Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) was joined by Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01), Kathy Manning (NC-06), Chuck Fleishmann (TN-03), Grace Meng (NY-06), Maria Salazar (FL-27), Brad Schneider (IL-10), and Don Bacon (NE-2) in issuing a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken requesting the inclusion of $2 million for the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism in the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget justification.

The current Special Envoy, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, is responsible for developing and implementing policies to combat antisemitism around the world, as well as engaging with foreign governments and international organizations to defend Jewish communities amid a global surge in antisemitic violence.

“The recent explosion of online antisemitism, fueled by social media algorithms that promote hateful content, has had an undeniable impact on real-world attacks against Jews,” said Rep. Wasserman Schultz, who chairs the Interparliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism. “I’m confident in Ambassador Lipstadt’s ability to collaborate with international partners to reverse this alarming trend especially when she is provided the necessary resources.”

 “At a time of rising antisemitism across the globe, the United States must continue to make clear its steadfast commitment to addressing this hate wherever and whenever it occurs,” said Julie Fishman Rayman, Senior Director of Policy and Political Affairs at the American Jewish Committee.  “That is why American Jewish Committee supports robust funding for the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism and applauds Congressional leaders for their important efforts to ensure our government is focused on and has the necessary resources to understand, respond to, and prevent antisemitism.”

“Today we are in the midst of a crisis of rising global antisemitism, as ADL data continues to show antisemitic incidents at a historic high,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the ADL. “The State Department's U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (SEAS) is critical to America's role in fighting antisemitism around the world. As strong supporters of the SEAS mission, we believe the office must have the resources necessary to carry out its important work. We strongly support increasing the SEAS budget and hope that it will continue to grow to meet the challenges of the day.”

“We are living through a time of rising global antisemitism, and our historical experience teaches us that when antisemitism is allowed to proliferate, it has catastrophic consequences. Further, what happens overseas often has ripple effects at home in the United States,” said Elana Broitman, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, the Jewish Federations of North America. “That is why Jewish Federations advocated to create the office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, increase its prominence with the rank of Ambassador, and is committed to its continued growth to meet the disturbing growing global needs.

Read the full letter here.

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