| USCIRF

Sep 10, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2019

Washington, DC – Reports of the Trump Administration dramatically reducing the number of refugees permitted to resettle in the United States from 30,000 to zero elicited this response from United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) Chair Tony Perkins and Vice Chair Gayle Manchin:

“USCIRF is alarmed by reports that the administration is preparing to significantly reduce, or even zero out, the number of refugees to be resettled to the United States in FY 2020,” said Perkins. “We strongly urge the administration to extend its admirable commitment to advancing religious freedom to its refugee resettlement policy.”

“Unprecedented numbers of individuals worldwide are forcibly displaced by religiously-motivated conflict or persecution based on their religion or belief, and the United States should continue to provide safe haven to the most vulnerable among them,” said Manchin. “The annual number ideally should return to the previously-typical 95,000, but at the very least not drop below the current 30,000—a historic low that already has sharply decreased the resettlement of religious minority refugees.”

USCIRF has previously raised these concerns directly with the Administration.

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The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the U.S. Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. USCIRF makes foreign policy recommendations to the President, the Secretary of State and Congress intended to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion or belief. To interview a Commissioner, please contact USCIRF at [email protected] or Kellie Boyle at [email protected] or +1-703-898-6554.

Jan 08

WHEN:

Jan 8th 1:30pm

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Hearing

Global Efforts to Counter Anti-Semitism

Wednesday, January 8, 2020
1:30 – 3:00 PM
325 Russell Senate Office Building

Hearing Summary
Hearing Transcript

Please join the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) for a hearing about how U.S. foreign policy and the international community can counter the growing threat of anti-Semitism around the world.

The global Jewish community is facing a rising tide of anti-Semitic hatred characterized by vandalism, Holocaust denial, violent attacks, hate speech, and the perpetuation of vicious stereotypes. Devastating attacks on synagogues, like the one in October in Halle, Germany on Yom Kippur, illustrate the risks Jews take by seeking to worship and live out their religious identity. Jews in some regions are even refraining from wearing kippahs, Star of David necklaces, and other identifying clothing in order to prevent targeted attacks against them.

Nations around the world have sought to respond to the threat by increasing security at synagogues and schools, strengthening education aimed at countering prejudice and Holocaust denial, and by supporting interfaith dialogue and understanding. The U.N. Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief recently released a comprehensive report on anti-Semitic trends globally and offered policy recommendations to governments, and the European Union recently held a summit to develop strategies to address anti-Semitism. In the United States, Congress continues to work on these issues, most recently through bipartisan taskforces aimed at combatting anti-Semitism.

Witnesses will highlight recommendations to counter anti-Semitism and discuss how the international community can more effectively ensure that the global Jewish community can worship freely and without fear.

Opening Remarks

Senator Jacky Rosen, D-NV, Co-Chair, Senate Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism
Tony Perkins, Chair, USCIRF
Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair, USCIRF
Written remarks
Gary Bauer, Commissioner, USCIRF
Written remarks

Panel I

Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
Written testimony

Panel II

Elan Carr, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, U.S. Department of State
Written testimony

Panel III

Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, Dorot Professor of Modern Jewish History and Holocaust Studies, Tam Institute for Jewish Studies and the Department of Religion, Emory University
Written testimony
Sharon Nazarian, Senior Vice President of International Affairs, Anti-Defamation League
Written testimony
Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of International Relations, American University
Written testimony
Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Associate Dean and Director of the Global Social Action Agenda, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Written testimony

Bios

This hearing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the public, and the media. Members of the media should RSVP at [email protected]. The hearing will be livestreamed via the Commission website. For any questions please contact Jamie Staley at [email protected] or 202-786-0606.

732 NORTH CAPITOL STREET, NW SUITE A714 | WASHINGTON, DC 20401 | (202) 523-3240

Tony Perkins, Chair · Gayle Manchin, Vice Chair · Nadine Maenza, Vice Chair
Gary Bauer · Anurima Bhargava · Tenzin Dorjee
Sharon Kleinbaum · Johnnie Moore

Erin D. Singshinsuk, Executive Director

www.uscirf.gov

Jul 24

WHEN:

Jul 24th 1:00pm - Jul 24th 1:00pm

Summer Seminar #2 — Anti-Semitism: The World's Oldest Hatred — New Again?

Wednesday, July 24
2168 Rayburn House Office Building

Speakers:

The Honorable Elan Carr, Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism

The Honorable Nita Lowey, Chair, Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Anti-Semitism, and Member, U.S. House of Representatives

The Honorable Lee Zeldin, Member, U.S. House of Representatives

Rabbi David Saperstein, former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom