antisemitism and strengthen protections for Jewish Americans. At a time when too many Jewish families, students, educators, houses of worship, and community institutions face fear and intimidation, their leadership brings moral clarity and urgently needed Congressional attention to a crisis affecting communities across the country. I also thank the bipartisan group of House members who joined them in introducing this legislation and the chairs, ranking members, and members of the committees of jurisdiction who will guide its consideration. Their engagement reflects a basic but essential principle: protecting Jewish Americans and confronting antisemitism should command the attention of Congress and the conscience of the country. The Jewish American Security Act addresses the realities Jewish communities confront every day. Antisemitism now reaches into schools and campuses, threatens houses of worship and communal institutions, spreads online in ways that can contribute to real-world violence, and requires federal agencies to respond with coordination, consistency, and seriousness. The bill also brings needed attention to an important and often misunderstood issue. Its findings recognize that antisemitism can arise when others hold Jewish individuals responsible for the policies of the Israeli government or attack, disparage, or demonize them because of their real or perceived connection to, affiliation with, or support for Israel as a Jewish state. That recognition matters. Anti-Israel campaigns can cross the line into antisemitic discrimination, harassment, and exclusion when they target Jewish Americans because of who they are, what they believe, or how others perceive their relationship to Israel and the Jewish people. At the same time, language touching on Israel, antisemitism, civil rights, campus life, and protected expression requires careful drafting. We welcome continued work with the sponsors, committees of jurisdiction, civil rights experts, Jewish communal organizations, constitutional scholars, educators, and other stakeholders to refine the bill and ensure it protects Jewish Americans while respecting constitutional rights and legitimate policy debate. The central issue before Congress remains urgent. No Jewish American should face discrimination, harassment, intimidation, or violence in schools, houses of worship, workplaces, public spaces, or online because they are Jewish or because of their actual or perceived connection to Israel and the Jewish people. Combating antisemitism requires more than statements after attacks occur. It requires prevention, enforcement, education, data, accountability, and resources. It also requires Congress to recognize that Jewish safety and American democracy stand together. A pluralistic democracy cannot thrive when hate forces any community to live with fear, hide its identity, or question whether public institutions will protect them. I strongly support the goals of the Jewish American Security Act and urge Congress to continue refining and advancing this legislation in a bipartisan manner. Protecting Jewish Americans is not a partisan question. It is an American obligation. Sincerely,
JEI logo - blue and red star
July 1, 2025
July 1, 2025 U.S. House Committee On The Judiciary 2142 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Now in our ninth year, the nationally and internationally recognized Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI), an independent, non-partisan, non-profit organization, continues to serve as the barometer for the Jewish electorate. We are therefore honored to submit the following Comments for the Record to the U.S. House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee in support of its June 24, 2025, hearing on antisemitism - Rising Threat: America’s Battle Against Antisemitic Terror. This hearing, punctuated by the moving testimony of Matt Nosanchuk, reminded us that Jewish safety in America is not a political football - it is a national imperative. Nosanchuk, a former senior official in both the Obama and Biden Administrations and a lifelong advocate against antisemitism, laid bare the stark realities we face. The murder of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were attending a Jewish community event just blocks from his home, brought the crisis home - literally and painfully. It also underscored a chilling truth: this could have been any one of us. Antisemitism today does not discriminate based on geography, profession, or even political identity. Nosanchuk rightly challenged both ends of the political spectrum. From the right, we've seen rising indulgence of white nationalist rhetoric, normalization of Nazi imagery, and an embrace of conspiracy theorists. When antisemitism is tolerated—or worse, weaponized—by public officials and influential institutions, it emboldens violence and undermines the rule of law. The example of the pardoning of the person wearing a “Camp Auschwitz” shirt at the riot on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, was not just shocking to the Jewish community – it was symptomatic of a deeper, corrosive tolerance for hate. From the left, antisemitism also too often masquerades as political critique. When Jews are asked to renounce their ties to Israel to participate in coalitions, or when pro-Palestinian activism turns violent against Jews, with intimidating targeted rhetoric and violence, that’s not solidarity – it’s exclusion and scapegoating. Our Jewish identity should never be a precondition for political participation. What we need is not partisan grandstanding, but comprehensive action. That includes implementing the Biden Administration’s well-thought-out National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, restoring funding for civil rights enforcement at the Justice Department, and condemning hate, regardless of its ideological source. Nosanchuk’s call for education, prevention, and cross-community solidarity is exactly right. In closing, it’s our view at JEI that using antisemitism as cover for draconian immigration or university policies erodes the democratic institutions that have allowed Jewish life to flourish. Fighting hate must not become an excuse to violate civil liberties - ours or anyone else’s. Our safety as Jews has always been linked to the safety of others. In this perilous moment, we must demand more than soundbites. We must demand seriousness, solidarity, and above all, solutions. We are grateful to the Committee for having held this vital hearing at a perilous moment for American Jews. Sincerely, Barbara Goldberg Goldman Chairperson The Jewish Electorate Institute
March 27, 2025
The Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI) is honored to submit the following Comments for the Record to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions in support of the Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus: Ensuring Safe Learning Environments for All Students hearing being held on Thursday, March 27, 2025.
March 4, 2025
The Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI) is honored to submit the following Comments for the Record to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary in support of the Never to be Silent: Stemming the Tide of Antisemitism in America hearing being held on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.