The Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution “regarding the safety and security of Jewish communities in Europe.” This follows a hearing of World Jewish Congress leaders in March 2015.
The resolution, pointing to data from the FBI and Jewish Community Security Service in France, noted significant increases in anti-Semitic acts in various European countries.
In France, home to Europe’s largest Jewish community, the number of anti-Semitic acts rose from 423 to 851 between 2013 and 14. They included acts involving violence, which rose in number from 105 to 241.
In Britain, an increase in anti-Semitic acts from 535 to 1,168 was recorded, whereas in Germany, recorded incidents rose sharply 788 to 1076.
The resolution also listed several serious incidents from this year, including the January 2015 terror attack at a kosher supermarket in Paris and the February 2015 attack at Copenhagen's main synagogue.
The resolution was introduced by Democratic Congressman Chris Smith, who chairs the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights.
“This resolution is a blueprint for actions that are critical to prevent more deadly attacks on Europe’s Jewish communities,” Smith said in a statement.
“Formal recognition and partnerships between governments and Jewish community groups are key, as we see here in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.”
“The resolution also highlights the need for research, training, resources, public awareness campaigns, and communication as part of the fight against anti-Semitic violence. If our government encourages and works with our European allies to do these things, it will help save lives,” he added.
In addition to working with European governments to achieve these goals, the resolution calls for working with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union, the EU's police agency Europol, and the international police organization Interpol.
Last March, WJC President Ronald Lauder and the heads of the Danish and French Jewish communities testified before the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, chaired by Smith, and highlighted the worrying situation in Europe.
Lauder told the committee then that the attacks against Jewish targets in Copenhagen and Paris were only the latest signs of a rising wave of anti-Semitism sweeping across Europe.
