Two South Florida congressional representatives helped launch the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism in the U.S. House on Tuesday.
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, will be two of the co-chairs of the new task force. 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.
With anti-Semitism on the rise across the globe, the new task force intends 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. The new task force also intends to promote Holocaust remembrance in concert with exploring innovative ways to teach tolerance and confront hate.
The new co-chairs issued a statement on Tuesday on what they hope to accomplish.
Around the world, we are witnessing an alarming rise of anti-Semitism that is dangerous and complex, the congressional representatives said. Over the past few years, Jewish schools, synagogues, and even homes and property have been targets of anti-Semitic violence. Jewish populations are facing increased levels of hatred, frequently under the guise of political differences or other alibis, but in reality it is solely because of their faith. It is the responsibility of everyone who believes in basic universal liberties and freedoms to condemn this trend and work together to root out the hatred which underlies anti-Semitism. We look forward to working with our colleagues in Congress to find innovative solutions that match the 21st century face of this age-old bigotry.
Representatives from Florida have been in the vanguard on battling anti-Semitism in recent months. For example, at the end of last year, 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.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
