Senators seek to up funding for antisemitism envoy

WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of 28 US senators on Monday sent a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs, and asked to increase funding for the State Department’s Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) led the effort.

“Tragically, 75 years after the end of the Holocaust, [antisemitism] is on the rise around the world,” The senators wrote in their letter. “Providing additional funds in FY 2021 will ensure the State Department has the resources needed to track and respond to this growing scourge and that the United States remains a leader in combating [antisemitism] internationally.”

“Specifically, these funds would support the Special Envoy’s efforts to improve the safety and security of at-risk Jewish communities, combat online radicalization, ensure public officials and faith leaders condemn [antisemitic] discourse, and strengthen judicial systems in their prosecution of [antisemitic] incidents,” they added.

According to a statement by Senator Rosen’s office, the letter was endorsed by the Anti-Defamation League, The Jewish Federations of North America, American Jewish Committee, Hadassah, B’nai B’rith International, and many other organizations. Rosen, together with Senator Gillibrand and Senator Marco Rubio, introduced bipartisan legislation in 2019 that would upgrade the position of the Special Envoy to the rank of an ambassador.