Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (Orthodox Union), the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, applauded President Biden’s anticipated nomination of Holocaust historian and author Deborah Lipstadt to the State Department’s position of special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.

Lipstadt, a professor at Emory University, is a renowned scholar of Holocaust studies, author of many books and successfully defeated a libel suit brought against her by Holocaust denier David Irving.

The Orthodox Union, through its nonpartisan Advocacy Center, has urgently called for the special envoy position to be filled, and included that request in a recent letter to President Biden co-authored with other leading Jewish groups.

Said Nathan Diament, the Orthodox Union’s Executive Director for Public Policy:
“We extend our sincere congratulations to Deborah Lipstadt upon her expected nomination to this critical State Department post that comes at a time we are witnessing a terrible surge in attacks and threats committed against the global Jewish community.  These range from assaults on individuals to legal assaults on fundamental Jewish rites including Kashrut and Brit Mila. While it’s unfortunate we need to have such a position at the State Department, Prof. Lipstadt is certainly the best person to fill this job.”

Said Orthodox Union President Mark (Moishe) Bane:
“We are greatly heartened by the anticipated announcement of Prof. Lipstadt to continue our nation’s fight against antisemitism both here and abroad. She is a leader with great moral courage; her dedicated work, clear voice in fighting Holocaust denial and preserving the memory of the attempted destruction of the Jewish people make her an exemplary choice for this role.  The Orthodox Union leadership looks forward to working closely with Ambassador Lipstadt upon her confirmation. We call upon the U.S. Senate to swiftly consider her nomination and provide its approval.”