Last Tuesday, eight members of Congress launched the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating anti-Semitism to respond to the international resurgence of anti-Semitism. This task force is intended to alert other members of Congress of the recent upheaval of hatred toward the Jewish people all over the world, and to share solutions with the executive branch and foreign leaders. The Co-Chairs Chris Smith (Republican), Nita Lowey (Democrat), Eliot Engel (Democrat), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Republican), Kay Granger (Republican), Steve Israel (Democrat), Peter Roskam (Republican), and Ted Deutch (Democrat) explained: “Jewish populations are facing increased levels of hatred, frequently under the guise of political differences or other alibis, but in reality it is solely because of their faith. It is the responsibility of everyone who believes in basic universal liberties and freedoms to condemn this trend and work together to root out the hatred which underlies anti-Semitism.” The task force is designed after a wave of anti-Semitic violence in Europe. The most violent ones included the January attacks on a kosher supermarket in Paris, the shootings at a Copenhagen synagogue last month, and the bloodshed at the Jewish Museum in Brussels in May 2014. But the task force also expresses concerns about the everyday acts of anti-Semitism rising in Europe and in the US. (more…)
Recently, two House members have introduced legislation to prevent companies associated with the BDS movement from gaining U.S. government contracts. The “Boycott Our Enemies, Not Israel Act” is headed by Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado) and Ron DeSantis (R-Florida) to “thwart efforts by Palestinian organizations to pressure different corporations, companies, and educational institutions to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel.” This legislation says that contractors and potential contractors affiliated with the U.S. government would have to certify that they are not involved with any boycott against Israel. There are also penalties for false certification that can extend to permanent bans on doing business with the government. “Boycott Our Enemies, Not Israel” could directly affect the BDS campaign that has been sweeping American college campuses. Companies can either cater to certain academic institutions and divest from Israel but risk penalties if they intend to gain contracts with the government. The Roskam-Lipinski bill, more formally known as the “Protect Academic Freedom Act,” was another BDS-related piece of legislation. This bill proposed that federally funded universities should be prevented from boycotting Israeli academic institutions and scholars and was an issue of misusing taxpayer funds to support BDS. The discourse surrounding the Roskam-Lipinski bill was more oriented in freedom of speech, with critics suggesting that such legislation is an impediment to academic freedom. “Boycott Our Enemies, Not Israel” takes the issue directly to the companies and almost leaves the choice, to divest or not, in the hands of business owners.