Lawfare Project applauds appointment of Elan Carr as U.S. Anti-Semitism Envoy

Statement – For Immediate Release
February 13, 2019

Media Contacts

Nathan Miller or Liat Distler
(310) 571-8264
Nathan@miller-ink.com or Liat@miller-ink.com

The Lawfare Project praises the Trump Administration’s appointment of Elan Carr as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

As the only litigation fund devoted to protecting the civil and human rights of Jewish communities around the world, The Lawfare Project has been on the forefront of fighting global anti-Semitism in the courts. We recognize the urgency and importance of addressing bigotry and hate that targets the Jewish people and the Jewish state. Therefore, we are proud to add our name to the growing list of organizations that have pledged to combat anti-Semitism. Please visit combatantisemitism.org for more information.

Today, we are witnessing an alarming rise in anti-Semitism both at home and abroad. As noted in the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act:

[I]n many foreign countries acts of anti-Semitism have been frequent and wide in scope, the perpetrators and variety of threats to Jewish communities and their institutions have proliferated, and in some countries anti-Semitic attacks have increased in frequency, scope, violence, and deadliness.

History has shown that increasing anti-Semitism is a sign of rising despotism and signals the escalation of oppression of all forms. Tackling the root causes of anti-Semitism, therefore, has a ripple effect on staying other types of religious, national, and ethnic-based persecution.

Hence, there has been an urgent need for this position to be filled, and we applaud the President’s choice of Mr. Carr.

An Iraq War veteran, Carr has served as a Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney since 2005, prosecuting hate crimes, terror suspects, and other criminal cases. He is a recognized leader in the fight against anti-Semitism on U.S. college campuses and around the world. Carr’s Iraqi grandfather faced anti-Semitism firsthand when he was arrested as part of Iraq’s war against Israel and his stepfather fled Nazi-occupied Bulgaria to pre-independence Israel before immigrating the United States. Carr’s wife is descended from Holocaust survivors.

Brooke Goldstein, The Lawfare Project’s Executive Director, said:

"We look forward to working alongside Elan Carr in the fight against global anti-Semitism, which includes threats that seek to undermine the sovereignty of the State of Israel, home to the world’s oldest ethnic and national minority, the Jewish people. The United States has long been a leader in the fight for human rights globally, and The Lawfare Project is pleased to see the U.S. government treat the issue of rising anti-Semitism with the urgency and seriousness needed to combat this despicable hatred."