At a hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo vowed to New Jersey Congressman Christopher Smith that he will promptly fill the position of “Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism,” which is currently vacant.

The Special Envoy’s sole responsibility is to monitor global anti-Semitism and work with domestic and international leaders to combat the hate. “I know that you care deeply about combating the scourge of anti-Semitism, which is rising all over the globe,” the Congressman Smith told Secretary Pompeo. “Please move on that.”

Congressman Smith originally wrote the provisions in the Global Anti-Semitism Act of 2004 that created the Special Envoy position. As a longtime high ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the Congressman has been a consistent force in the halls of power on behalf of human rights – and against Anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry – around the world.

In addition to aggressively pressuring the Secretary of State to fill the Special Envoy position, he sponsored the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act, HR 1911, which has already been passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. This legislation would elevate the Special Envoy to the rank of an ambassador, who reports directly to the Secretary of State.  Congressman Smith also serves as co-chair of the House Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Anti-Semitism.

Rabbi Moshe Zev Weisberg of The Lakewood Vaad lauded the unrelenting focus that Congressman Smith, whose district includes Lakewood and neighboring towns, has placed on the issue of anti-Semitism. “Congressman Smith is a genuine mentch and devoted friend of the Jewish community – locally, in Israel and around the world,” says Rabbi Weisberg. “We greatly appreciate his continuous and effective efforts to battle the forces of hate and destruction, and make the world a better place.”