A bipartisan group of lawmakers sent a letter this week to President Joe Biden, urging his administration to develop a national strategy for monitoring and fighting antisemitism through a "whole-of-government" approach.
The letter, dated Monday and sent by the House and Senate Bipartisan Task Forces for Combating Antisemitism, warned "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."
On Wednesday, the White House will host a roundtable, led by second gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, with administration officials and Jewish organizations about the rise of antisemitism in the U.S.
The Anti-Defamation League reported 2,717 antisemitic incidents in the U.S. in 2021, a record high since the organization began tracking such incidents in 1979. It's also a 34% increase compared to 2020.
"We welcome the measures the administration has taken thus far to address antisemitism," continued the letter signed by 126 lawmakers. "However, combating a growing threat of this magnitude, particularly here at home, requires a strategic, whole-of-government approach."
The group called for better coordination between government agencies. It also believes the agencies could benefit from a broadly understood definition of antisemitism.
"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 lawmakers wrote.
They also asked the Biden administration to create an interagency task force "led by an official at the Assistant Secretary rank or higher [as] one way to accomplish such coordination.
"Likewise, we request that agencies working collaboratively to combat antisemitism 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," the lawmakers' letter continued. "Doing so will provide a cohesive and comprehensive plan for interagency efforts in this critical space."
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