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US Officials Vow to Combat Rising Tide of Anti-Semitism

Masood Farivar

   WASHINGTON - Top Trump administration officials vowed Monday to fight
   what they termed a rising tide of anti-Semitism that at times has
   turned violent and caused mass murder.

   Calling anti-Semitism a "cancer," Attorney General William Barr said he
   was deeply concerned about the rise of hate crimes and political
   violence, including a "marked increase" in bias attacks targeting
   members of the American Jewish community.

   Hate crimes in the United States increased by 31% between 2014 and
   2017, while anti-Semitic incidents jumped by more than 50% over the
   same period, according to the most recent FBI data. Anti-Semitic hate
   crimes accounted for most religiously motivated bias attacks.

   "We must have zero tolerance for violence that is motivated by hatred
   for our fellow citizens, whether based on race, sex or creed," Barr
   said at a Justice Department summit on combating anti-Semitism.
   "Anti-Semitic violence is especially pernicious because it targets both
   Jewish ethnic identity and religious practice."

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