AJC Urges Secretary of State to Appoint Anti-Semitism Special Envoy

NEW YORK, April 13, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is urging Secretary of State Tillerson to fill without further delay the position of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism. The vital position, created by Congress in 2004, has been vacant since the new Administration took office in January.

"For reasons of substance and perception this critical office in the State Department must be exempt from any projected budget cuts," said Jason Isaacson, AJC Associate Director for Policy. "Failure to maintain the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism with adequate resources would diminish U.S. global leadership in the ongoing fight against global anti-Semitism."

The Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism has kept the U.S. at the forefront of international efforts to raise consciousness about the rising menace of anti-Semitism and press governments and multilateral institutions to take action to safeguard vulnerable Jewish communities.

"The State Department's special envoy on anti-Semitism has been a living embodiment of our country's commitment to fighting this evil," said Isaacson. "Eliminating or even curtailing the office's essential functions would tragically raise questions about the Administration's commitment to combating anti-Semitism."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee