(JNS) The Biden administration’s nominee Deborah Lipstadt to lead the U.S. State Department’s office that monitors and combats antisemitism appeared in the Senate on Tuesday for her confirmation.
Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Lipstadt made the case that antisemitism is on the rise.
“Increasingly, Jews have been singled out for slander, violence and terrorism,” she said. “Today’s rise in antisemitism is staggering.”
Her confirmation has been delayed for several months reportedly over concerns raised by Republicans of her past tweets, including one labeling a specific statement by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) as white supremacy. During a radio interview last year, he stated that he was not concerned by the mostly white insurgents at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, but would be concerned if former President Donald Trump had won the election and those rioting at the Capitol were Black Lives Matters protesters or members of Antifa.
She has also been criticized for appearing in a 2020 ad where she likened Trump’s rhetoric to that of Nazi Germany.
An author, premier Holocaust historian and the Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish and Holocaust studies at Emory University, Lipstadt was nominated by U.S. President Joe Biden on July 30. Since then, Jewish groups have written numerous letters to the committee in support of her nomination, especially in the wake of last month’s attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas.
On Tuesday, B’nai B’rith International urged the Senate to swiftly confirm Lipstandt.
“Lipstadt is eminently qualified for this critical role, having actively engaged in the fight against anti-Semitism through her long, distinguished career as a historian and a professor,” said B’nai B’rith International President Seth J. Riklin and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin. “The delay of Lipstadt’s confirmation has left a vacuum, with no one serving in this vitally important role of anti-Semitism special envoy. In the face of a surge of anti-Semitism globally, the U.S. must continue to assume a leadership position in the fight against this hatred through the person of the special envoy.”
In her hearing, Lipstadt dismissed partisanship, saying she has called out antisemitism on both sides of the aisle. She acknowledged, however, that some of her posts had not been “as nuanced” as she would have liked.
If confirmed, Lipstadt’s role would be to focus on reporting on global antisemitism and pressing governments to adopt measures to mitigate it. While the position does not primarily focus on domestic concerns, she will likely be seen as the Biden administration’s voice on the issue.
One important issue will be to work to apply the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, which equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. The Biden administration has supported the IHRA definition, despite criticism by some on the left that criticism of Israel is not antisemitic.
“I think it’s very important to be nuanced there because, you know, it’s sort of [like] ‘Chicken Little’ [repeating], ‘The sky is falling,’ ” she said. “If you call everything antisemitism, when you have a real act of antisemitism, people aren’t paying attention.”
Nevertheless, Lipstadt said she believes Colleyville was “not an isolated incident” and that more needs to be done to combat antisemitism.
“If confirmed, I shall fight antisemitism worldwide, without fear or favor, and with that one goal emblazoned before me to make a difference,” she vowed.
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Preceding provided by JNS.org
It looks like her nomination could be in trouble.
She is the right person for the Job.