The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) is advocating Congress increase non-profit security funding and confirm Deborah Lipstadt as the State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.
The ADL noted the advice stems from a recent hostage situation at a Texas synagogue resulting in the hostages being safely released.
“With threats against synagogues and other Jewish institutions arguably at an all-time high, it is imperative that the federal government provides appropriate levels of funding to mitigate the threat,” ADL CEO Jonathan A. Greenblatt said. “As we saw in Texas, it is urgently critical for Congress to increase funding to protect these non-profit organizations from future acts of terrorism or hate-motivated violence.”
Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives initially allocated $360 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program for the 2021 fiscal year, but Congress ultimately budgeted $180 million, according to the ADL.
Additionally, the ADL said Lipstadt’s role has remained in limbo for six months. President Joe Biden nominated her in August, but her confirmation hearing by the Senate’s foreign relations committee has been blocked.
“The Texas hostage crisis was a painful reminder that the threat to the Jewish community in America remains at a significant and lethal level and that antisemitism continues to be a threat not just in America, but to Jewish communities everywhere,” Greenblatt said. “This is no time for members of the Senate to be playing politics with the antisemitism envoy role and Dr. Lipstadt is eminently qualified. We urge members of the Senate to act now to demonstrate the urgency of antisemitism and ensure that the State Department’s Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism is fully staffed to execute its vital work worldwide.”