Chris Smith: “I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, I want to thank Mr. Engel for his leadership and his kind words.…”

“I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, I want to thank Mr. Engel for his leadership and his kind words. Again, this is truly a collaborative effort, and I want to thank him for it. Mr. Speaker, at a congressional hearing I chaired in 2002--and I chaired about 18 such hearings on combating anti-Semitism--Dr. Shimon Samuels of the Wiesenthal Center said: ``The Holocaust for 30 years after the war acted as a protective Teflon against blatant anti-Semitic expression, especially in Europe. That Teflon has eroded, and what was considered distasteful and politically incorrect is becoming simply an opinion.'' He warned ominously, saying, ``cocktail chatter at fine English dinners can end as Molotov cocktails against synagogues.'' Mr. Speaker, Abraham Lincoln once said that ``to sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.'' Silence is not an option. And, I would equally say, nor is inaction. If our fight is to succeed, we need government officials at all levels to not just denounce but to act without hesitation or delay whenever and wherever anti-Semitic acts occur. There are no exceptions. The purveyors of hate never take a holiday or grow weary, nor should we. H. Res.…”