B’nai B’rith International and its affiliated partner, American Jewish International Relations Institute-B’nai B’rith International (AJIRI-BBI) hosted an event at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center Dec. 9 to mark the 50-year milestone of the passage by the United Nations General Assembly of the infamous “Zionism=Racism” resolution.

It was the only public event held in the United States commemorating this important date.

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina), co-chairman of the Helsinki Commission and former chairman of the House Middle East Subcommittee, co-hosted this important event.

The notorious resolution, passed in November 1975, launched decades of anti-Israel extremism and propaganda.

Speakers

The Capitol Hill event opened with a recorded message from Israel’s President Isaac Herzog, who thanked B’nai B’rith and AJIRI-BBI for calling attention to and commemorating the historic resolution, when his father, the late Ambassador (and later president) Chaim Herzog ripped up the resolution on the General Assembly speaker’s rostrum.

U.S. Deputy Permanent Representative at the U.N. Jeff Bartos appeared in a recorded message where he noted the warnings by then Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan about the implications of ‘Zionism is Racism’ have proven accurate.

Also screened was the historic 1975 speech Moynihan delivered in the General Assembly.

B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin noted: “The stain of Nov. 10, 1975, could not be washed out…” and said it was a stark reminder of where many of the problems we now face originated.

Herzog said although the resolution was repealed 16 years later, “Repealing a lie does not erase its echo,” warning that “the dangerous falsehood suggesting that Zionism is Racism reverberates to this very day—especially in the wake of the brutal Oct. 7 massacre on Israel.”

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann (R-Tennessee) said, “It’s outrageous what the United Nations did in 1975 and it’s outrageous what they’re doing now.”

AJIRI-BBI Executive Director Gil Kapen said, “November 10, 1975, was indeed ground zero for anti-Israel extremism and anti-Semitism. And it was an iconic moment of hypocrisy and cynicism.”

Wilson told the audience, “The resolution was wrong. We have 50 years of proof it was not right.”

Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-California) focused on the “odious resolution” and linked it to education in today’s schools.

Former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida) said, “The lie that Zionism is Racism caused real harm. It fueled hatred… It entrenched a false narrative.”

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) spoke about the responsibility to preserve—and continue strengthening—the special bond between the United States and Israel.

Rep. Randy Fine (R-Florida) noted of Israel, “Every people deserve to have a place they can feel safe in the world.”

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-New York), chairman of the House Middle East Subcommittee, in a recorded video message, said, “The lie that Zionism is Racism turned into a full-scale propaganda campaign.”

Long Term Consequences

Professor Gil Troy, historian and author of “Moynihan’s Moment,” told the audience “The ‘genius’ of ‘Zionism is Racism’ is that it put every Jew on our back heels.”

Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Ben Cohen noted the legacy of the resolution is that it encouraged the view that of all conflicts in the world—the plight of the Palestinians is the most sacred. The U.N. elevated this cause above every other cause.