MEDIA CONTACT:
Josh Silberberg
PLUS PR
jsilberberg@pluspr.com
May 13, 2020 — NEW YORK, NY - Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America National President Rhoda Smolow and CEO/Executive Director Janice Weinman released the below joint statement today following Senate approval of the Never Again Education Act by unanimous consent.
The bill – which establishes a new federal program and fund to award Holocaust education grants to educational institutions offering classes, resources, teacher training, and student field trips – first passed the House (H.R. 943) on January 27, 2020. It is now ready for President Donald J. Trump to sign into law.
“The Never Again Education Act is our last best chance to make a significant and lasting impact against the rising tide of hatred in our country. The stakes are so high for communities across America, which is why Hadassah and its members have advocated for this bill relentlessly. Together, we’ve built up overwhelming bipartisan support in both chambers to support educators and ensure students learn the universal lessons of the Holocaust.
“Hadassah deeply appreciates the efforts of Representatives Carolyn Maloney and Elise Stefanik and Senators Jacky Rosen, Kevin Cramer, Marco Rubio and Richard Blumenthal for spearheading the bills in the House and the Senate; Senators Lisa Murkowski and Joe Manchin for their support as chairwoman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources; and The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Christians United for Israel (CUFI) and Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) for joining us in this effort.
“Now, the bill is headed to the White House. President Trump last year said ‘that American students should learn the important lessons of the Holocaust’ and that ‘we should promote awareness of these lessons.’ We agree. And we look forward to the president signing the Never Again Education Act into law.”
To read the April 2019 op-ed by Weinman and then-National President Ellen Hershkin’s in JTA, please click here.
To watch a video of Smolow and Weinman marking the passage of H.R. 943 in January 2020, please click here.
To read the March 2020 op-ed by Hadassah’s Karen Paikin Barall and Christians United for Israel Action Fund’s Alexandria Paolozzi in The Hill, please click here.
To read more about Hadassah's leadership in support of the Never Again Education Act, please click here.
ABOUT HADASSAH:
Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) is the largest Jewish women’s organization in the United States. With 300,000 members, Associates and supporters Hadassah brings Jewish women together to effect change and advocate on critical issues such as medical care and research and women's empowerment. Through the Hadassah Medical Organization's two hospitals, the world-renowned trauma center and the leading research facility in Jerusalem, Hadassah supports the delivery of exemplary patient care to over a million people every year. HMO serves without regard to race, religion or nationality and earned a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination in 2005 for building “bridges to peace” through equality in medical treatment. For more information, visit www.hadassah.org.