Jerusalem, Israel, February 11, 2019 . . . Arthur Stark, Chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued the following statement:
We welcome Speaker Pelosi’s statement in response to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic and bigoted Twitter comments. In the latest of a series of offensive tweets, she said, when referring to members of Congress who support Israel, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” and then attacked pro-Israel efforts in derogatory terms, including accusing pro-Israel organizations of buying the support of members of Congress. As much as this is offensive to the Jewish community and pro-Israel Americans, it is an offense to all members of Congress, suggesting that their positions on issues are available for purchase.
As Speaker Pelosi and other Democratic leaders asserted, “Anti-Semitism must be called out, confronted, and condemned whenever it is encountered, without exception.” In his State of the Union address last week, President Trump condemned the evils of anti-Semitism, stating “We must never ignore the vile poison of anti-Semitism, or those who spread its venomous creed. With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere it occurs.”
Both parties must have a policy of zero tolerance for intolerance. We hope there will be added vigilance to call out, isolate, and sanction those who appeal to the base instincts of anti-Semitism, as with racism and bigotry of all kinds.
We also hope that the Democratic members of Congress will join their Republican counterparts in passing anti-BDS legislation. BDS is part of a vile campaign to delegitimize Israel, deny its right to exist, and deny Jews the rights accorded to all other people. The sharp rise in anti-Semitic assaults in the United States on campus and in communities- whether from extremists on the left or right- or other sources requires clear and unambiguous determination by America’s leaders on the federal, state and local level, law enforcement, judiciary, educational authorities, and influential members of every sector.
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