New York, NY, May 10, 2004 – The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) applauded the Senate’s passage of legislation designed to require greater US reporting on anti-Semitism worldwide.  The Global Anti-Semitism Review Act, authored by Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) and introduced by Sens. Voinovich, Joseph Biden (D-DE), George Allen (R-VA), and Gordon Smith (R-OR), requires the State Department to provide a country-by-country report on anti-Semitic acts and harassment and the governmental response.  The report would also include information on governmental efforts to promote tolerance and anti-bias education. 

“The Senate has taken an important step to strengthen US efforts to combat the rise of anti-Semitism around the globe,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director and author of Never Again? The Threat of the New Anti-Semitism (HarperSanFrancisco, 2003).  “In order to fight anti-Semitism, we must have an accurate assessment of the scope and nature of the problem in varying regions.  So many countries lack a formal mechanism to channel information about the problem or to register complaints.  While this new report is in no way a substitute for data collection by individual states, until appropriate monitoring systems can be put in place, American leadership in spotlighting the problem will continue to play a vital role.

Mr. Foxman, who just returned from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Conference on Anti-Semitism in Berlin, where he was a Public Advisor to the U.S. Delegation added, “passing this bill indicates the United States’ continued commitment to spotlighting the problem of anti-Semitism around the world and is an example of the kind of proactive measures a government can take to fight global anti-Semitism.”

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.