(JTA) — Nearly six months into Donald Trump’s term as president, the United States remains without a special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, an ambassador-level role at the State Department known colloquially as the antisemitism czar.

Trump announced his pick for the role, a Hasidic fixer named Yehuda Kaploun, in April and formally nominated him in May. But the Senate, which is controlled by Trump’s party, has yet to schedule a confirmation hearing for the nominee.

The role, which is focused on foreign policy, remains vacant even as the Trump administration warns that antisemitism is a growing and urgent global threat — and as key senators in charge of the confirmation process argue that antisemitism is corrupting international institutions.

For example, following the murder of two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C. in May, Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, emphasized that such incidents are not confined to one place or country.

“It is just a horrific tragedy, an act of terror, and another way in which we have to recognize Jewish people all over the world are being singled out for these kinds of horrible attacks,” Huckabee said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has introduced two bills in recent months that would strip U.S. funding from international bodies over what he calls “blatant antisemitism” at the United Nations.

Asked about the timeline for confirmation, a White House spokesperson said to ask the Senate. The Foreign Relations Committee did not respond to a request for comment.

Kaploun, who is not doing interviews until after his expected confirmation hearing, has said that government action is crucial in the fight against antisemitism. He expressed his views in a recent essay published by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, in which he wrote about the creation last year of the Global Guidelines to Counter Antisemitism.

“We call attention to the first of the guidelines: Government leaders must speak out expeditiously and unequivocally,” he wrote in the essay, which he co-authored with the two most recent antisemitism czars.

While awaiting word from the Senate about a hearing, Kaploun has held at least several high-profile but informal meetings, including with Leo Terrell, the civil rights lawyer tapped by Trump to lead a new multi-agency task force on antisemitism, and with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit to Washington, D.C.

Kaploun has not publicly outlined how he views the role or what his priorities would be, but the challenges confronting Jews around the world are extensive. Poland, for example, recently elected a president with a record of Holocaust revisionism. In Australia, attacks on synagogues and other antisemitic incidents — many linked to pro-Palestinian activism — have become routine. Turkish politicians are embracing antisemitic rhetoric to an alarming extent. And in Germany, authorities recently uncovered an alleged Iranian plot to attack Berlin’s Jewish community.

A recent Anti-Defamation League survey found that nearly half of adults around the world have what researchers defined as “elevated levels of antisemitic attitudes,” double the rate from a decade ago.

All of this is unfolding amid sweeping layoffs of about 1,300 employees and a restructuring at the State Department, part of the Trump administration’s broader push to streamline foreign policy operations. While the administration has said the fight against antisemitism remains a priority, the downsizing has raised concerns that cuts could hinder U.S. capacity around the world.

“The Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism remains fully operational, working closely with the entire department in fighting antisemitism throughout the world,” the State Department said in a statement, without responding to specific questions from JTA.

It’s not the first time there’s been a vacancy in the position at the start of a new administration. President Joe Biden nominated Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt for the role about six months into his term, in July 2021, but her candidacy stalled in the Senate for another eight months. Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee delayed scheduling a hearing, citing concerns over past tweets in which Lipstadt criticized a GOP lawmaker. She was ultimately confirmed in March 2022, after a lengthy and contentious confirmation process.

During his first term, Trump didn’t nominate anyone for the special envoy role for two years, despite pressure from the outset by Jewish groups and a bipartisan slate of lawmakers to do so. Critics argued that the absence of a dedicated envoy signaled a lack of urgency in addressing rising antisemitism abroad. The position remained vacant until February 2019, when Trump tapped Elan Carr, a former prosecutor and U.S. Army veteran, to fill the post. That role had not yet been elevated to ambassador rank, so it did not require Senate confirmation. He served through the end of Trump’s first term.

This time, Jewish groups and lawmakers have shown little proactive advocacy around the vacancy. The World Jewish Congress, the ADL and the American Jewish Committee, all of which were vocal during past vacancies, told JTA it remains urgent to fill the role but none have mounted a public campaign.

In a statement, AJC CEO Ted Deutch said, “Given the current environment of antisemitism here in the U.S. and around the globe, AJC urges the Senate to move forward with the confirmation hearing of President Trump’s nominee for this post and to fully fund and allocate all necessary resources to the office so that its integral work can continue.”

ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said, “With antisemitism on the rise from Latin America and Europe to the Middle East and Asia, we urgently need a confirmed U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. While we appreciate that a nominee has been named, the continued delay in confirmation undermines the United States’ ability to lead in the global fight against antisemitism. This role is not a formality; it is an essential role in the U.S. government to address hatred and violence toward Jews across the globe.”

A statement from the WJC also called on the government to add permanent staffing and structure that are common for State Department offices but have been lacking at the office of the antisemitism envoy.

“Its capacity fluctuates depending on political priorities and short-term resources — leaving fewer dedicated experts focused on antisemitism and its regional manifestations,” the state reads. “We urge both the Administration and Congress to ensure the office is always equipped to meet the growing global threat.”