House passes bill aimed at bolstering Holocaust education

The House on Monday night overwhelmingly voted to pass a bill that would create a Holocaust Education Assistance Program Fund.

The legislation — spearheaded by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) — would allocate $10 million over five years to assist the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in providing materials to teachers to educate students in an effort to combat the rising number of anti-Semitic instances and acts of violence.

In a bipartisan press conference held with Holocaust survivors on Monday ahead of the vote, Maloney praised her colleagues for supporting the measure.

“As we recommit ourselves to the promise of ‘Never Again’ on this 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, I am reminded that the lessons of the Holocaust do not just apply to anti-Semitism – but to all forms of hate and bigotry and I can think of no better way to honor the memories of those murdered than to make sure our students know their names and their stories,” she said. “If we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. I urge the Senate to act quickly on this bill.”

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) praised Maloney’s efforts, arguing it’s a step in the right direction in fighting back against the “epidemic of anti-Semitism and bigotry” and preventing future hate crimes.

“And to all of our Members who have worked on this overwhelmingly bipartisan effort, reflecting the strong, bipartisan commitment of this entire Congress to standing with the Jewish community and allies to ensure Holocaust education remains front and center in our schools,” she said on the floor.

The bill comes in the wake of five people having been stabbed in an attack on a Hanukkah party in New York state in December. Earlier that month, a man opened fired  in a kosher supermarket in New Jersey.