AJC Dispatch

Advocacy Anywhere

Advocacy Anywhere, Powered by AJC, is our online platform bringing you top-quality content during the pandemic. Tune in Tuesday, July 14, for a conversation with Mark Mellman, President and CEO of the Democratic Majority for Israel. Then on Thursday, July 16, join AJC for a special conversation with the President of Argentina, H.E. Alberto Fernández, on the 26th anniversary of the AMIA terrorist attack, the single deadliest antisemitic incident since World War II. View the Advocacy Anywhere page for information on past and future programs.

On Air

Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories; Coronavirus Resurgence in Israel
People of the Pod / 40-minute listen
This week, we hear from Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, and Dave Rich, Director of Policy at the UK’s Community Security Trust, on the rise of antisemitic conspiracy theories amid the coronavirus pandemic and following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Then, we hear an update on the resurgence of the pandemic in Israel from Dr. Yonatan Freeman, an international relations expert and professor of political science at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Listen now

Must-reads

AJC U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism Personally Driven to Right a Wrong
AJC Global Voice / 2-minute read
A committed Christian, Holly Huffnagle vowed after a visit to the Nazi concentration and death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau to devote herself to stopping the spread of Jew hatred. She has honored that pledge. After five years as a researcher at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, she served at the U.S. Department of State as a policy advisor for the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. Now AJC’s first-ever U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, Huffnagle tackles multiple sources of Jew-hatred every day, including white supremacy, far-left anti-Zionism, and Islamist extremism. Watch Huffnagle moderate The Hate Speech Debate at last month’s AJC Virtual Global Forum and hear her discussion on antisemitic conspiracy theories in this week’s episode of AJC’s podcast, People of the Pod. And be sure to follow @HHuffnagleAJC on Twitter. Read more

Why We Will Not Give Up on a Two-State Solution
The Times of Israel / 4-minute read
In an 8,000-word essay in Jewish Currents and a parallel op-ed published in The New York Times, journalist and author Peter Beinart this week declared the two-state solution dead, arguing instead for a single state for both Jews and Palestinians. In a scathing rebuttal, Israeli scholar and author Daniel Gordis accused Beinart of ignoring the many Zionist thinkers and Israeli leaders who once considered this approach and discovered that nothing but a Jewish state would guarantee Jews a safe haven in the Middle East. Beinart counts on readers not doing their homework and figuring out his sins of omission, Gordis wrote. AJC tweeted: “It is exhausting that these arguments still need to be made in 2020, but it’s good to have Gordis in our corner.” Read more

Philly Eagles Star Schooled in Antisemitism
The Philadelphia Inquirer / 2-minute read
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson has apologized for Instagram posts that included a fake Adolf Hitler quote about the Jews and praise for antisemitic Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan. “This apology is more than just words -- it is a promise to do better,” Jackson said. “I will fully educate myself and work with local and national organizations to be more informed and make a difference in our community.” Meanwhile, other NFL players, including Pittsburgh Steeler Zach Banner, who is Black, and New England Patriot Julian Edelman, who is Jewish, posted messages of support for the Jewish community. When former NBA Star Stephen Jackson defended the Eagles receiver, AJC tweeted: “@DeSeanJackson10 has apologized for his horrific comments. Perhaps you should take a page out of his book and educate yourself about antisemitism.” Listen to our tribute to Banner and his moving video on this week’s episode of AJC’s podcast, People of the Pod. Read more

Israel Develops 30-Minute COVID Test as Cases Surge
The Times of Israel / 2-minute read
As coronavirus cases multiply in Israel, a Jerusalem hospital chief is assuring citizens that the health system is equipped to handle the surge and that social distancing and precautions can halt the spread before a nationwide lockdown becomes necessary. Meanwhile, an Israeli company says it has developed a half-hour coronavirus test kit that has been submitted for approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted on Thursday that the country had lifted restrictions prematurely. Listen to Israeli national security expert Yonatan Freeman discuss vaccines, tests, and other measures on AJC’s People of the Pod podcast this week. Read more

Good to Know

Supreme Court Ruling Shields Religious Institutions
Jewish Insider / 1-minute read
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday that certain employees of religious institutions, including school teachers, can’t sue for employment discrimination. The ruling further clarifies a unanimous 2012 decision that said the separation of church and state enables religious groups to hire and fire individuals who serve as teachers or messengers of their faith, without court interference. AJC submitted an amicus brief in the case. “It’s a long-standing position of the AJC that religious groups ought to be free within very broad limits to shape the way they pass the faith on to others,” AJC Chief Legal Officer Marc Stern told Jewish Insider. “It’s not the government’s business to tell churches, synagogues, mosques, temples how they pass the faith on to the next generation.” Read more

Greek Parliament Ratifies Defense Agreement with Israel
Jewish News Syndicate / 1-minute read
Greek lawmakers approved an agreement with Israel for the supply of defense equipment and services between the two countries. At the same time, the U.S. State Department announced it would provide military education training to Cypriot armed forces, a key actor promoting peace in the Eastern Mediterranean. AJC tweeted: “The Greece-Israel-Cyprus relationship, for which AJC has long advocated, is a key strategic development in the Eastern Mediterranean.” Watch a conversation between AJC CEO David Harris and Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis during last month’s AJC Virtual Global Forum. Read more

Germany Confronts Neo-Nazis in Military
The New York Times / 3-minute read
German officials can no longer ignore warnings that far-right extremists have infiltrated the German military and police. More than 600 out of 184,000 soldiers are now under investigation for far-right extremism after agents discovered stockpiles of stolen weapons and explosives. But authorities worry that far-right extremism may be entrenched in German institutions beyond the armed forces, aided by the emerging far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD. This week, Germany’s defense minister, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer dissolved a fighting company in the military’s special elite unit because it had become infested with extremists. Watch Kramp-Karrenbauer’s address at last month’s AJC Virtual Global Forum. Read more

Tidings

Out of Print (Jewish Insider)
More Unorthodox Please (Variety)
St. Louis Remains (Associated Press)

The articles featured here do not necessarily reflect AJC’s positions.

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