New York City – Members of Congress have begun to raise questions about the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s failure to hire approximately 90 Sephardic Jews from New York City who applied to be Arab language translators.  Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens & Brooklyn) and Frank Palone (D-NJ) have asked FBI Director Robert Mueller for a case by case explanation for the decisions not to hire.

Shortly after 9-11, the FBI approached Brooklyn’s sizable Sephardic Jewish community, as part of an urgent effort to address a shortage of Arab language translators. Most of those approached were of Syrian origin.

In response, Sephardic Bikur Holim, a Sephardic Jewish organization based in Brooklyn, organized an effort that resulted in approximately 90 applicants for Arab language translation posts.  However, none were hired.

            In a letter to Director Mueller, Weiner and Pallone have requested a detailed account of the hiring process.  “I understand that a very small percentage of applicants are given offers of employment,” Weiner and Pallone wrote.  “[I]n an attempt to ensure that no bias or discrimination exists within the bureau, I request that you provide us with an explanation, on an individual by individual basis, of why each applicant was turned away.”