NEW YORK (EJP)---A Jewish group called Wednesday on the member states of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to meet their obligations to combat anti-Semitism and hate crime. 

In a statement, it also called on the governments to partner with Jewish communities and other civil society representatives in crafting and implementing policies.

The OSCE comprises 56 nations, including the U.S., Canada and the countries of Europe and Eurasia.

At the organization’s annual human dimension implementation meeting in the Polish capital of Warsaw, the New York-based Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported on the findings of ADL’s surveys of anti-Semitic attitudes in 11 European countries and presented recommendations to governments on how to combat anti-Semitism across Europe.

“Our overriding message to governments is to maintain their resolve to not only recognize the problem, but take proactive steps to monitor, expose and combat anti-Semitism,” said Stacy Burdett, ADL’s director for government and national affairs, during the OSCE meeting in Poland.

“Anti-Semitic violence is on the rise in the OSCE region. There is a need for a distinct focus on the problem,” he added.

In its report entitled “Hate crimes in the OSCE Region”, the OSCE’s office for democratic institutions and human rights (ODIHR) called anti-Semitism “a threat to security and stability in the region” and noted a widespread pattern of anti-Israel sentiment fueling anti-Semitic incidents, particularly in connection to the 2006 fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Since 2003, the OSCE member states have taken on a series of commitments to combat anti-Semitism, in areas such as hate crime data collection, law enforcement training, and education on the Holocaust and anti-Semitism.

In its recommendations to the OSCE, ADL said governments must not weaken their resolve to confront anti-Semitism as available data show that anti-Semitic violence is on the rise.

“Governments must not weaken their resolve to confront the issue. The OSCE and its participating states should focus on the problem and maintain momentum to counter hate by holding an expert-level implementation event focused on anti-Semitism in 2008, and a high-level conference in 2009,” the ADL said.

It also recommended the reappointment of a personal representative on anti-Semitism, the monitoring of hate crime and the establishing of a communication with the civil society and between communities.

ADL said parliaments should serve as “catalysts” for action against anti-Semitism, giving the example of the UK’s All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Anti-Semitism which, it said, “provided an excellent model of parliamentarians documenting and challenging anti-Semitic attitudes and encouraging government action at the highest level."