Dozens of Jewish groups called on Congress this week to complete work on two bipartisan bills aimed at targeting anti-Semitism in the United States and abroad.
The first bill, the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, seeks to name an ambassador to the position, left empty since January 2017. The Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, part of the Office of Religion and Global Affairs at the State Department, "advocates U.S. policy on anti-Semitism both in the United States and internationally, develops and implements policies and projects to support efforts to combat anti-Semitism."
The second bill, the Combating European Anti-Semitism Act, declares that "it is in the U.S. interest to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad."
The letter was signed by 72 Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, J Street, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Jewish Federations of North America, and was sent to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, House Speaker Paul Ryan and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
It called on lawmakers to take action on the two bills before Congress ends its current session.
This "would send an important message that America will not remain silent as international Jewish communities are threatened," the letter said.
"The United States has been without a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism since January 2017, even though this State Department position is mandated by law," the letter said.
"Meanwhile, anti-Semitic assaults increased in the U.K. in 2017 by 34% according to the Community Security Trust. In France, violent anti-Semitic acts increased by 28% in 2017, according to the French Interior Ministry. Anti-Semitic vandalism increased by 40% in the Netherlands in 2017 according to CIDI, the Dutch anti-Semitism monitoring organization.
"Additionally, in 2018 a broad swath of leaders from the Jewish communities in both Poland and Ukraine issued open letters decrying a rise in anti-Semitic speech or incidents in those countries as well.
"The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act emphasizes the urgency of filling this special envoy position in a timely manner and lays out absolute minimum qualifications for the job. It would also boost the envoy's chances of success by ensuring that he or she reports directly to the secretary of state, by elevating the position to the rank of ambassador, and by authorizing the envoy to coordinate efforts across the entire U.S. government with regard to anti-Semitism in foreign countries."
The Combating European Anti-Semitism Act "declares that it is in the U.S. interest to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad, that there is a need to ensure the security of European Jewish communities, and that the U.S. should continue to emphasize in multilateral bodies the importance of combating anti-Semitism," the letter said.
Meanwhile, the European Commission announced Thursday that it was becoming a permanent international partner to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, with the aim of bolstering the fight against anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial, racism and xenophobia across the continent.
The move was a direct follow-up to EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's call for closer international cooperation on these issues.
"With a decreasing number of Holocaust survivors and at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise, we need to foster the memory of the darkest chapter in our history. The EU joining the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance will help promote understanding so that future generations will heed the lessons of our past," said EU Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans.
EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality Vera Jourová said, "This commitment is part of our wider effort to fight against anti-Semitism. Our involvement in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has special importance at a time when Holocaust denial is spreading."
Also on Thursday, the New York City Police launched a hate-crime investigation after swastikas and an anti-Semitic slur were found scrawled on the office walls of a Jewish professor at Columbia University.
Professor Elizabeth Midlarsky said she was shocked by the vandalism of her office.
"I stopped for a moment because I couldn't believe what I was seeing," she told local media.
The university said in a statement that it was "outraged and horrified by this act of aggression and use of this vile anti-Semitic symbol against a valued member of our community," and that it was "working with police to discover the perpetrator of this hateful act."
