WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, joined her colleagues from the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combatting Anti-Semitism today in sending a letter to the European Parliament congratulating it for adopting a working definition of antiSemitism.
“The frequency and scale of anti-Semitic incidents in both the United States and Europe over the past few years have been deeply alarming. From large-scale attacks, such as the 2012 assault on a Jewish school in Toulouse, to smaller but all too common incidents of harassment and vandalism, European Jewish communities often fear for their safety and deserve a strong message of support from their governments,” the letter from the co-chairs of the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combatting Anti-Semitism states.
The European Parliament’s resolution, which includes a working definition of anti-Semitism adopted from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, encourages European Union member states to monitor and prevent anti-Semitic violence and prosecute perpetrators.
The signers of today’s letter encouraged individual European Union member states to adopt the definition as well. Of the states participating in the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, only Austria, Romania, and the United Kingdom have formally adopted the definition.
“Following the recent passage of the working definition of anti-Semitism, we strongly encourage all EUmember national parliaments to formally adopt the definition and commit to greater action against anti-Semitism. Anti-Semites must understand that there is no place for anti-Jewish bigotry, and European Jewish communities must be assured that their governments will do all they can to keep them safe,” the letter states.
A copy of the full letter is attached.
In addition to Rep. Granger, the letter was signed by Reps. Lowey (D-NY), C. Smith (R-NJ), Engel (D-NY), Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Veasey (D-TX), and Roskam (R-IL), Reps. Meng (D-NY), Rosen (D-NV), Cohen (D-TN), Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Meeks (D-NY), Frankel (D-FL), Nadler (D-NY), Quigley (D-IL), Green (D-TX), Sires (D-NJ), Schiff (D-CA), Schneider (D-IL), Lieu (D-CA), Napolitano (D-CA), Sherman (D-CA), Norcross (D-NJ), Bilirakis (R-FL), Raskin (D-MD), P. King (R-NY), Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rice (D-NY), Lowenthal (D-CA), Boyle (D-PA), and Schakowsky (D-IL).