U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in the briefing room of the State Department in Washington, U.S. January 7, 2022. Andrew Harnik/Pool via REUTERS

Seventy-five members of the US Congress on Thursday issued a letter asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to update the body on an investigation of antisemitism in the US Department of State.

The letter comes a year after someone graffitied a swastika in a State Department elevator and several other incidents, including the carving of a swastika in an elevator of the Harry S. Truman building, the painting of swastika on a window at the US Embassy in Bulgaria, and the discovery of an antisemitic blog operated by US Foreign Service Officer Fritz Berggren, a State Department employee.

Secretary of State Blinken announced an investigation to determine the extent of antisemitism at the State Department in July 2021. It remains ongoing.

“We call on you to report back to Congress on the status of your investigation into these incidents, and on the general existence of antisemitism within the State Department,” the letter said. “We also call on you to report on what your office plans to do to improve tolerance and non-discrimination, including working with organizations like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to institute targeted training and promote better understanding.”

Signed by a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers representing the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, including Grace Meng, Brian Fitzpatrick, Kathy Manning, Randy Weber, and Kay Granger, it also added that the State Department is, under the terms of a 2023 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations report, required to apprise Congress of the status of its investigation. Proceedings to finalize the department’s fiscal year 2023 funding have not yet concluded, but the lawmakers insisted that “this issue is too urgent, and it cannot wait for the appropriations process to finish.”

“These instances of antisemitism at the State Department are unacceptable, and I thank Secretary Blinken for his commitment to conducting a thorough investigation,” said signatory Congresswoman Grace Meng on Friday. She noted, however, that Fritz Berggren has not been fired and “has continued his antisemitic rhetoric.”

“It is not only my duty to call out all instances of antisemitism whenever they occur, but also to ensure that our State Department is free from this hateful rhetoric,” Meng added.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit that has documented an increase in antisemitic incidents across the United States and the world, also discussed the incidents at the State Department, saying, “it is troubling to see.”

“We welcome the statements made by President Biden and Secretary Blinken condemning these incidents and urge the internal review to continue and its progress to be shared,” he added. “ADL stands ready to assist the State Department and other federal agencies as they work to ensure that Jewish American employees are fully included, supported, and protected in government service.”