II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 198 

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. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 24, 2017 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. KAINE, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. 

PERDUE, Mr. NELSON, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. 

LANKFORD, Mr. BROWN, Mr. SCHATZ, and Mr. HATCH) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Foreign Relations 

A BILL 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Combating European 

3 Anti-Semitism Act of 2017’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress makes the following findings: 

6 (1) During the past decade, there has been a 

7 steady increase in anti-Semitic incidents in Europe, 

8 resulting in European Jews being the targets of 

9 physical and verbal harassment and even lethal ter10 rorist attacks, all of which has eroded personal and 

11 communal security and the quality of daily Jewish 

12 life. 

13 (2) According to reporting by the European 

14 Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), be15 tween 2005 and 2014, anti-Semitic incidents in16 creased in France from 508 to 851; in Germany 

17 from 60 to 173; in Belgium from 58 to 130; in Italy 

18 from 49 to 86; and in the United Kingdom from 459 

19 to 1,168. 

20 (3) Anti-Zionism has at times devolved into 

21 anti-Semitic attacks, prompting condemnation from 

22 many European leaders, including French Prime 

23 Minister Manuel Valls, British Prime Minister David 

24 Cameron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. 

25 (4) Since 2010, the Department of State has 

26 adhered to the working definition of Anti-Semitism 


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1 by the European Monitoring Center on Racism and 

2 Xenophobia (EUMC). Some contemporary examples 

3 of anti-Semitism include the following: 

4 (A) Calling for, aiding, or justifying the 

5 killing or harming of Jews (often in the name 

6 of a radical ideology or an extremist view of re7 ligion). 

8 (B) Making mendacious, dehumanizing, 

9 demonizing, or stereotypical allegations about 

10 Jews as such, or the power of Jews as a collec11 tive, especially, but not exclusively, the myth 

12 about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews 

13 controlling the media, economy, government, or 

14 other societal institutions. 

15 (C) Accusing Jews as a people of being re16 sponsible for real or imagined wrongdoing com17 mitted by a single Jewish person or group, the 

18 State of Israel, or even for acts committed by 

19 non-Jews. 

20 (D) Accusing the Jews as a people, or 

21 Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating 

22 the Holocaust. 

23 (E) Accusing Jewish citizens of being more 

24 loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of 


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1 Jews worldwide, than to the interest of their 

2 own countries. 

3 (5) On October 16, 2004, the President signed 

4 into law the Global Anti-Semitism Review Act of 

5 2004 (Public Law 108–332). This law provides the 

6 legal foundation for a reporting requirement pro7 vided by the Department of State annually on anti8 Semitism around the world. 

9 (6) In November 2015, the House of Rep10 resentatives passed H. Res. 354 by a vote of 418– 

11 0, urging the Secretary of State to continue robust 

12 United States reporting on anti-Semitism by the De13 partment of State and the Special Envoy to Combat 

14 and Monitor Anti-Semitism. 

15 (7) In 2016, the International Holocaust Re16 membrance Alliance (IHRA), comprised of 31 mem17 ber countries, adopted a working definition of anti18 Semitism which stated: ‘‘Anti-Semitism is a certain 

19 perception of Jews, which may be expressed as ha20 tred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical mani21 festations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jew22 ish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, 

23 toward Jewish community institutions and religious 

24 facilities’’. 


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1 (8) The IHRA further clarified that manifesta2 tions of anti-Semitism might also target the State of 

3 Israel, conceived of as a Jewish collectivity. Anti4 Semitism frequently charges Jews with conspiring to 

5 harm humanity, and it is often used to blame Jews 

6 for ‘‘why things go wrong’’. It is expressed in 

7 speech, writing, visual forms, and action, and em8 ploys sinister stereotypes and negative character 

9 traits. 

10 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

11 It is the sense of Congress that— 

12 (1) it is in the national interest of the United 

13 States to combat anti-Semitism at home and abroad; 

14 (2) anti-Semitism is a challenge to the basic 

15 principles of tolerance, pluralism, and democracy, 

16 and the shared values that bind Americans and Eu17 ropeans together; 

18 (3) there is an urgent need to ensure the safety 

19 and security of European Jewish communities, in20 cluding synagogues, schools, cemeteries, and other 

21 institutions; 

22 (4) the United States should continue to em23 phasize the importance of combating anti-Semitism 

24 in multilateral bodies, including the United Nations, 


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1 European Union institutions, and the Organization 

2 for Security and Cooperation in Europe; 

3 (5) the Department of State should continue to 

4 thoroughly document acts of anti-Semitism and anti5 Semitic incitement that occur around the world, and 

6 should continue to encourage other countries to do 

7 the same, and share their findings; and 

8 (6) the Department of State should continue to 

9 work to encourage adoption by national government 

10 institutions and multilateral institutions of a work11 ing definition of anti-Semitism similar to the one 

12 adopted in the International Holocaust Remem13 brance Alliance context. 

14 SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORTING ON THE STATE OF ANTI-SEMI15 TISM IN EUROPE. 

16 Paragraph (1) of section 102(b) of the International 

17 Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412) is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following new subpara19 graph: 

20 ‘‘(G) ANTI-SEMITISM IN EUROPE.—In ad21 dition to the information required under clause 

22 (iv) of subparagraph (A), with respect to each 

23 European country in which verbal or physical 

24 threats or attacks are particularly significant 

25 against Jewish persons, places of worship, 


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1 schools, cemeteries, and other religious institu2 tions, a description of— 

3 ‘‘(i) the security challenges and needs 

4 of European Jewish communities and Eu5 ropean law enforcement agencies in such 

6 countries to better protect such commu7 nities; 

8 ‘‘(ii) to the extent practicable, the ef9 forts of the United States Government 

10 over the reporting period to partner with 

11 European law enforcement agencies and 

12 civil society groups regarding the sharing 

13 of information and best practices to com14 bat anti-Semitic incidents in Europe; 

15 ‘‘(iii) European educational program16 ming and public awareness initiatives that 

17 aim to collaborate on educational curricula 

18 and campaigns that impart shared values 

19 of pluralism and tolerance, and showcase 

20 the positive contributions of Jews in cul21 ture, scholarship, science, and art, with 

22 special attention to those segments of the 

23 population that exhibit a high degree of 

24 anti-Semitic animus; and 


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1 ‘‘(iv) efforts by European govern2 ments to adopt and apply a working defini3 tion of anti-Semitism.’’. 

Æ 


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