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Elan Somekh Carr (born November 25, 1968) is an American lawyer,[1] diplomat, politician, and chief executive. He is the CEO of the Israeli American Council.[2][3] Previously, he served as the United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism under President Donald Trump from 2019 to 2021.[4][5][6][7]

Before that appointment, Carr was a Deputy District Attorney in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.[5][8] In 2014, he was the Republican candidate for the US House of Representatives, losing the general election to Ted Lieu. Carr is also an officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps in the U.S. Army Reserve and an Iraq War veteran.

Political candidacies

In 2014, Carr ran as a Republican to succeed retiring Congressman Henry Waxman, representing California's 33rd congressional district in the United States House of Representatives.[9] In the heavily Democratic district, his message centered on bipartisan solutions to the country's problems and he spoke about the support he was receiving from Democrats.[9]

In the June nonpartisan blanket primary, he placed first, receiving approximately 21% of the votes cast, defeating all Democratic candidates, who split the Democratic vote in the district.[10]

In the November general election, Carr faced Democratic state senator Ted Lieu.[11] Lieu defeated Carr, securing 59.2% of the vote to Carr's 40.8%.[12]

In 2016, Carr was a candidate to represent the 5th Supervisorial District on the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.[13] Republican donor Sheldon Adelson contributed $100,000 to an independent expenditure political action committee in support of Carr's candidacy.[13] Carr failed to advance in the June primary.[14]

Personal

Carr speaking in 2019

Carr is Jewish.[15] His maternal grandfather, a relative of Baghdad rabbinical leader Abdallah Somekh, was arrested during widespread antisemitic persecution of Iraq's Jewish community during the time of the founding of the state of Israel in 1948. He was convicted in a show trials and sentenced to five years in prison.[15]

During Carr's Iraq War service, he helped lead an anti-terrorism team in missions throughout Iraq, prosecute terrorists who had attacked U.S soldiers in the Central Criminal Court of Iraq, and train Iraqi judges and lawyers on constitutional law and criminal defense. He also led Jewish services in the former presidential palace of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad, including by lighting a Hanukkah menorah in the first Hanukkah after the liberation of Baghdad in 2003.[16][17][15]

Carr's mother fled from Iraq to Israel, while his stepfather fled from Nazi-occupied Bulgaria to pre-independence Israel. Both later immigrated to the United States.[18] His biological father is second generation Irish and Italian descent.

Carr earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy and political science at the University of California, Berkeley and his J.D. degree at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.[19][15] He previously served as international president of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity.[17][15]

He and his wife Dahlia, a physician, met when they were introduced by a mutual friend hosting a Jewish singles event.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://apps.calbar.ca.gov/attorney/Licensee/Detail/192826
  2. ^ "Israeli American Council appoints Elan S. Carr as CEO". 18 September 2023.
  3. ^ shanee (2023-10-02). "Elan S. Carr". IAC | Israeli American Council. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  4. ^ 118 Stat. 1282, 1284. "The head of the Office shall be the Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism (in this section referred to as the 'Special Envoy')."
  5. ^ a b Pompeo, Michael R. (February 5, 2019). "On the Appointment of Elan S. Carr as Special Envoy To Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism" (Remarks by the Secretary of State). Washington, DC: United States Department of State. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  6. ^ Kampeas, Ron (February 4, 2019). "Trump names prosecutor, former AEPi leader, Iraq war vet to be anti-Semitism monitor". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  7. ^ "Trump to appoint Elan Carr Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism". JewishInsider. February 4, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "Alpha Epsilon Pi Leader Named US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism: Past International President Elan S. Carr to Lead United States' Government's Efforts Against Global Anti-Semitism" (Press release). Indianapolis, IN: Alpha Epsilon Pi. February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019. A lifelong advocate for Jewish causes, Carr was previously a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County (CA) where he prosecuted violent felony crimes for more than a decade. He has prosecuted murders, armed robberies, hate crimes, and some of Southern California's most notorious criminal street gangs. Most recently as a special victim prosecutor, he focused on sexual assault, domestic violence, and child molestation cases.
  9. ^ a b c Yeang, Nancy (July 10, 2014). "Who is Elan Carr? Straight talk with the Congressional candidate in a Weekly exclusive" (PDF). Beverly Hills Weekly. No. 771. pp. 6–7. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Daunt, Tina (June 4, 2014). "Republican Elan Carr Leads Wendy Greuel, Ted Lieu in Race for Henry Waxman's 33rd District Seat". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Sumers, Brian (4 June 2014). "Republican Elan Carr, Democrat Ted Lieu set for November general election battle". The Daily Breeze. Retrieved 2014-06-22.
  12. ^ Sichel, Jared (March 12, 2015). "Former congressional candidate Elan Carr to run for county supervisor". The Jewish Journal. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Sewell, Abby (June 6, 2016). "Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson gives $100,000 to support L.A. County supervisor candidate". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  14. ^ Sewell, Abby; Zahniser, David; Walton, Alice (June 8, 2016). "Janice Hahn and Kathryn Barger face runoffs in L.A. County supervisor races". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  15. ^ a b c d e Frydberg, Tracy (January 6, 2013). "Iraqi past trails former frat boy to Israel, LA and Saddam's former palace: Now a prosecutor and the head of the world's largest Jewish fraternity, Elan Carr has drawn on his painful family history in each phase of life". The Times of Israel. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  16. ^ https://aish.com/chanukah_in_baghdad/
  17. ^ a b Leibovich, Mark (April 24, 2014). "The Real House Candidates of Beverly Hills". The New York Times. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  18. ^ "Carr announces candidacy for 33rd Congressional District" (PDF). Beverly Hills Weekly. No. 750. February 13, 2014. pp. 3–4. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  19. ^ Daily, Krista (May 26, 2016). "Meet the Fifth District supervisor candidates for primary election". The Santa Clarita Valley Signal.
Diplomatic posts
Vacant
Title last held by
Ira Forman 		United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism
2019–2021 		Most recent
International
National
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elan_Carr
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