AJC Dispatch
Check out this week's episode of AJC Passport and more!
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Spotlight
This week on AJC Passport, Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins us to discuss how the cooperation among Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, with support from the U.S., has the power to project stability and democratic values throughout the Middle East, strengthening Israel’s maritime border with the Mediterranean. We also talk to Julie Fishman Rayman, AJC’s Political Outreach Director, about this week’s Democratic debates. [link removed]
Must-reads
2020 Presidential Candidates on Antisemitism
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AJC / 5-minute read
This week, 20 Democratic candidates for president sparred over health care, climate change, and the economy in the second round of debates. But not one mentioned antisemitism, which surged in the U.S. after the polarized 2016 presidential campaign. To determine how much emphasis the 2020 candidates place on stopping anti-Jewish hatred, AJC examined what all of them – both Democrats and Republicans – have said or done to address the problem. Read more [link removed]
American Jews Are Asking If It’s Safe to Pray in Shul
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Jerusalem Post / 3-minute read
On Sunday, 69-year-old Warren Lipschutz was shot outside the Young Israel of Greater Miami synagogue in North Miami Beach while waiting for morning services to start. While Orthodox Jews in the area know Sunday’s shooting isn’t the same as the bloodshed in Pittsburgh or Poway, they are reasonably shaken. They see themselves as part of a troubling pattern and worry that security measures such as cameras, double locked doors, and guards aren’t enough. Police are investigating the shooting as a hate crime. A 2019 AJC Survey of American Jews [link removed] found that 65% consider the status of Jews in the U.S. less secure than a year ago. AJC CEO David Harris told the Jerusalem Post “Jews cannot effectively combat antisemitism alone, and the need to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to combat antisemitism in the U.S., whatever its source, is clear.” Read more [link removed]
The New York Times Investigates Antisemitism Charges Against the BDS Movement
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The New York Times / 4-minute read
As debates about the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions Movement heat up on Capitol Hill, three reporters from The New York Times interviewed American Jews, Israelis, and a top BDS spokesman to explain both sides. They spelled out the three Ds [link removed] used to distinguish between fair criticism of Israel and antisemitism: does it delegitimize, apply a double standard to or demonize the Jewish state? They also quote BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti, removing the veil from the movement’s ugly true motives. When asked if Jews can have their own state, he replies: “Not in Palestine.” Read what two editors from the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) had to say [link removed] about the Times piece and see AJC’s primer Behind the Boycott [link removed] to understand the history of this duplicitous campaign. Read more [link removed]
Good to Know
U.S. Envoys Accuse Iran of Profiting From Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
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Washington Post / 2-minute read
Seeking to garner support for the Trump administration’s peace proposal, U.S. envoys are blaming Iran for capitalizing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and undermining the stability of the Middle East for its own gain. Trump negotiator Jason D. Greenblatt tweeted Wednesday [link removed] : “The Iranian regime has exploited the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades – profiting from the chaos & violence to advance its malign activities & influence in the region. A successful peace agreement would be the Iranian regime’s worst nightmare.” Read more [link removed]
Five Years Later, the Fight for Hadar Goldin’s Body Continues
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Jerusalem Post / 3-minute read
Five years ago, Hamas kidnapped 23-year-old Lt. Hadar Goldin, despite a UN brokered ceasefire to end the 2014 war between Israel and Gaza. The Israeli soldier’s mother has been begging for his return ever since. Now Leah Goldin is pressing the international community, along with the Israeli government, to force Hamas to hand over her son’s body and hold the terrorist group accountable for violating the truce. Goldin’s mother, father, and twin brother appeared at AJC Global Forum 2018 in Jerusalem [link removed] to tearfully share their story and plead the family’s case. Read more [link removed]
Antisemitism in Germany: On the Streets and Online
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Times of Israel / 1-minute read
A prominent Berlin rabbi and his son on their way home from synagogue reported being insulted and spat upon by two Arabic-speaking men. Police are investigating the incident as a religiously motivated crime. In the meantime, Germany’s Foreign Ministry has disciplined employees [link removed] of the German mission to the Palestinian Authority after anti-Israel tweets were ‘liked’ by the mission’s official Twitter account. AJC will stand in solidarity with Germany’s Jewish community at AJC Global Forum 2020 [link removed] when more than 1,500 attendees meet in Berlin. Read more [link removed]
Tidings
Manischewitz Selling Kosher Food Business [link removed] (JTA)
The Woman Who Started a Viticulture Revolution in Israel [link removed] (Forbes)
Review: Tel Aviv on Fire Walks Fine Comedic Line [link removed] (Los Angeles Times)
The articles featured here do not necessarily reflect AJC’s positions.
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