Pittsburgh.

A 57 percent increase in anti-Semitism.

Random acts of violence against Jews in cities and towns all over the nation.

The time could not be more urgent for the job Elan Carr was appointed to do.

He was chosen recently to be the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism.

“All that matters are results and impact,” the Trump administration appointee said in an interview with JNS.

The office, created in 2004, has had three previous holders. It has been suggested by the Secretary of State’s office that Carr’s appointment may be comparable at some time in the future to the level of U.S. ambassador.

The former military officer, who was deployed in Iraq, and criminal prosecutor is ideally suited for his new appointment, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The Secretary of State was quoted as saying that Carr had “served as an anti-terrorism expert and a Jewish community leader and has played a prominent role in defending the safety of the Jewish people at home and abroad.”

We wish we lived at a time when we did not need Carr’s services, but sadly we need his services more than ever in a world where we cannot let our guard down. Fortunately, we live in a nation where the Jewish people have the freedom to strive and thrive with complete religious liberty.

Also, we wish our nation’s new appointee chizuk in his mission to keep our American Jewish community safe and secure, bringing justice to those who would bring anti-Semitism to our communities with a strong, urgent hand.