This week, three Florida congressmen led more than 80 members of Congress to sign a letter urging the United Nations (U.N.) to be more active in batting anti-Semitism around the world.
Three of the four organizers of the letter hailed from the Sunshine State: Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart and Democrats U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch and U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy. U.S. Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Ohio, also helped lead efforts on the letter.
Signers ranged the political spectrum from conservatives such as 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 U.S. Rep. Ileana 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.
The members of Congress wrote U.N. Secretary General H.E. Ban Ki-Moon on Monday about the alarming rise in anti-Semitic incidents across the globe and to commend you for your recent remarks speaking out against this troubling surge.
Anti-Semitism poses a severe threat to international peace and security, the congressional members wrote. We urge you to call on United Nations officials and member states to take immediate measures to stem this violent tide of intolerance and take decisive action against anti-Semitism. As you are aware, anti-Semitic violence and incitement has increased dramatically over the past year. Crimes range from the desecration of synagogues and other Jewish institutions and businesses, to murder and acts of violence and terrorism against Jews. Anti-Semitic rhetoric is circulated widely on television, radio, and the Internet, all while some countries are experiencing a disturbing rise of local and national political parties openly espousing racist and anti-Semitic views.
By allowing anti-Semitism to flourish, nations risk fostering an environment in which violence and escalating tensions can grow and impact not only Jews but all ethnic, religious, and other minority groups, they added. We urge the United Nations to take action against these intolerant forces and bigoted incidents of anti-Semitism. By working with member states, the United Nations can stem the surge of anti-Semitism through a variety of methods, including raising awareness of the global prevalence of anti-Semitic attitudes and urging adoption, implementation, and enforcement of strong hate-crime laws. The United Nations can also expand education on diversity and tolerance and encourage heads of state to forcefully speak out about the dangers of anti-Semitism. We ask not only that member states be pressed to denounce violent outbreaks of hate and bigotry, but that you also speak out against biases present within the United Nations. Only by working together can we successfully stem the rise of anti-Semitism and all forms of hate wherever they occur.
Back in September, Diaz-Balart, Deutch and Murphy joined with U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., to send a letter to Ira Forman, the U.S. State Departments special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism. The congressmen insisted there was a rise of anti-Semitism in recent months, pointing to incidents across the globe as Israel continued to battle Hamas terrorists.
Murphy took to the House floor on Wednesday to speak about rising anti-Semitism.
Insisting the United States has led by example, Murphy warned about a troubling surge of global anti-Semitic demonstrations which has led to desecrations of synagogues, murder and terrorism against Jews." Noting the often tense atmosphere in Congress, Murphy said members of both parties were working together to combat anti-Semitism.
Ive been proud to see continued bipartisan support of this issue, Murphy said, noting that members of both parties signed on to the letter to urge the United Nations to take decisive action against anti-Semitism attacks that take place.
Murphy insisted the U.N. had a major role to play in battling anti-Semitism and said that some U.N. members continued to ignore the issue.
The United Nations must join the United States in taking actions to encourage member states to become global partners in combating anti-Semitism which poses a severe threat to international peace and security, Murphy said, urging other nations to adopt hate-crime laws and more educational efforts.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
