Rep. Walker addresses urgency to combat anti-Semitic attacks at hearing

The House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism of the Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing this week to discuss the rise of anti-Semitic attacks in the country.

The hearing — called Confronting the Rise in Anti-Semitic Domestic Terrorism – featured testimony from U.S. Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) about recent anti-Semitic attacks in his home state.

“Freedom of religion means the freedom of belief and the freedom of expression of those beliefs. This cornerstone Constitutional freedom is violated when people cannot gather safely in places of worship, community centers, or even their own homes. It is also violated if they are threatened at work, on a college campus, or during community activities,” Walker said.

He also discussed attacks that have taken place across the country.

“In the past fourteen months since a white supremacist committed the most lethal attack targeting Jews in the United States at the Tree of Life Synagogue, there have been multiple deadly anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S., including in San Diego, Jersey City, and Rockland County, New York,” Walker said at the hearing. “In fact, no community is immune to the threat of anti-Semitism, and that, unfortunately, includes areas I represent. Last year, weeks before Rosh Hashanah, anti-Semitic propaganda was found at Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem and later, a car was damaged by gunfire outside the Chabad Jewish Student Center at Elon University as services marking the end of Yom Kippur were taking place. Unfortunately, anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S. have been rising and the trends are similar across Europe.”

Walker said that while there is no single solution to combat faith-based attacks, the government, private sector, and the faith-based community can fight the threat together.

“We have a very distinguished panel of witnesses here today who will offer a number of recommendations, including additional nonprofit security grant funding, a greater role for fusion centers, more information sharing, and an end to the anti-Semitic boycott, divestiture, and sanctions, or BDS, movement. I look forward to hearing more about these and other recommendations from all of the witnesses,” Walker said.