New York, NY . . . Fifty national Jewish organizations in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations have endorsed a letter to Secretary of State Tillerson from the Conference expressing concern about the future of the office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism created by Congress in 2004 and has been part of the Department of State since then. The letter also requested a meeting with Secretary of State Tillerson to discuss the concerns of the American Jewish community regarding his announcement that the position would not be filled by July 1st and its future status is under review.
In a statement issued today, Conference of Presidents Chairman Stephen M. Greenberg and Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Malcolm Hoenlein said:
“Today we sent a letter to the Secretary of State endorsed by more than 50 national member organizations of the Conference which noted the significant role the American Jewish community played in advocating for the creation of the office of the Special Envoy in 2004 in the face of a sharp rise in global anti-Semitism.
The breadth of support for the letter from Conference members underscores the overwhelming consensus that the Special Envoy has played an important role and is needed now, more than ever, as anti-Semitism is growing once again around the world and at home.
The failure to fill the position would dilute the strong position the Administration has taken against the hateful manifestations toward Jews and Jewish communities that have come under assault. Most hate crimes are aimed at Jewish targets. The Special Envoy serves as a monitor, advocate and important moral voice on behalf of the U.S. government. European and other officials will see this as the U.S. backing down from its strong commitment to confront this ages old bias that is becoming an increasing threat around the globe.
We are hopeful Secretary Tillerson will meet with representatives of the Conference for an open exchange of views on the importance of the Special Envoy, the role it plays to reinforce the message that battling anti-Semitism is a priority for the United States, and that our government will hold accountable all those who engage in, support or tolerate it.”
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