Following this morning’s UN conference on promotion of religious liberty, which Rabbi Menken attended by invitation from the Office of the Vice President, Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Managing Director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, made the following statement:

It was notable that all three of Vice President Pence, President Trump and UN Secretary-General Guterres led with anti-Semitism when discussing animus against religious groups. The Vice-President referred first to the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh as an example of violence against religious groups, the President listed Jews first among those targeted, and the Secretary-General referred to anti-Semitism first among forms of hatred towards religious groups.

All three demonstrated a clear awareness that Jews are the “canary in the coal mine,” the first (and not the last) to be targeted by hateful regimes and groups.