U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and a strong coalition of bipartisan colleagues called on the Senate to increase funding for the U.S. State Department’s Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, the U.S.-Israel Homeland Security Program, and the U.S.-Israel cybersecurity cooperation grant program.
The funds requested by Sen. Gillibrand for the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, $1.5 million, would go toward improving the safety and security of at-risk Jewish communities, ensuring foreign public officials condemn antisemitic discourse, strengthening foreign judicial systems in their prosecution of antisemitic incidents, and promoting Holocaust education.
Senator Gillibrand separately requested $2 million for the U.S.-Israel Homeland Security Program and $6 million for the U.S.-Israel cybersecurity cooperation grant program created through the U.S.-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act via the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
“Our Jewish neighbors and community members should not feel threatened by antisemitism; such prejudice has no place in this country,” said Senator Gillibrand. “It is important for all of us to commit to combating antisemitism here at home and across the globe, whether it’s condemning hateful rhetoric at the local level or working with our international counterparts on cybersecurity cooperation. Every single person deserves the right to live free from the threat of hate, and until that is reality, I will always stand with, and fight for, the Jewish community.”
The Jewish community remains the top target of faith-based hate crimes in the U.S. for the 24th consecutive year, and Senator Gillibrand will continue to prioritize the safety of religious communities throughout New York State. In January, Senator Gillibrand requested that the Senate Appropriations Committee adequately fund the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP), which supports nonprofit organizations most at risk of attack through the acquisition and installation of physical target hardening measures, related preparedness and prevention planning, training, and exercises, and contracted security personnel.
Sen. Gillibrand also led a bipartisan group of 44 senators in calling for $500 million to fully fund U.S.-Israel cooperative missile defense programs in the Defense Appropriations bill for fiscal year 2023.
The full text of the letter in support of the State Department’s Special Envoy can be found here.
The full text of the letter in support of the U.S.-Israel security programs can be found here.