AJC Dispatch

Advocacy Anywhere

Advocacy Anywhere is AJC’s online platform bringing you top-quality content during the pandemic. Tune in Monday, July 27, for a conversation with former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, National Chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, for an assessment of his party’s 2020 prospects. Coleman will discuss how President Trump’s groundbreaking decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and his further steps to demonstrate Washington’s close alignment with Israel have raised Republicans’ hopes this year of eating into Democrats’ traditional advantage among Jewish voters. View the Advocacy Anywhere page for information on past and future programs.

On Air

Remembering Congressman John Lewis
People of the Pod / 23-minute listen
This week, we sit down with Sherry Frank, who served as Director of AJC Atlanta for 26 years and was a close friend of civil rights icon and Congressman John Lewis. Lewis passed away on July 17. Together, Frank and Congressman Lewis founded the Atlanta Black-Jewish Coalition in 1982. Frank joins us to share some of her memories of this American giant. Listen now

Must-reads

John Lewis: The Man Who Opposed Hate
Tablet / 2-minute read
This week, we joined all Americans in paying tribute to the remarkable life of Congressman John Lewis. On Wednesday, AJC and founding Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Black-Jewish Relations honored Lewis’s life and legacy during a special Advocacy Anywhere session. A longtime friend of Israel and ally of the Jewish community, Lewis refused to normalize Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, even as other prominent African American celebrities and politicians did. "Opposing anti-Semitism was John Lewis’ thing, even if it occasionally set him apart from his putative ideological and racial allies," wrote James Kirchick, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution and a columnist at Tablet magazine. Read more

Labour’s Apology to Antisemitism Whistleblowers is Just A Start
AJC Global / 2-minute read
Last year, seven former employees of the British Labour Party spoke out in a BBC Panorama program, criticizing the party’s past leadership for mishandling antisemitism complaints. The Labour Party has now apologized and agreed to pay “substantial” damages to the seven whistleblowers. Many have said the gesture signals a new determination on the part of new party leader Sir Keir Starmer to confront the party’s record of antisemitism. In this column, published exclusively by AJC, Lord John Mann, a longtime partner of AJC’s during his many years as a British Member of Parliament and now as the UK’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, explains why this is the start of a process, not the end. Read more

Netherlands Admits to Paying Palestinian Terrorists
The Jerusalem Post / 1-minute read
The Netherlands has suspended its donations to the Palestinian Union of Agricultural Work Committees after revelations that Dutch government funds helped compensate two terrorists involved in killing 17-year-old Rina Shnerb last year. The killers are members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a designated terrorist group in the EU. AJC tweeted: “The fact that the Netherlands admitted its disastrous policy decision is a positive step in the right direction. Now the Netherlands must work with European partners to ensure that aid money is spent in line with core EU values and interests.” Read more

Good to Know

AJC New Antisemitism Director: Jew-hatred Must Be Held to Same Standard as Other Prejudice
The Times of Israel / 3-minute read
In wide-ranging interviews with The Times of Israel and the Jewish News Syndicate, Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s new U.S. Director of Combating Antisemitism, says both presidential candidates should push hard against white supremacy and call out antisemitism in their own parties – both on the right and on the left. “It’s important that we talk about the various sources of anti-Semitism, whether it’s the far-right or the radical left, or from religious extremists,” she told JNS. Huffnagle tweeted: “The complexity of antisemitism poses the greatest challenge to fight it. While we call out antisemitism from the radical left, Islamist extremists, and Black supremacists, we must remain equally vigilant against far-right, white supremacist antisemitism. We cannot remain silent.” Read more

Madonna’s Louis Farrakhan Instagram Post Racks Up 700,000 Views
JTA / 1-minute read
The “material girl” needs to find new material for her Instagram account. Earlier this month, Madonna posted a video for her 15 million Instagram followers that promoted a speech by Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader known for spewing antisemitic rhetoric. The post has since been viewed more than 722,000 times. AJC tweeted: “@Madonna, Louis Farrakhan is a vicious antisemite and homophobe who has referred to Jews as vermin and is widely regarded as one of the most prominent purveyors of hate in America. We urge you to take down this ill-advised post.” Read more

IDF Sends Troops to Israel’s North
The Times of Israel / 2-minute read
Two days after Hezbollah accused Israel of killing one of its fighters in Syria during an airstrike, the Israel Defense Forces dispatched additional troops to Israel’s border with Lebanon to guard against retaliation. Since the start of Syria’s civil war in 2011, Israel has launched hundreds of strikes targeting Syrian troops, allied Iranian forces, and Hezbollah militants. Citing Hezbollah’s collaboration with Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime, 236 lawmakers from both sides of the Atlantic have called on the EU to designate Hezbollah in its entirety a terrorist organization. Watch AJC’s Transatlantic Institute and the Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) announce the unprecedented declaration during a special Advocacy Anywhere program. Read more

Tidings

Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Los Angeles Tie for 6th in Tech Rankings (Israel21c)
Charles Barkley Calls Out Antisemitism (JTA)
Finally, Jewish Kids’ Books Reflect Diversity (The Forward)

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

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