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June 1, 2004
To: Officers, Rabbis, Key Contacts
From: Richard B. Stone, Chairman
Betty Ehrenberg, Director, International and Communal Affairs
Re: Congressional Resolutions to Combat Anti-Semitism
In order to encourage and follow up on the work of the Conference
on anti-Semitism in Berlin held last month under the auspices of
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
the leaders of the United States Helsinki Commission,
Representative Christopher H. Smith (R-NJ), Commission Chairman,
and Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO), Commission
Co-chairman, have introduced concurrent resolutions in the House
and the Senate in order to build momentum on the Conference and to
press ahead for concrete change. More than one thousands
participants attended the Conference and focused on the roles of
government, civil society, education and the media in combating
anti-Semitism. The Conference issued the Berlin Declaration which
commits OSCE countries to not only denounce anti-Semitism
unambiguously but also to seriously monitor and combat hate
crimes.
Anti-Semitism is a growing problem throughout Europe and America
and OSCE countries must live up to their commitments in order to
build upon the work of the Berlin Conference. The House and
Senate’s sense of Congress resolutions, H.Con.Res.425 and
S.Con.Res.110, focus on the need for sustained involvement by
governments to fight anti-Semitism and to take concrete steps in
order to do so. The House and Senate resolutions urge all
fifty-five OCSE countries to unequivocally condemn anti-Semitic
acts and to create legal mechanisms to track anti-Semitic crimes.
They also call for the designation of a high-level special OSCE
envoy to ensure that anti-Semitism will never be tolerated and
that laws will be enacted to punish those who incite violence
against Jews. The resolutions also demand that all participating
states, including the United States track data on incidents of
anti-Semitism and other hate crimes and report them to the OSCE
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. The
resolutions re-emphasize the paragraph of the declaration which
stated unambiguously that “international developments or political
issues, including those in Israel, or elsewhere in the Middle
East, never justify anti-Semitism.”
Anti-Semitic incidents are continuing to take place in OSCE
countries – a cemetery was recently desecrated in Kiev,
anti-Semitic remarks were recently made in the Russian Parliament
by a member, and Israeli representatives to Norway have been
threatened, just to name a few. It is important to send a message
now that anti-Semitism, wherever it exists, cannot be tolerated.
Urgent Action Needed
It is crucial that H.Con.Res.425 and S.Con.Res.110 be passed in
the House and Senate as soon as possible. Please call your
Representatives and Senators and urge them to support the
concurrent resolutions in support of combating anti-Semitism:
H.Con.Res.425 and S.Con.Res.110. It is important that the United
States continue to lead in the fight against anti-Semitism,
racism, discrimination, and related violence. Senators can be
reached at 202-224-3121. Representatives can be reached at
202-225-3121.
Or write to you Senators and Representatives at:
Representative _______________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515
Tel: 202-224-3121 (Ask for the name of your Representative)
Senator _______________
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Tel: 202-224-3121 (Ask for the name of your Senator)
Please call us at 212-613-8124 if we can be of further assistance.
RBS
BE
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