(JTA) — The State Department is offering a $1 million grant to combat European anti-Semitism.
The announcement Friday followed days after the Trump administration sparked controversy in the Jewish community with a controversial executive order protecting Jewish college students.
The State Department said it was accepting applications for the funds, which are intended for a single program that would focus on “counter[ing] the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe as manifested through hate crimes such as acts of physical violence, desecration of religious community sites and religion-based discrimination.”
The tender said the program activities could include the provision of “training and resources to law enforcement” on issues such as hate crimes laws and “victim support,” “monitoring implementation of local and national laws” and “engaging in strategic litigation to set case law precedent.”
The Trump administration has a mixed record on anti-Semitism, with conservatives praising his denunciations of anti-Jewish hatred while critics have cited his divisive racial rhetoric that they blame for an uptick in hate crimes and his casual use of anti-Jewish stereotypes.
Trump left the position of State Department envoy for anti-Semitism unfilled for two years, drawing criticism from Jewish groups. In February, he appointed Los Angeles prosecutor and Iraq War veteran Elan Carr to the post.
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