Hate Crimes (1999)
WHEREAS, the shooting at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles and the related murder of a U.S. Postal Worker in August, 1999; the racially motivated murder in 1998 of a black man in Jasper, Texas, and the murder of a young gay man in Laramie, Wyoming; and the 1999 multi-racial and ethnic shootings and killings in Illinois and Indiana as well as in Canada; the racially motivated murder of a Sikh Caretaker by five racist skinheads in Vancouver and beatings of Jewish seniors and synagogue desecration in Toronto and Winnipeg remind us of the continuing prevalence of hate crimes; and
WHEREAS, the most recent statistics published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation indicate that crimes against Jews and Jewish institutions comprise the overwhelming majority of religiously-based hate crimes in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the United States proposed Hate Crimes Prevention Act (HCPA), which, among other things, would extend federal hate crime statutes to encompass crimes motivated by hatred based on the victim's race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability; and
WHEREAS, a federal hate crimes statute would allow for prosecution of hate crimes in States without a State Hate Crimes Act, permit prosecution for interstate hate crimes, provide added investigatory and prosecutorial resources to States needing assistance, and would create a greater awareness of the need to remain vigilant against hate crime perpetrators and the inhumanity which such acts represent; and
WHEREAS, in Canada in 1996 the federal government amended the Criminal Code to recognize bias, prejudice and hate as aggravating factors in the commitment of a crime and thus accordingly mandated a stiffer sentence on the perpetration of the crime.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism reaffirms its belief that our nations' laws are a reflection of their social contracts with all of theirs citizens. The existence and effective enforcement of special laws addressing crimes based on prejudice sends a strong message that hate-based violence is particularly an anathema to the principles of freedom and equality forming the cornerstone of American democracy and Jewish values; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism urges U.S. state legislatures to pass their own hate crimes laws if they have not already done so, commensurate with HCPA standards; and that in Canada, The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism urges provincial governments who have not yet done so, to establish Hate Crime Teams along with a provincial policy which will ensure effective identification, investigation and prosecution of individuals who commit crimes motivated by hate and bias; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism supports the passage by the U.S. Congress of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that in Canada, The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism calls on all law enforcement agencies to provide ongoing training for police officers supports identifying, responding to and reporting all bias crimes and calls on the federal government of Canada to pass a Hate Crimes Statistics Act that will require the tracking and analysis of data on bias crimes in Canada and provide for a centrally maintained data base for all Canadian Law Enforcement Agencies; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism calls upon its affiliated congregations to urge their members to communicate the need for the passage of such legislation to their governmental representatives.
