The leadership of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) met in Washington, DC for its annual Executive Committee meeting to discuss the growing threats to Jewish communities and the surge in anti-Semitism.
At a special reception on Monday night, US Vice President Joe Biden commended WJC President Ronald S. Lauder for his and the WJC’s tireless efforts to combat anti-Semitism in Europe and worldwide.
Commenting on the rise of world anti-Semitism, Biden said: “I spent a lot of time in Austria, Munich, and France talking about anti-Semitism in Europe and other places around the world, and let me tell you that your work really matters.
"If you don't constantly speak out every time it raises its ugly head, if you let it sit for a minute, it's like a boil that festers. I want to thank you all for your constant, unrelenting oversight and for making sure that wherever it rears its head, you speak.”
Ronald Lauder is scheduled to testify before the subcommittee. He will be joined by Roger Cukierman, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), and Dan Rosenberg Asmussen, president of the Danish Jewish community.the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations of the US House of Representatives chaired by Rep. Christopher Smith has announced a hearing on the rise of anti-Semitism across Europe this Tuesday.
The hearing will be held at 2:30 p.m. on 24 March 2015 in Room 2175 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
It will also stream live via the committee website, at www.ForeignAffairs.house.gov.
Photo credit: Ron Sachs