Last week, Ellie Cohanim, the former deputy special envoy for monitoring and combating antisemitism at the State Department, wrote in Newsweek that America needs a domestic antisemitism czar.
Cohanim is correct. Antisemitism is on the rise, and the White House needs a point person to deal with the issue within our own borders. Similar officials already hold office in the United Kingdom and other European countries. However, more must be done. We also need a presidential commission on antisemitism. Presidential commissions bring issues to the forefront. A commission on antisemitism would thus help counter hatred of Jews while also making policy proposals to the president.
The commission would include the domestic antisemitism czar, the ambassador-at-large for monitoring and combating antisemitism, one Democrat, one Republican, one law enforcement official, one academic, and four nonpartisan members, preferably from Jewish organizations. The commission should meet frequently, at least once a week, as there is an urgency to deal with antisemitism. During the two-week conflict in May between Israel and Hamas, antisemitic incidents in the United States spiked by 75% “compared to the two weeks before the fighting began, from 127 to 222,” according to the Anti-Defamation League. Despite its leadership’s politicization, ADL data is usually reliable.
This effort requires a broad coalition of Democrats, Republicans, academics, athletes, and other celebrities. It requires both Jewish and non-Jewish groups. The commission’s first step should be to get more governments and organizations to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. That definition has already been adopted by dozens of countries, including the U.S., and by sports leagues such as the English soccer Premier League.
All sources and types of antisemitism, including far-left, far-right, radical Islam, and others, need to be combated with equal vigor. A comprehensive presidential commission on antisemitism would be part of the solution.
Jackson Richman is a journalist in Washington, D.C. Follow him @jacksonrichman.
