[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 672 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.672
One Hundred Fifteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the third day of January, two thousand and eighteen
An Act
To require continued and enhanced annual reporting to Congress in the
Annual Report on International Religious Freedom on anti-Semitic
incidents in Europe, the safety and security of European Jewish
communities, and the efforts of the United States to partner with
European governments, the European Union, and civil society groups, to
combat anti-Semitism, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Combating European Anti-Semitism Act
of 2017''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) During the past decade, there has been a steady increase in
anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, resulting in European Jews being
the targets of physical and verbal harassment and even lethal
terrorist attacks, all of which has eroded personal and communal
security and the quality of daily Jewish life.
(2) According to reporting by the European Union Agency for
Fundamental Rights (FRA), between 2005 and 2014, anti-Semitic
incidents increased in France from 508 to 851; in Germany from 60
to 173; in Belgium from 58 to 130; in Italy from 49 to 86; and in
the United Kingdom from 459 to 1,168.
(3) Anti-Zionism has at times devolved into anti-Semitic
attacks, prompting condemnation from many European leaders,
including French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, British Prime
Minister David Cameron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
(4) Since 2010, the Department of State has adhered to the
working definition of Anti-Semitism by the European Monitoring
Center on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC). Some contemporary examples
of anti-Semitism include the following:
(A) Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or
harming of Jews (often in the name of a radical ideology or an
extremist view of religion).
(B) Making mendacious, dehumanizing, demonizing, or
stereotypical allegations about Jews as such, or the power of
Jews as a collective, especially, but not exclusively, the myth
about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the
media, economy, government, or other societal institutions.
(C) Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real
or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or
group, the State of Israel, or even for acts committed by non-
Jews.
(D) Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of
inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.
(E) Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel,
or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the
interest of their own countries.
(5) On October 16, 2004, the President signed into law the
Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 2004. This law provides the
legal foundation for a reporting requirement provided by the
Department of State annually on anti-Semitism around the world.
(6) In November 2015, the House of Representatives passed H.
Res. 354 by a vote of 418-0, urging the Secretary of State to
continue robust United States reporting on anti-Semitism by the
Department of State and the Special Envoy to Combat and Monitor
Anti-Semitism.
(7) In 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
(IHRA), comprised of 31 member countries, adopted a working
definition of anti-Semitism which stated: ``Anti-Semitism is a
certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward
Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are
directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their
property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious
facilities.''.
(8) The IHRA further clarified that manifestations of anti-
Semitism might also target the State of Israel, conceived of as a
Jewish collectivity. Anti-Semitism frequently charges Jews with
conspiring to harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews for
``why things go wrong''. It is expressed in speech, writing, visual
forms, and action, and employs sinister stereotypes and negative
character traits.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) it is in the national interest of the United States to
combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad;
(2) anti-Semitism is a challenge to the basic principles of
tolerance, pluralism, and democracy, and the shared values that
bind Americans and Europeans together;
(3) there is an urgent need to ensure the safety and security
of European Jewish communities, including synagogues, schools,
cemeteries, and other institutions;
(4) the United States should continue to emphasize the
importance of combating anti-Semitism in multilateral bodies,
including the United Nations, European Union institutions, and the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe;
(5) the Department of State should continue to thoroughly
document acts of anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic incitement that
occur around the world, and should continue to encourage other
countries to do the same, and share their findings; and
(6) the Department of State should continue to work to
encourage adoption by national government institutions and
multilateral institutions of a working definition of anti-Semitism
similar to the one adopted in the International Holocaust
Remembrance Alliance context.
SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORTING ON THE STATE OF ANTI-SEMITISM IN EUROPE.
Paragraph (1) of section 102(b) of the International Religious
Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412) is amended by adding at the end
the following new subparagraph:
``(G) Anti-semitism in europe.--In addition to the
information required under clause (vii) of subparagraph (A),
with respect to each European country in which verbal or
physical threats or attacks are particularly significant
against Jewish persons, places of worship, schools, cemeteries,
and other religious institutions, a description of--
``(i) the security challenges and needs of European
Jewish communities and European law enforcement agencies in
such countries to better protect such communities;
``(ii) to the extent practicable, the efforts of the
United States Government over the reporting period to
partner with European law enforcement agencies and civil
society groups regarding the sharing of information and
best practices to combat anti-Semitic incidents in Europe;
``(iii) European educational programming and public
awareness initiatives that aim to collaborate on
educational curricula and campaigns that impart shared
values of pluralism and tolerance, and showcase the
positive contributions of Jews in culture, scholarship,
science, and art, with special attention to those segments
of the population that exhibit a high degree of anti-
Semitic animus; and
``(iv) efforts by European governments to adopt and
apply a working definition of anti-Semitism.''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.