'It Must Be Rooted Out': Chuck Schumer Decries Rise Of Antisemitism

During remarks on the Senate floor Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke about the rise of antisemitism in the United States.

Transcript

00:00on anti-semitism. This morning, the Anti-Defamation League issued a new report

00:05illustrating a disturbing trend I've been warning about, the rise of anti-semitism in America.

00:11Specifically, this report looked at anti-semitism towards Jewish members of Congress, which has

00:17dramatically risen, something I can attest to firsthand. Social media has become a breeding

00:24ground for anti-semitism. But it's not just elected officials. Social media has become

00:30an easy way for hate groups to organize and proliferate their message against all sorts

00:34of communities and individuals. They go after Jewish-owned businesses. They go after synagogues.

00:40They go after families. They direct anti-semitic slurs even against individuals who might not

00:48be Jewish. We must not allow anti-semitism to grow unabated in America like wild weeds.

00:56As the great poet, Conor Cruz O'Brien, said, anti-semitism is a light sleeper. And when

01:03there's trouble, somehow anti-semitism always pops its head up, the Jewish people being made

01:08as scapegoats as we have been for centuries. It must be confronted at every instance. It

01:14must be rooted out. We all play a part in fighting back against the forces of intolerance. People

01:20of all backgrounds, faiths, beliefs, and opinions have a duty to stand up and speak out against

01:24hate, no matter where it comes from.