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Congressman Cohen Speaks at Helsinki Commission Hearing on Hate Crimes

July 16, 2019

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the Helsinki Commission, provided opening remarks at a hearing on "Responding to Hate Crimes: The Role of Religious Actors."

In the hearing, Congressman Cohen said:

"We all need to take religion and use it for good and find common purposes, common values, and not use it to divide us."

Find the Congressman's full remarks here.

Congressman Cohen has often spoken out against hate crimes. In October, he condemned the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue. See that statement here.

Today's hearing witnesses were:

  • Rabbi Hazzan Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life Synagogue, Pittsburgh;
  • Farther James Martin, Editor at Large, America Media, New York;
  • Radia Bakkouch, President, Coexister, Paris, France;
  • Alina Bricman, Elected President, European Union of Jewish Students, Brussels, Belgium;
  • Usra Ghazi, Director of Policy and Programs, America Indivisible; and
  • Reverend Aaron Jenkins, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, The Expectations Project, Washington, D.C.