H. Res. 354 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

November 3, 2015. 

Whereas anti-Semitic rhetoric and acts, including violent attacks on people and places of faith, have increased in frequency, variety, and severity in many countries in Europe; 

Whereas the French Service de Protection de la Communaute 

Juive (Jewish Community Security Service) reported an 

increase in anti-Semitic acts in France between 2013 to 

2014 (from 423 acts to 851), including an increase in 

violent ones (from 105 acts to 241); 

Whereas the Community Security Trust reported an increase 

in anti-Semitic acts in the United Kingdom between 2013 

to 2014 (from 535 acts to 1,168), including an increase 

in violent ones (from 69 to 81); and the Kantor Center 

for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry reported 

an increase in anti-Semitic acts between 2013 and 2014 

in Germany (from 788 acts to 1076, including 36 violent 

acts to 76), Belgium (from 64 acts to 109, including 11 

violent acts to 30), Austria (from 137 acts to 255, including 4 violent acts to 9), and Italy (from 45 to 90, 

including 12 violent acts to 23); 

Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported, in its 

latest available statistics, 870 incidents in 2012 with 

anti-Jewish bias motivation, including 13 violent inci-
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dents, and 625 incidents in 2013 with anti-Jewish bias 

motivation, including four violent incidents; 

Whereas anti-Semitic attacks have been increasingly directed 

at places of ordinary daily life and places of worship, including— 

(1) the violent extremist who pledged his loyalty to 

the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and attacked a kosher supermarket in Paris, France, January 

9, 2015, murdering four Jewish patrons; and 

(2) the violent extremist who pledged his loyalty to 

ISIS and attacked the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen, 

Denmark, during a bat mitzvah celebration, February 15, 

2015, murdering a member of the Jewish community on 

security duty, and wounding two members of the Danish 

Police Service; 

Whereas anti-Semitic attacks are threats to the fundamental 

freedoms, rights, security, and diversity of all citizens, societies, and countries in which they occur; 

Whereas governments have primary responsibility for the security and safety of all of their citizens and therefore primary responsibility for monitoring, preventing, and responding to anti-Semitic violence; 

Whereas Jewish community groups that focus on strengthening safety awareness, crisis management, and preparedness are essential to keeping members of the Jewish 

community safe, and complement efforts of government 

and inter-governmental entities; 

Whereas keeping members of Jewish communities safe requires government agencies, intergovernmental institutions and agencies, and law enforcement associations, formally recognizing and partnering with Jewish community 
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groups that focus on safety awareness and crisis management and preparedness; 

Whereas in the United States, United Kingdom, and France, 

there are examples of formal recognition, partnership, 

training, and information-sharing between government 

entities and Jewish community security groups that have 

strengthened these countries and contributed to the safety and security of Jewish communities; 

Whereas Jewish community groups, consortia, and initiatives, 

have formed and are forming to focus on safety awareness, crisis management, and preparedness, and partner 

with law enforcement entities and thought leaders; 

Whereas information-sharing and action-focused campaigns, 

including the national ‘‘If You See Something, Say Something’’ campaign of the Department of Homeland Security, which rely on members of the public reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement personnel, are critical 

to preventing violent attacks on individuals and communities; 

Whereas relevant information, research, and analysis is vital 

to strengthening the preparedness, prevention, mitigation, 

and response of Jewish communities and law enforcement 

agencies; 

Whereas broader efforts to counter violent extremism, and efforts to counter anti-Semitism, should be integrated with 

each other as appropriate and share best practices; 

Whereas in the Berlin Declaration of April 29, 2004, participating States of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) condemned anti-Semitism 

and committed themselves to specific actions to combat 
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it, and to collect and maintain reliable information and 

statistics about anti-Semitic crimes; 

Whereas, on December 6, 2013, the Ministerial Council of 

the OSCE, which is composed of the Foreign Ministers 

of participating States, adopted Decision number 3/13 

entitled ‘‘Freedom of Thought, Conscience, Religion, or 

Belief’’, emphasizing ‘‘the link between security and full 

respect for the freedom of thought’’, and committing 

member governments to adopt ‘‘policies to promote respect and protection for places of worship and religious 

sites, religious monuments, cemeteries and shrines 

against vandalism and destruction’’, among other specific 

actions; 

Whereas, on December 5, 2014, the Ministerial Council of 

the OSCE adopted Declaration number 8, the Basel Declaration, on ‘‘Enhancing Efforts to Combat Anti-Semitism’’, in which members of the Council stated, ‘‘We express our concern at the disconcerting number of anti-Semitic incidents that continue to take place in the OSCE 

area and remain a challenge to stability and security’’ 

and ‘‘We stress the importance of States collaborating 

with civil society through effective partnerships and 

strengthened dialogue and co-operation on combating 

anti-Semitism’’; and 

Whereas in 2004, Congress passed the Global Anti-Semitism 

Review Act, which established an Office to Monitor and 

Combat Anti-Semitism, headed by a Special Envoy to 

Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism: Now, therefore, be 

it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
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(1) urges the United States Government to work 

closely with European governments and their law enforcement agencies, the Organization for Security and 

Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union, 

Europol, and Interpol, encouraging them to— 

(A) formally recognize, partner, train, and 

share information with Jewish community security 

groups to strengthen preparedness, prevention, mitigation, and response related to anti-Semitic attacks 

and to support related research initiatives; 

(B) consider the formal partnerships in the 

United States, the United Kingdom, and France, 

between government entities and Jewish community 

security groups, as examples of partnership, training, and information-sharing; 

(C) support assessments of the— 

(i) general environment in which anti-Semitic attacks occur; 

(ii) data on types of crimes committed and 

the response from law enforcement; 

(iii) relationships of Jewish community 

groups with local law enforcement agencies, including joint training opportunities and information sharing; 
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(iv) preparedness, including emergency response plans, of Jewish community groups; 

and 

(v) response of local law enforcement systems to anti-Semitic attacks, including incident 

reporting, initial response, and the 

prioritization and prosecution of those crimes; 

(D) utilize these assessments to help make adjustments to their strategies and efforts to combat 

anti-Semitism as needed; 

(E) help Jewish communities develop common, 

baseline safety standards; 

(F) consider developing a standardized panEuropean information-sharing and alerting system 

that can include governmental and non-governmental agencies, as well as Jewish communities; 

(G) develop safety-awareness and suspicious 

activity reporting campaigns; 

(H) integrate, as appropriate, efforts to combat 

violent extremism and efforts to combat anti-Semitism; 

(I) ensure law enforcement personnel are effectively trained to monitor, prevent, and respond to 

anti-Semitic violence, and to partner with Jewish 

communities; 
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(J) reaffirm and work for the implementation 

of the OSCE declarations, decisions, and other commitments focusing on anti-Semitism; and 

(K) ensure senior officials, with commensurate 

authority and resources, have been appointed or 

designated to combat anti-Semitism and collaborate 

with governmental and inter-governmental agencies, 

law enforcement agencies, Jewish community 

groups, and other civil society groups; 

(2) reaffirms its support for the mandate of the 

United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat 

Anti-Semitism as part of the broader policy priority of 

fostering international religious freedom; and 

(3) urges 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. 

Attest: 

Clerk.