Lankford, Rosen Urge the Development of a National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, Strengthen Interagency Coordination

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Representatives Kathy Manning (D-NC) and Chris Smith (R-NJ), co-chairs of the Senate and House Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, and 122 colleagues in a letter to President Biden calling for the development of a unified national strategy to monitor and combat antisemitism and ensure closer interagency coordination with the goal of adopting a whole-of-government approach. 

With antisemitism rising in the United States and across the globe, the lawmakers highlighted that closer interagency cooperation is needed to share best practices, data, and intelligence; identify gaps in efforts; and execute a unified national strategy. 

“As members of the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, we write to urge you to ensure leaders working within your Administration are working together to execute a unified national strategy to monitor and combat antisemitism,” wrote the lawmakers. “With Jewish communities worldwide facing increasing discrimination, as well as threats and acts violence, we believe a whole-of-government approach is needed to effectively address the scourge of antisemitism.”

“We welcome the measures the Administration has taken thus far to address antisemitism. However, combating a growing threat of this magnitude, particularly here at home, requires a strategic, whole-of-government approach,” continued the lawmakers. “Interagency coordination also could benefit from considering a broadly understood definition of antisemitism, as several agencies have adopted or recognized individually. Because many individual agencies play a critical role in combating antisemitism, closer coordination is needed to share best practices, data, and intelligence; identify gaps in efforts; streamline overlapping activities and roles; and execute a unified national strategy.

The full letter can be viewed HERE and below.

Dear President Biden:

As members of the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, we write to urge you to ensure leaders working within your Administration are working together to execute a unified national strategy to monitor and combat antisemitism. With Jewish communities worldwide facing increasing discrimination, as well as threats and acts of violence, we believe a whole-of-government approach is needed to effectively address the scourge of antisemitism. History has taught us that attacks and conspiracy theories that target Jews not only threaten Jews, but frequently grow to threaten the security of other communities and the foundations of democracy.

Rising antisemitism puts Jews both in the United States and around the world at risk. Antisemitic voices, inciting hateful and violent action, are finding new audiences, with anti-Jewish conspiracies gaining traction across the globe and through social media. In the United States, the evidence of rising antisemitism is clear and alarming. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found that antisemitic hate crimes rose by six percent in 2020, representing the highest total in 12 years and constituting 60 percent of all incidents based on religion. Similarly, nonprofits focused on monitoring and combating antisemitism have also noted record-breaking highs in antisemitic incidents, with 2021 being the highest year on record—n increase of more than a third from 2020. Jewish communal institutions and synagogues are increasingly targets of violent attacks, as evidenced by the violent and often deadly assaults on the Jewish community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 2018, Poway, California, in 2019, Jersey City, New Jersey, and Monsey, New York, in 2019, and Colleyville, Texas, in 2022.

We welcome the measures the Administration has taken thus far to address antisemitism. However, combating a growing threat of this magnitude, particularly here at home, requires a strategic, whole-of-government approach. Interagency coordination also could benefit from considering a broadly understood definition of antisemitism, as several agencies have adopted or recognized individually. Because many individual agencies play a critical role in combating antisemitism, closer coordination is needed to share best practices, data, and intelligence; identify gaps in efforts; streamline overlapping activities and roles; and execute a unified national strategy. The strategic collaboration of such entities would also send a key message to the American people and the international community that the United States is committed to fighting antisemitism at the highest levels. As such, we urge you to prioritize coordination among all agencies working in this space, including, but not limited to, officials from the Department of Homeland Security; the Department of Justice, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Education, including the Office for Civil Rights; and the Department of State, including the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, the Office of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, and the Office of International Religious Freedom; in addition to representatives from the Intelligence Community; the Office of Management and Budget; the National Security Council; the Homeland Security Council; the Domestic Policy Council; the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum; in order to ensure all relevant entities within the Executive Branch and Congress are working in in tandem. Creation of an interagency task force led by an official at the Assistant Secretary rank or higher is one way to accomplish such coordination.

Likewise, we request that agencies working collaboratively to combat antisemtism work with the leadership of the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and key nonprofit community stakeholders to develop a National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism. Doing so will provide a cohesive and comprehensive plan for interagency efforts in this critical space.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter. We look forward to your response and continuing to work with you to combat antisemitism at home and abroad.

Sincerely,

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