Wiesenthal Center Says Feds Must Expand Effort To Combat Anti-Semitism
WASHINGTON (JTA) — A senior Republican congressman and a Jewish defense group called for the funding of federal positions to monitor anti-Semitism a day after reports that the Trump administration was considering nixing the international anti-Semitism monitor role.
“Ever since its creation under President George W. Bush, the Special Envoy on anti-Semitism has made clear America’s unflinching commitment to fight history’s oldest hate,” said a statement Tuesday by the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “Given the reality of the multiplicity of anti-Semitic threats, our nation’s leadership should redouble America’s commitment to combat this scourge.”
The Wiesenthal Center did not mention the report that the Trump administration was considering eliminating the position as part of budget cuts.
Neither did Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who authored the 2004 law creating the position. However, Smith said a similar position should be created to combat domestic anti-Semitism.
“It is vital that one senior law enforcement official has the mandate to lead efforts across the government to anticipate, prevent and respond to threats and attacks — especially violent ones — against the American Jewish community,” he said.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.
If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.
Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO