The Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism in the U.S. House, including two congressional representatives from South Florida, brought a bill at the end of last week to examine growing ani-Semitism in Europe.
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the chairwoman of the U.S. House Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, and U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch, D-Fla., the ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, are two of the co-chairs of the taskforce which formed early last years. Other co-chairs include Republican U.S. Reps. Kay Granger of Texas, Peter Roskam of Illinois and Chris Smith of New Jersey, and Democratic U.S. Reps.Eliot Engel, Steve Israel and Nita Lowey of New York.
On Friday, the eight co-chairs explained in a joint statement why this bill was needed.
“It’s shocking that in the 21st century, anti-Semitism is gaining strength across Europe,” they said. “From taunts and threats on the street; to violent attacks in schools and synagogues; to governments amplifying anti-Semitic voices and messages, such as leaders in Hungary giving a prestigious state award to anti-Semitic writer Zsolt Bayer, many European Jews are being forced to reconsider whether there is still a future for them in their countries. This is unacceptable, and we will continue to call on leaders across Europe to speak out against this growing problem, strengthen partnerships with Jewish communities to help them develop safety standards, and foster cultures that respect diversity and inclusion of all minority groups, including Jews.
“Effectively confronting this problem requires a better understanding of its scope and depth,” they added. “This bill would require the administration to continue taking a hard look at anti-Semitism in Europe, providing a thorough assessment of trends and outlining what the United States and our partners are doing to meet this challenge. That way, we’ll have the best information available as we work to root out this pernicious threat and ensure that the commitment ‘never again’ remains a reality."
With anti-Semitism on the rise across the globe, the taskforce formed ;ast year to serve as a forum for educating members on this distinct form of intolerance and to engage with the executive branch, foreign leaders, and civil society organizations for the sharing of best practices and cooperating on solutions to rebuff this disturbing trend. It also promotes Holocaust remembrance in concert with exploring innovative ways to teach tolerance and confront hate.
Representatives from Florida have been in the vanguard on battling anti-Semitism in recent months. For example, at the end of 2014, Deutch teamed up with U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, D-Fla., to lead efforts urging the United Nations to do more to combat anti-Semitism, along with U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, to send the U.N. a letter on the matter. Signers ranged the political spectrum, from conservatives such as then-U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., to liberals like U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y. Members of the Florida delegation who signed the letter were Republicans U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Ros-Lehtinen, and Democrats U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson.
