The Trump administration has a responsibility to combat hatred against Jews by appointing a special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism at the US State Department, as has been done by every administration since 2004, those who have held the position under President Obama told the press on Monday.

The former envoys, Ira Forman and Hannah Rosenthal, who occupied the position during both terms of the Obama presidency respectively, spoke during a briefing held by the Anti-Defamation League to discuss the Trump Administration’s failure to name their successor.

The position had been then created under the auspices of the global Antisemitism Awareness Act, signed into law by President George W. Bush and is now vacant.

Last week, JTA reported that the office to monitor and combat anti-Semitism will be unstaffed as of July 1, when its remaining two staffers, each working part-time or less, would be reassigned.

“One of the first things I noted when I got to the State Department, is that if people aren't being rounded up and sent to their death, many in the department, congress and many places, felt that there isn’t antisemitism.” Hannah Rosenthal, who served in that office from 2009 to 2012 said. “So it became very important for me to make sure we defined what antisemitism is and we have training for the people who are about to go out to various foreign posts. If they don't know what antisemitism is they don't know what to report.”

Rosenthal said that “leaving the position vacant would be “a huge step backwards and a huge opportunity missed.”

“Let's remember that this position was created with unanimous support from the Congress,” she pointed out. “It has well moved beyond anyone’s ability to make this a partisan issue, and how now it is being put forward with a partisan angle is very tragic.”

“Anti-Semitism is a very virulent form of hatred and this administration has a responsibility to confront that and all other hatred,” Rosenthal added.

Ira Forman, who was the State Department’s envoy on antisemitism between 2013 and 2016, added that through this office, the United State has taken a leadership role on the phenomenon.

“Moreover it is the US leadership which has encouraged European and other countries to appoint their own special envoys for antisemitism, and in the last year or two we've seen a major increase in these positions,” he said.

“How can we continue to encourage that if we don't have a special envoy?” Forman continued. “We are greatly concerned by what we heard from Secretary Tillerson in the last week or so but congress, in a very bipartisan way has always spoken out, and I am confident will continue.”

According to CEO of the ADL, Jonathan Greenblatt, who has been advocating for the appointment to be made, said in his statement that the office of the special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism has played a critical role in responding to and monitoring antisemitic events and instances around the world.

“The threat of antisemitism certainly is not abated,” he added. “Today it remains a real and present danger for some of the world’s most vulnerable Jewish communities and yet it seems that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is in no hurry to fill this vital position.”

Greenblatt added that Secretary Tillerson has remained “opaque about his motives and inexplicably continues to kick the can down the road.”

“Budget speak louder than words about priorities,” he added. “Cutting these resources for the office and delaying the decision to hire an envoy is a serious mistake.”

Reports earlier this year had revealed that President Donald Trump is considering cutting a number of special envoy positions.

The position of White House Jewish liaison too remains vacant since the new administration took office. According to a White House senior official who spoke to the Post earlier this month, they have no plans to fill it, breaking with a tradition dating back to the days of Jimmy Carter’s presidency.

Last week, a bipartisan group of lawmakers wrote a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to appoint a White House liaison to the Jewish community.

By Danielle Ziri