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Dear John,
Yesterday, something quite extraordinary happened in the fight against antisemitism:
Facebook announced that it has updated its hate speech policy to prohibit any content “that denies or distorts the Holocaust.”
The announcement represents a dramatic shift in Facebook policy. No doubt that Facebook, like any global actor, balanced a number of considerations in making this decision.
But we are proud that Facebook publicly praised AJC as an indispensable global partner in this decision. As part of the AJC community, we hope you share in our pride.
Over the past several months, AJC has had the opportunity to engage in multiple conversations with Facebook executives in both the U.S. and Europe. And the Facebook team has noted AJC’s ongoing advocacy and engagement as playing a role in their decision-making process.
In fact, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg told us this: “Our experience with AJC has been that you are people who we can really trust and learn from.”
Facebook’s decision to remove all Holocaust denial and distortion postings and prevent any such posts in the future is a significant victory. With Holocaust memory fading, particularly among young people, the power and credibility of Facebook are vital to preserving the facts of the most documented genocide in history, and helping maintain the guardrails against any possible recurrence.
Even with this win, our work is far from over. AJC pledges to continue partnering with Facebook and other online platforms to combat antisemitism and other forms of bigotry, which are thriving on social media.
You can join us by donating to AJC today. It is support from friends like you that empowers AJC to continue the fight.
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With gratitude,
David Harris
AJC Chief Executive Officer
Edward and Sandra Meyer Office of the CEO
P.S. Our press release following Facebook’s announcement can be found here.
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