NEW YORK – The World Jewish Congress is urging the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance to the full Senate the nomination of historian Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. The WJC is also calling on the Senate to confirm her to this critically important ambassador-level position without further delay.
“There is no one better qualified than Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, a renowned historian of the Holocaust, to confront today’s challenges,” said World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder. “She brings a deep understanding of antisemitism as well as real-world experience to the position. Her demonstrated courage in confronting antisemites and Holocaust deniers from across the political spectrum makes her the ideal person to represent the United States in confronting surging antisemitism around the globe.”
Following Tuesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, WJC Executive Vice President Maram Stern said, “Today’s hearing confirmed what was already evident: Dr. Lipstadt has a deep and comprehensive understanding of the insidious and multifaceted phenomenon of Jew hatred, or antisemitism, and she knows how to expose and fight it whenever and wherever it raises its ugly head. At a time when Jewish communities around the globe are increasingly subjected to not only verbal threats but physical violence, we desperately need her leadership and her powerful voice in the international arena.”
In her opening remarks at the committee hearing, Dr. Lipstadt said, “Increasingly, Jews have been singled out for slander, violence and terrorism. Today’s rise in antisemitism is staggering. It is especially alarming that we witness such a surge less than eight decades after one out of three Jews on Earth was murdered.”
Dr. Lipstadt, a cherished friend of the World Jewish Congress, has participated in numerous WJC events and initiatives over the years. In April 2015, she was the keynote speaker at a commemorative event in Geneva, jointly sponsored by the WJC and the International Committee of the Red Cross to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust.
A prolific author, Dr. Lipstadt is widely known for prevailing in a landmark libel case in Britain brought by Holocaust denier David Irving. She is the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies at Emory University in Atlanta.
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