The State Department will retain a special envoy to monitor anti-Semitism, but other roles dealing with high-profile topics such as climate change and the closure of Guantánamo Bay will be scrapped as standalone positions, as part of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s efforts to streamline department functions. Tillerson made his decisions public Monday in a letter…
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New York, NY . . . The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations welcomed the decision by Secretary of State Tillerson to keep the position of U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism and return the office to the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.
In June, leaders of the Conference of Presidents, with the endorsement of fifty national member organizations of the Conference, wrote to Secretary Tillerson expressing concern about the future of the office. The letter noted the important role of the Special Envoy on Anti-Semitism as a monitor, advocate and moral voice on behalf of the U.S. government against the global scourge of anti-Semitism and, in recent discussions with senior Administration officials, the Conference leaders appealed for the Special Envoy position to be retained.
Conference of Presidents Chairman Stephen M. Greenberg and Executive Vice Chairman/CEO Malcolm Hoenlein said, “The decision by Secretary Tillerson reflects the broad consensus within the American Jewish community and beyond, that the Special Envoy on Anti-Semitism plays an important role in promoting the strong U.S. policy against manifestations of anti-Semitism at home and around the globe.
Especially at this time, with anti-Semitism on the rise once again around the world and at home, foreign government officials will continue to see the strong U.S. commitment to confronting the ages old pernicious bias of anti-Semitism that is an ever present threat to Jews everywhere and to the whole of society.
We urge the Administration to promptly fill the position of Special Envoy. We look forward to continuing to work with the dedicated career foreign service officers and the new Special Envoy to deliver the message that battling anti-Semitism is a priority for the United States, and that our government will hold accountable all those who engage in, support or tolerate it.
Given the challenging budgetary issues Secretary Tillerson is facing, we also appreciate the decision to retain the positions of Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues, Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations, Ambassador-at Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism, among other vital positions that will be retained.”