[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 17, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H4275-H4278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMBATING EUROPEAN ANTI-SEMITISM ACT OF 2017
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 672) to require continued and enhanced annual
reporting to Congress in the Annual Report on International Religious
Freedom on anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, the safety and security of
European Jewish communities, and the efforts of the United States to
partner with European governments, the European Union, and civil
society groups, to combat anti-Semitism, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 672
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Combating European Anti-
Semitism Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) During the past decade, there has been a steady
increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, resulting in
European Jews being the targets of physical and verbal
harassment and even lethal terrorist attacks, all of which
has eroded personal and communal security and the quality of
daily Jewish life.
(2) According to reporting by the European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights (FRA), between 2005 and 2014, anti-Semitic
incidents increased in France from 508 to 851; in Germany
from 60 to 173; in Belgium from 58 to 130; in Italy from 49
to 86; and in the United Kingdom from 459 to 1,168.
(3) Anti-Zionism has at times devolved into anti-Semitic
attacks, prompting condemnation from many European leaders,
including French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, British Prime
Minister David Cameron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
(4) Since 2010, the Department of State has adhered to the
working definition of Anti-Semitism by the European
Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). Some
contemporary examples of anti-Semitism include the following:
(A) Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or
harming of Jews (often in the name of a radical ideology or
an extremist view of religion).
(B) Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or
stereotypical allegations about Jews as such, or the power of
Jews as a collective, especially, but not exclusively, the
myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling
the media, economy, government, or other societal
institutions.
(C) Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real
or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or
group, the State of Israel, or even for acts committed by
non-Jews.
(D) Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of
inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
(E) Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel,
or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the
interest of their own countries.
(5) On October 16, 2004, the President signed into law the
Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004. This law provides
the legal foundation for a reporting requirement provided by
the Department of State annually on anti-Semitism around the
world.
(6) In November 2015, the House of Representatives passed
H. Res. 354 by a vote of 418-0, urging the Secretary of State
to continue robust United States reporting on anti-Semitism
by the Department of State and the Special Envoy to Combat
and Monitor Anti-Semitism.
(7) In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance (IHRA), comprised of 31 member countries, adopted a
working definition of anti-Semitism which stated: ``Anti-
Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be
expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical
manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or
non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish
community institutions and religious facilities.''.
(8) The IHRA further clarified that manifestations of anti-
Semitism might also target the State of Israel, conceived of
as a Jewish collectivity. Anti-Semitism frequently charges
Jews with conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used
to blame Jews for ``why things go wrong''. It is expressed in
speech, writing, visual forms, and action, and employs
sinister stereotypes and negative character traits.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
[[Page H4276]]
(1) it is in the national interest of the United States to
combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad;
(2) anti-Semitism is a challenge to the basic principles of
tolerance, pluralism, and democracy, and the shared values
that bind Americans and Europeans together;
(3) there is an urgent need to ensure the safety and
security of European Jewish communities, including
synagogues, schools, cemeteries, and other institutions;
(4) the United States should continue to emphasize the
importance of combating anti-Semitism in multilateral bodies,
including the United Nations, European Union institutions,
and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe;
(5) the Department of State should continue to thoroughly
document acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incitement
that occur around the world, and should continue to encourage
other countries to do the same, and share their findings; and
(6) the Department of State should continue to work to
encourage adoption by national government institutions and
multilateral institutions of a working definition of anti-
Semitism similar to the one adopted in the International
Holocaust Remembrance Alliance context.
SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORTING ON THE STATE OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN
EUROPE.
Paragraph (1) of section 102(b) of the International
Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412) is amended by
adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
``(G) Anti-semitism in europe.--In addition to the
information required under clause (vii) of subparagraph (A),
with respect to each European country in which verbal or
physical threats or attacks are particularly significant
against Jewish persons, places of worship, schools,
cemeteries, and other religious institutions, a description
of--
``(i) the security challenges and needs of European Jewish
communities and European law enforcement agencies in such
countries to better protect such communities;
``(ii) to the extent practicable, the efforts of the United
States Government over the reporting period to partner with
European law enforcement agencies and civil society groups
regarding the sharing of information and best practices to
combat anti-Semitic incidents in Europe;
``(iii) European educational programming and public
awareness initiatives that aim to collaborate on educational
curricula and campaigns that impart shared values of
pluralism and tolerance, and showcase the positive
contributions of Jews in culture, scholarship, science, and
art, with special attention to those segments of the
population that exhibit a high degree of anti-Semitic animus;
and
``(iv) efforts by European governments to adopt and apply a
working definition of anti-Semitism.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. ROYCE of California. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include any extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking my colleagues Nita
Lowey and Chairman Emeritus Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for their leadership on
the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism and for their
good work on this timely and important bill.
Mr. Speaker, I will lay out this case, but it is one we are familiar
with. Hostility towards the Jewish people in some European cities is
very deep, making Jews in certain areas look over their shoulders,
afraid to walk the streets at night. In recent years, this surge in
anti-Semitism has led to an outbreak of violent attacks.
Those violent attacks are targeting certain Jewish neighbors. They
are targeting places of worship. I think back to 2015, the deadly
attacks on the kosher supermarket in Paris and, later on, the synagogue
in Copenhagen.
European governments have since passed laws designed to better
protect their Jewish citizens, designed to punish those who perpetrate
anti-Semitic incidents, but much more work remains to be done because
there needs to be a better coordination on these efforts between Jewish
communities and law enforcement and more comprehensive reporting on the
incidents to identify trends, to identify problematic regions.
In addition, in order to consistently apply anti-Semitism laws
throughout Europe, there needs to be a uniform legal understanding of
what constitutes anti-Semitism.
Let me explain. We must be clear on this. The fire bombing of
synagogues is not a political protest. The defacing of cemeteries, the
yelling slurs at rabbis, the threatening of Jewish school children,
this is not political protest. This is anti-Semitism, and it must be
stopped.
Absent a clear-eyed definition of anti-Semitism, perpetrators of
violent acts have, at times, been given a pass for their actions due to
the flimsy defense of political protest.
Adoption across Europe of a single definition of anti-Semitism would
provide an important foundation for law enforcement officials, enabling
them to better enforce laws and develop strategies for improved
security for the Jewish community.
This bill, H.R. 672, the Combating European Anti-Semitism Act of
2017, calls for these fundamental improvements, and it reaffirms the
U.S. commitment to combating anti-Semitism. It urges European nations
to adopt a working definition of anti-Semitism. It calls for increased
reporting on it.
Anti-Semitic incidents in Europe have to be reported in a way in
which people can be held accountable. Collaborative efforts between
U.S. and European law enforcement and the efforts to improve security
for Jewish communities is another important aspect of this legislation.
Now is the time to act and pass this important measure.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure. Let me start by
thanking the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey), my good friend and
neighbor, the ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations.
I also want to thank Chairman Royce for his steadfast support in
bringing this bill to the floor today.
Mr. Speaker, it is so shocking and so heartbreaking to me that, in
the year 2017, we wake up day after day to read about anti-Semitic
vandalism and violence, anti-Semitic slurs on Munich buses, Russian so-
called law makers pedaling anti-Semite conspiracy theories, horrific
murders in a kosher market in Paris 2 years ago. Of course, Mr.
Speaker, here in our own country, bomb threats to Jewish community
centers, desecration of cemeteries. Actually, I can hardly believe it.
We know this ancient hatred has never been extinguished. It has
always found some dark corner in which to fester until some new group
on the fringe tries to pull it back into the mainstream. I fear we are
seeing that sort of resurgence right now.
When we hear these toxic ideas emanating from major political parties
and governing bodies in Europe, we know it is time for action. It needs
to be stopped, and this bill will help.
This legislation builds on the 1998 International Religious Freedom
Act, which established annual reporting on religious freedom worldwide,
as well as the 2004 Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, which required the
State Department to report every year on anti-Semitism around the
world.
This measure calls for continued and enhanced reporting on anti-
Semitic incidents in Europe. We want to focus on what has been a hotbed
of anti-Semitism in recent years so that no active anti-Semitic hatred
goes unnoticed.
This bill also expresses our view in Congress that it is in our
country's interest to combat anti-Semitism here and abroad; that it is
critical to ensure the safety of European Jewish communities; that
multilateral organizations like the U.N. and OSCE have an important
role to play in combating anti-Semitism; that we should continue to
report anti-Semitic acts worldwide; and that our allies should follow
our lead and document anti-Semitic acts when they take place so we can
share our findings amongst ourselves.
We also call on the State Department to adopt the working definition
of anti-Semitism used by the International Holocaust Remembrance
Alliance, because words do matter when it comes to the way we talk
about this challenge.
It is absolutely amazing that 70-some-odd years after World War II
ended--and that decade culminated in
[[Page H4277]]
the murder of 6 million Jews in Europe in the Holocaust, men, women,
and children--it is absolutely unbelievable that 70 years later you
would see anti-Semitism in the same places in Europe rear its ugly head
by stupid people who don't know what they are saying or doing. It is
just amazing. You think there would be some kind of sensitivity about
the Holocaust and about all the innocent people who were murdered for
just the one reason that they were Jewish, and yet you see no-nothings,
as far as I am concerned, popping up again with their anti-Semitic
hatred. It is bad wherever it goes, but it is especially repugnant to
have it in Europe, the site of the murder of 6 million Jewish people.
I am very grateful to Representative Lowey for her hard work on this
bill. I am pleased to support it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe), chairman of the Foreign Affairs'
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me
time, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their
comments on this legislation. The bill promotes religious freedom
throughout the world.
Mr. Speaker, as has been mentioned, it has been 60 to 70 years since
the Jewish community in Europe was decimated by the Holocaust. Now,
more than ever, the Jewish community is under assault yet again.
In Europe, anti-Semitic individuals are back like never before. A
study commissioned by the German parliament this year found that there
were 644 anti-Semitic offenses in the country in 2016 alone.
In countries like Holland, Jewish schools and synagogues need to be
protected by special forces because of fear of attack on those schools.
And, unfortunately, our country has not been immune. Jewish community
centers across the country have been targets of bomb threats, even
recently in Houston, Texas, my hometown, such bomb threats.
This past Sunday, a historic synagogue in New York City was attacked
and burned down by arsonists. That is why this bill, the Combating
European Anti-Semitism Act, is so important. We must continue to
partner with our European friends to ensure that we stamp out the
cancer of anti-Semitism.
As a representative of a country founded on religious freedom, we, as
Members of Congress, must send a clear message to Jews and non-Jews,
from Houston to Amsterdam, that we will not allow the horrors of the
Holocaust to repeat themselves in this generation.
Mr. Speaker, we must reiterate the commitment the free world made
over 60 years ago: Never again. Never again.
And that is just the way it is.
{time} 1630
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Lowey), my good friend, my fellow New Yorker, the author of
this bill, and the ranking member of the Committee on Appropriations.
Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friends, Chairman Ed Royce
and Ranking Member Eliot Engel, and all those involved in advancing
this important legislation.
I rise in support of H.R. 672, the Combating European Anti-Semitism
Act, which was introduced by the co-chairs of the Bipartisan Taskforce
for Combating Anti-Semitism.
With the rising threat of anti-Semitism in Europe, this bill would
require enhanced reporting to Congress on anti-Semitic incidents in
Europe, the safety and security of European Jewish communities, and the
efforts of the United States to partner with European entities to
combat anti-Semitism. This bill also urges the Department of State to
continue encouraging European governments and multilateral institutions
to adopt a clear and comprehensive working definition of anti-Semitism.
I find it hard to believe that in the 21st century European Jews
worry about whether or not there is a future for their communities in
Europe. But with increased anti-Semitic sentiments throughout Europe
and many Jews becoming the targets of verbal, physical, and even deadly
terrorist attacks, the security and quality of life for European Jewish
communities has deteriorated. This is simply unacceptable.
Anti-Semitism is not simply a Jewish problem. Xenophobia and other
forms of racism are never far behind when this pernicious threat rears
its ugly head. The United States must remain a leader in the fight
against anti-Semitism wherever it occurs to ensure that our commitment
to ``never again'' remains a reality.
Finally, I want to express my appreciation to my fellow co-chairs of
the Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism, Representatives
Smith, Engel, Granger, Deutch, Ros-Lehtinen, Veasey, and Roskam. The
task force remains committed to working across regions, religions, and
party lines to condemn all anti-Semitism and fight for the right of
Jews to live freely without fear at home and abroad.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), who chairs the Foreign
Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and is our
chairman emeritus.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the chairman and the
ranking member for working to help bring this important bill to the
floor in a timely manner and, more importantly, for conducting the
affairs of our full committee in an even-tempered, professional manner
that is an example to the rest of the House. It is an honor to serve
under their leadership.
I also want to thank my good friend Nita Lowey because she is the
author of this bill, but I want to thank her for her leadership in
fighting anti-Semitism across the world. She has been at this fight for
many a year. We have worked closely together on defeating this hatred,
one of the world's oldest forms of discrimination. I am proud to be an
original cosponsor of her bill, and I thank the gentlewoman from New
York.
Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important initiative for our Bipartisan
Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism, a task force of which I am proud
to be a cofounder and a co-chair along with Mrs. Lowey, Mr. Engel, of
course Chris Smith, Ted Deutch, Kay Granger, Peter Roskam, Marc Veasey,
so many good Members. But more than that, Mr. Speaker, it is an
important initiative for the Jewish communities across Europe who have
been facing a troubling increase in anti-Semitic incidents and attacks
over the past years that have put their safety and their security at
risk.
Mr. Speaker, all across Europe, Jews have been targeted. Their places
of worship have been targeted, their homes, targeted; their businesses,
targeted. Why? Because of their faith.
They have been the target of deadly attacks in European cities,
democratic societies that we call allies: France, Belgium, Denmark,
elsewhere--horrific. This is simply unconscionable, Mr. Speaker.
There is no time to delay in taking action. We cannot allow for an
atmosphere of intolerance and hatred to once again rear its ugly head
in Europe. That is why this bill is an important first step.
We have identified growing anti-Semitism as a problem before, but
this bill will enhance reporting requirements so that we can more
acutely identify the problems and, equally important, Mr. Speaker, we
can identify the security challenges facing these Jewish communities.
Then we can learn how to best tackle this, and we can learn how we can
partner with our European allies and our friends and local law
enforcement, along with civil society, to protect against anti-Semitic
acts. We can get a better understanding of how our partners in Europe
can better educate their children. We can get a handle on how to better
promote awareness in their societies to the dangers of such blind
hatred.
In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to say that the first step in
fighting anti-Semitism is identifying the problem areas and then
developing a plan to address it. This bill will help us identify the
problem. It is an important first step in taking the necessary action
to protect the Jewish communities of Europe. I urge my colleagues to
support this important bill.
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to
close.
[[Page H4278]]
Let me first say, I agree with all the eloquent statements made by my
colleagues on both sides of the aisle pertaining to this bill.
I want to thank Mrs. Lowey, again, because it is a really important
bill. It is really important that we don't sweep this under the rug. It
is really important that we don't try to hide it or sugarcoat it.
Whether it happens here, whether it happens in Europe, no matter where
it happens, any form of anti-Semitism, any form of hatred of one group
toward another needs to be roundly condemned and stopped. That is what
we are trying to do here.
It hasn't even been a century since we heard this canary in the coal
mine: political parties scapegoating Jews; insidious campaigns that
question the humanity of Jewish populations or their legitimacy as
members of certain societies; governments, popularly elected
governments, saying that it was okay to hate.
We don't think it is okay to hate. That is why we are doing this.
What we hear today is unnerving in light of that history.
Mr. Speaker, we know what happened when too few good people stood up
and spoke out. We cannot allow that history to repeat. We must do
whatever it takes to ensure that it doesn't.
This bill will help us address a part of this growing concern. It
will shine a bright light on the resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe.
It is just a piece of the puzzle, but it is a good start.
I am proud to stand with my colleagues today to support this measure.
I urge all Members to do the same.
I thank the others on this side of the aisle and the other side of
the aisle who have spoken on this, especially Chairman Royce.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROYCE of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
First, let me say that the words just spoken by Ranking Member Eliot
Engel are precisely the sentiment that I think we all wish to convey.
We must do all we can to combat anti-Semitism in all of its insidious
forms, and we do it because the consequences, the horrifying
consequences of doing nothing in the face of such evil, are
unconscionable. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past by
remaining silent, as this same poison affects our communities today.
Passage of this bill sends a clear signal that anti-Semitism has no
place in free societies and urges our European partners to provide
practical guidance that will empower law enforcement and better equip
them to tackle this rising problem, and it sends the message that our
own law enforcement is willing to work hand in hand with theirs in
order to tackle this problem.
I appreciate the work of Congresswoman Lowey and Congresswoman Ros-
Lehtinen and, of course, Mr. Engel, the ranking member. I urge my
colleagues to join me in support of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
672, the Combating Anti-Semitism Act of 2017, sponsored by my friend
Nita Lowey. I and all of our fellow Co-Chairs of the Bi-Partisan Task
Force for Combating Anti-Semitism are original cosponsors.
Among its provisions, the bill would require the State Department to
include in existing annual reports information about the security
challenges and needs of European Jewish communities and European law
enforcement. This report would also document related U.S. government
efforts to partner with European law enforcement agencies and civil
society groups.
H.R. 672 is important and timely. As witnesses testified at a hearing
I chaired in March on ``Anti-Semitism Across Borders,'' physical
attacks on European Jewish communities, and other forms of anti-Semitic
hatred, remain rampant on the continent. Rabbi Andy Baker, Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Anti-
Semitism and Director of International Jewish Affairs at the American
Jewish Committee noted that even after the deadly anti-Semitic attacks
in Paris, Brussels and Copenhagen, ``problems still remain. Governments
have taken different approaches, and some only in stop-gap measures.''
Rabbi Baker also emphasized that ``We need to be clear-eyed in
confronting and combating anti-Semitism, which manifests itself on both
the right and the left.''
At the same hearing, Paul Goldenberg, Director of the Security
Community Network and Senior Advisor to the Rutgers University Faith-
Based Communities Security Program, warned that ``Ever-more connected,
extremist groups in the United States are borrowing, adapting and
enhancing the tactics and strategies adopted in Europe.'' This is an
especially sobering warning, given the man recent anti-Semitic
incidents here in the United States.
Mark Weitzman, Director of Government Affairs for the Simon
Wiesenthal Center, emphasized that ``Fighting antisemitism has always
been a bipartisan commitment and in today's fractured political world
it is more necessary than ever that the U.S. maintain its diplomatic
and moral leadership in this issue. . . . we would strongly suggest
that the position [of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-
Semitism] even be upgraded, to that of Ambassador, thus demonstrating
the importance attached by our government to this issue.''
H.R. 672 is an example of such bi-partisanship. It would ensure that
the Special Envoy, other U.S. officials, the Congress, and civil
society--especially European Jewish communities that their security
groups--have key information to act fully and effectively. With the
right information, and robust action, the United States can help ensure
the safety and security of Jewish communities in Europe and elsewhere.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 672, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________