Thursday, February 07, 2008
406 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
United StatesTitle
Taking Stock: Combating Anti-Semitism in the OSCE Region (Part II)
Official Transcript:
Members:
Name:
Hon. Alcee Hastings
Title Text:
Chairman
Body:
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Statement:
Name:
Hon. Ben Cardin
Title Text:
Co-Chairman
Body:
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Statement:
Name:
Hon. Hillary Clinton
Title Text:
Commissioner
Body:
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Statement:
Name:
Hon. Chris Smith
Title Text:
Ranking Member
Body:
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
Statement:
Name:
Hon. George Voinovich
Title Text:
Senator
Body:
United States Senate
Statement:
Witnesses:
Name:
Dr. Gregg Rickman
Title:
Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Anti-Semitism
Body:
Department of State
Statement:
Name:
Ms. Felice D. Gaer
Title:
Commissioner
Body:
U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
Statement:
Name:
Rabbi Marvin Hier
Title:
Founder and Dean
Body:
Simon Wiesenthal Center
Statement:
Name:
Rabbi Andrew Baker
Title:
Director of International Jewish Affairs
Body:
American Jewish Committee
Statement:
Name:
Ms. Stacy Burdett
Title:
Associate Director of Government and National Affairs
Body:
Anti-Defamation League
Statement:
This hearing, which Commissioner Alcee L. Hastings presided over, was the second in a set of hearings that focused on combating anti-Semitism in the OSCE region. Hastings lauded the efforts regarding this approach to anti-Semitism by bringing up how impressive it was for these states to look at issues of tolerance, while a few years before the hearing took place, not all participating states thought that there was a problem.
Since the Commission’s efforts regarding anti-Semitism began in 2002 with the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, a lot of progress had been achieved, but attendees did discuss work that still needed to be accomplished. For example, as per Commission findings, even Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenka had made anti-Semitic comments, underscoring the inadequate efforts the Belarusian government had made to hold those guilty of anti-Semitic vandalism accountable. The Russian Federation had operated under similar circumstances, but the situation for Jewish individuals was better in Turkey. However, attendees did discuss “skinhead gangs” and similar groups elsewhere in the OSCE.
Relevant issues:
Leadership:
