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J Street congratulates Deborah Lipstadt on her nomination as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism; Rashad Hussain on his nomination for Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom; and Khizr Khan and Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum on their appointments as commissioners of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. This particular slate of nominations highlights President Biden’s commitment to building a broad and diverse administration that truly represents the people it serves.
As a prominent Holocaust historian, Deborah Lipstadt is a highly qualified choice for the position of Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism — a position which is, sadly, increasingly vital.
With her expertise on the history of ethnonationalist hatred and violence, Lipstadt is well placed to expose, confront and address the alarming rise in antisemitism we have witnessed both at home and around the world these past few years.
We cannot be blind to antisemitism in any corner of our society, but we must be clear-eyed about the data which shows the overwhelming threat of violent and deadly antisemitism continues to stem from the rise in far-right ethnonationalism both in the United States and around the world. Tackling this must be a top priority.
Together, we must all continue to fight antisemitism with determination and focus, to battle the conspiracy theories, ideologies and prejudices which fuel it, and to build solidarity and common cause with other minorities facing the threat of hatred, exclusion and extremism.
J Street is extremely proud to have advocated for the passage of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act that underpins this Senate-confirmed, ambassador-level position. We look forward to working with Deborah Lipstadt in our shared fight.
Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum is a longtime friend of J Street and member of J Street’s Rabbinic and Cantorial Cabinet Executive Committee. J Street’s network of nearly 1,000 rabbis, cantors and seminary students are committed to supporting our shared vision of Israel as a proud, just and democratic homeland for the Jewish people.