Moskowitz, Congressional Jewish Caucus Call on Google to Restore International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Jewish American Heritage Month Messages

WASHINGTON, DC — This week, Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23) called on Google to restore International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Jewish American Heritage Month on its default calendar display. His push, initiated in a letter led by the Congressional Jewish Caucus and Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-25), comes amidst reports that Google is removing the messages from its Google Calendar.

In their letter, Moskowitz and his colleagues note that “Google’s decision to remove Jewish references from its default calendar is tantamount to a gut punch for the American Jewish community.”

They highlight that with antisemitism at a record high in the United States, education through initiatives like Google’s message can help to both combat hate and uplift Jewish voices: 

“One of the most effective tools for combating antisemitism and hate is education. We commit to ‘never again’ by ensuring that society learns from the horrors of unchecked antisemitism and to dedicate ourselves to remembering and bringing awareness of the Holocaust… However, supporting the Jewish community is not just honoring the more than six million Jews murdered during WWII but honoring the contributions of Jewish Americans throughout American history. Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) is an effective educational tool to uplift Jewish voices and has been recognized annually since May 2006.”

Moskowitz and his colleagues concluded, “Reversing Google’s decision will not stop hate or antisemitism in its tracks, but it will serve as an effective and necessary tool to combat this most ancient hatred and uplift the Jewish American community. Choosing to remain silent in the face of these ageless animosities, however, is a conscious decision to aid them.”

Moskowitz is senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee—where he leads its Oversight & Intelligence Subcommittee as Ranking Member—and a member of the Congressional Jewish Caucus. He is an outspoken voice in Congress supporting our democratic ally Israel and standing up for Jewish communities, including through his bipartisan resolution to counter the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran and his bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act to protect Jewish students on school campuses.

###