Elan Carr, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, said recently that the evil of anti-Semitism is “relentless” and “indefatigable.”
He spoke at a hearing on Capitol Hill held by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, an independent, bi-partisan federal body tasked with monitoring violations of religious freedom or belief abroad and making recommendations to the President, Secretary of State, and Congress on issues of religious liberty:
“Anti-Semitism is a barometer of human suffering. . .Anti-Semitic hate begins with the [targeting of] Jewish people, but rarely ends there.”
Special Envoy Carr said there are three primary sources for the rise in anti-Semitism today: radical ethnic supremacists, radical left anti-Zionists, and militant Islamists.
“We do not rank or minimize these sources. All three are dangerous and must be combated…We fight all forms of Jew-hatred, regardless of the ideological clothing it wears.”
Special Envoy Carr noted that in addition to being the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, Iran plays a key role in exporting anti-Semitism:
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has pushed anti-Semitic dogma throughout the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world beyond the Middle East…Anti-Semitism isn’t ancillary to the ideology of the Islamic Republic of Iran. It is a central foundational component of the ideology of that regime. And we have to be clear about it. And we have to confront it and call it out for what it is.”
Special Envoy Carr said that among his top priorities for combating anti-Semitism around the world is for countries to provide adequate security for their Jewish populations; ensure that hate crimes be properly investigated, prosecuted and appropriately punished; and remove anti-Semitic content from public school textbooks so that innocent children are not taught to hate other children. Finally, he stressed the importance of countering hate speech online by raising awareness of the problems, debunking inflammatory rhetoric, and advancing strong and credible counter-narratives.
“Anti-Semitism is on the rise,” said Special Envoy Carr, “and the stakes could not be higher.”
