Representative Peter Roskam

The Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism recently released a statement in response to the newly-released data from the Kantor Center’s recent report on the rising tide of European anti-Semitism. The Kantor Center’s report concluded that anti-Semitic incidents had risen in the U.S. by 57% between 2016 and 2017. The Taskforce, in their release, urged the passing of H.R. 672 and H.R. 1911, two bills to help address European anti-Semitism. The Taskforce is a bipartisan coalition of both Democrat and Republican Representatives, re-launched in February of 2017, with a goal of “work[ing] together to root out hatred and racism in all its ugly forms [and]  find[ing] innovative solutions that match the 21st century face of this ancient bigotry.”

H.R. 672, the Combating European Anti-Semitism Act, would require the U.S. State Department to document the security challenges of European Jewish communities, and also urges European governments to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of anti-Semitism, a definition used by the governments of Britain, Germany, and numerous other international bodies and governments.

H.R. 1911, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2017, would amend the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 in order to provide a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. The Special Envoy would have the rank of Ambassador and would be appointed by the President, and would serve as the primary advisor to coordinate efforts intended to combat anti-Semitism in both Europe and the United States.

The full text of the Taskforce’s statement on European anti-Semitism can be found below:

“We are gravely concerned by the staggering increase in anti-Semitism across Europe as documented in the recent report by the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University. It is inexcusable that Jews in Europe are living in fear of violence, harassment, and abuse in 2018 for no reason other than their faith. When widespread anti-Semitism goes unchecked in Europe, the results are heinous, sometimes even deadly, and we must redouble our efforts to reverse the trend of such bigotry.

 “We therefore urge our Senate colleagues to pass H.R. 672, the Combating European Anti-Semitism Act, authored by Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Nita Lowey to require the State Department to document the security challenges of European Jewish communities, U.S. partnerships with European law enforcement agencies to counter anti-Semitism, and efforts by European governments to acknowledge, adopt and apply a working definition of anti-Semitism.

 “Additionally, attacks on and threats to Jewish communities globally are why it is urgent for the Administration to immediately appoint a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. Congress created and required this position through provisions of law authored by Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith to provide a full view of the anti-Semitic challenges for Jewish communities abroad and to lead U.S. efforts to fight anti-Semitism. We call on the State Department to swiftly fill this position.

 “We also urge the House to pass H.R. 1911, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, authored by Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith to strengthen and elevate the Special Envoy position. The bill requires the position to be elevated to the rank of Ambassador and appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, report directly to the Secretary of State, be a person of recognized distinction in directly relevant fields, and to be exclusively dedicated to monitoring and combating anti-Semitism.”

Senate FloorEarlier this month, H.R. 672 was received in the U. S. Senate after passing the House of Representatives unanimously. H.R. 672, the “Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of 2017,” is a bill which “expresses the sense of Congress that it is in the U.S. national interest to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad.” Originally introduced by Representative Nita Lowey of New York, H.R. 672 has enjoyed widespread bipartisan support.

H.R. 672 points to the need to ensure security for European Jewish communities, and states that the United States must continue to emphasize the importance of combating anti-Semitism in multilateral bodies. The biggest legislative change that H.R. 672 would stipulate would be amending the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to require the Department of State to include in its annual report on religious freedom a description of the state of each European country where threats against Jews are present. This would include assessments of how these countries are approaching the fight against anti-Semitism, how the U.S. has partnered with them to help in this fight, and whether education and public awareness of the issue is being sought within these countries.

H.R. 672 is predicated upon congressional findings that anti-Semitism is on the rise in Europe, the security and quality of daily Jewish life is threatened, and that anti-Zionism has contributed to this rise. The bill uses the Department of State’s definition of anti-Semitism, which the Louis D. Brandeis Center has supported. This bill’s language has many parallels to the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act (AAA), even advocating the use of the same definition of anti-Semitism. The AAA bill, which passed the Senate unanimously in December of last year, did not have a chance to be voted on in the House before the legislative session ended. Several states are currently in the process of drafting their own versions of the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act.

H.R. 672, if adopted into law, will help contribute to the fight for a unified definition of anti-Semitism, and continue to display the federal government’s commitment to helping end the growth of this bigotry.