WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th February, 2019) US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Elan Carr is traveling to Slovakia and Belgium this week to participate in two conferences, the Department of State announced in a media note.
Earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement announced the appointment of Carr as the new envoy. Carr is a former criminal prosecutor, currently serves as a military officer, and is a Jewish community leader, Pompeo said.
"In Slovakia, Special Envoy Carr will attend a conference on 'Combating Anti-Semitism in the OSCE Region' February 5-6," the release said on Tuesday. "This... will gather government representatives, political leaders, and [figures]... from academic, civil society and the media."
Participants in the conference in the Slovak capital Bratislava will hold a dialogue about challenges and good practices in addressing anti-Semitism, the note said.
Carr will then travel to Brussels, Belgium on February 7 to participate in a conference on 'Combating Anti-Semitism and Better Protecting Jewish Communities Across the European Union,'" the State Department said.
The Brussels conference will gather European Union member states to discuss efforts to continue addressing the needs of European Jewish communities, the note added.
Congressman Eliot Engel in a press release after the announcement on Tuesday said he applauded the move but slammed the Trump administration for allowing the slot to be vacant for two years.
"For too long, the Trump Administration failed the global Jewish community, dragging its feet to fill this critical position during a time of increased Anti-Semitism around the world," Engel said.
Engel urged the Trump administration to sign legislation passed last month that will ensure prolonged vacancy never happens again.
Human Rights First said in a press release that Carr will have his hands full and will face challenges in Europe where some government leaders "are embracing antisemitic tropes and distorting the history of the Holocaust" to achieve policy ends.
