Queens, NY – Today, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D,WF-Fresh Meadows) released a follow-up letter addressed to President Trump urging his administration fill the vacancy in the U.S. Department of State for a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism. Last year, Rozic joined lawmakers across the country as part of the National Association of Jewish Legislators in requesting that the office be adequately staffed and funded. “Over the past two years there has been a significant and concerning rise in hate crimes and anti-Semitic incidents in New York, across the country and around the world. No community should be subjected to hateful rhetoric and acts of violence. We must do our part to ensure that the proper action is taken to monitor and confront anti-Semitism around the world,” said Rozic. The Special Envoy position was established in 2004 under the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act. It has been vacant since President Trump assumed office 19 months ago in January 2017. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) audit of anti-Semitic incidents, in 2017 there have been 1,267 incidents nationwide, 380 in New York alone. This is a 57% rise from 2016 nationally and a 90% increase on the state level. According to the more in-depth data from ADL’s New York regional office, Queens had the largest increase in anti-Semitic incidents of any of the five boroughs. The full text of the letter can be found below. Honorable Donald J. Trump
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Trump: The U.S. State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism, an office that was created in 2004 with bipartisan congressional support and has had the full support of the last two Presidents, remains vacant despite troubling instances of anti-Semitism around the world. The office should be adequately staffed and funded. As a state legislator representing communities in Queens that have seen a concerning rise in anti-Semitic incidents over the past two years, I write to again ask that you fill the continuing vacancy and appoint a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat anti-Semitism in the U.S. State Department. As I and others wrote to you last year, anti-Semitism continues to be prevalent in the U.S. and in other nations. Since 2004, the Special Envoy filled a major void by helping to document abuses against Jewish communities abroad, as well as develop and implement approaches to fight anti-Semitism. The Special Envoy was also able to address specific problems in France, Argentina, Hungary, Ukraine, Greece and Egypt that might have otherwise not been properly addressed. The Special Envoy has played a unique and important role in the effort to fight against anti-Semitism and for human rights. Please appoint a Special Envoy to help eradicate anti-Semitism and do not allow this important post to remain vacant. Thank you for your consideration of this request.