U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor Antisemitism vows to fight Jew hatred

Elan Carr, the US State Department's Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, has vowed to fight the scourge of Jew hatred, which has seen a sharp uptick in the United States and Europe in recent months. Speaking at the 45th annual Conference of Presidents (COP) Leadership Mission to Israel, Carr laid out his strategy to combat antisemitism adding that he has been “given full backing by the [US] president and secretary of state to combat antisemitism in every region and every corner of the world.” This was his first appearance before a Jewish organization since being appointed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on February 5. Carr laid out his strategy, highlighting three key points in how the envoy would fight the scourge of antisemitism. “One, we won't ignore any part of the ideological spectrum. Jew hatred is Jew hatred, regardless of the ideological clothing it disguises itself in,” he emphasized. “Two,” he continued, “We will empower our allies. Antisemitism rots to the very core every society that embraces it. There are leaders who believe that and understand that, and in Europe, there are leaders who say, 'The future of Europe is at stake.'” His third strategy, he explained is to “work to eradicate the distinction between anti-Zionism and Antisemitism. Antisemitism was not born in 1948 or with Herzl. It began with Parashat Lech Lecha,” he explained, referring to the weekly Torah portion detailing God's bequeathal of the Land of Israel to the Jewish People. A veteran of the war in Iraq, Carr told the COP participants that US President Donald Trump and Secretary Pompeo want him to fight antisemitism “the way a military general would.” Afterwards, Carr participated in a panel discussion on Strategies to Combat the BDS Movement. Ron Brummer, Executive Director of Operations at the Ministry for Strategic Affairs, outlined the main threats BDS poses for Israel. These threats include what is being “referred to as a blacklist compiled by the UN Human Rights Council that will list some 200 companies that do business beyond the pre-1967 lines, and a campaign targeting the artists set to perform at the Eurovision Song Festival, being held this year in Israel.” Brummer expressed concern over the fact that pro-BDS organizations have message discipline the pro-Israel organizations do not. 'We need to strengthen connectivity,' he told the leaders. Dr. Michal Hatuel-Radoshitzky, a research fellow at the Institute of National Security Studies, also spoke during the panel about how BDS is a potential threat to Jewish unity. She suggested to members of the conference that the Diaspora could help Israelis combat institutional antisemitism in the US, for example, when they are rejected for study-abroad opportunities merely for being Israeli. “If you look at Jewish millennials in America and see what's happening on college campuses, BDS has an impact on them speaking out against such things,” she said,” striking a blow to Jewish unity. Carr added that “what happens in the Middle East affects the streets in Europe and is a worldwide phenomenon. “I'm not too vain to think we can eliminate antisemitism from any region in the world, but you now have an envoy who can make positive strides,” he said.

U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor Antisemitism vows to fight Jew hatred

Carr laid out his strategy, highlighting three key points in how the envoy would fight the scourge of antisemitism.

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