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On Air

UN Mideast Envoy Nickolay Mladenov; Celebrating Hanukkah
People of the Pod / 21-minute listen
As United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov works to stave off escalations, speak up against violence, and promote peace between Israel and the Palestinians. Before he leaves his posting, Mladenov joins us on People of the Pod to reflect on his vital work. Then, AJC's Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations Rabbi Noam Marans shares his thoughts on the COVID-19 vaccine, and Manya Brachear Pashman recalls reporting on an attempt to break the world record for simultaneous dreidel spins at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. Listen now

Must-reads

The State of Antisemitism Around the Globe
AJC Global Voice / 10-minute read
AJC’s first-ever State of Antisemitism in America report, based on parallel surveys of American Jews and the U.S. general public, revealed sharp disparities between the Jewish community and non-Jewish Americans regarding their perceptions and experiences of antisemitism in the United States. Similar surveys conducted by AJC around the world reveal the same troubling trend: rising antisemitism and lack of awareness about it from the general public. In this series, AJC experts share their insights about nine international communities where particular expressions of Jew hatred are on the rise. Read more

Morocco Could Be a Middle East Game Changer
The Times of Israel / 3-minute read
Last week King Mohammed VI announced that Morocco — the Arab country with the oldest and largest Jewish community, as well as the largest Jewish diaspora — would normalize ties with the Jewish state. AJC Chief Policy Officer Jason Isaacson writes for The Times of Israel that the historic decision could be a game changer in the Middle East. In announcing his gesture of peace to Israel, King Mohammed emphasized his commitment to a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “What he did not say directly, but what is widely understood,” Isaacson writes, “is that this monarch — the so-called Commander of the Faithful, responsible for the welfare of all believers in his realm — has now, by engaging Israel, afforded himself unique influence to advance the causes he champions.” Read more

Europe Can’t Fight Antisemitism While Ignoring Threats to Israel
Politico Europe / 3-minute read
European leaders might publicly mourn the lives lost in the Holocaust or the menace of modern-day antisemitism, but their words ring hollow when their actions fail to support Israel. In Politico Europe, one of Europe’s premier political publications, AJC CEO David Harris raises troubling questions about Europe’s mixed messaging toward Israel, the memory of the Holocaust, and the battle against antisemitism. “If the EU is serious about tackling antisemitism and preserving historical memory of the Holocaust, it cannot neglect, minimize or wish away threats to the existence of Israel, the world’s lone Jewish-majority country and home to nearly 7 million Jews,” he writes. “The EU often complains that Israel does not trust Brussels or offer it a role in any unfolding peace process. A look in the mirror might offer an answer why.” Read more

Good to Know

Biden and Europe Can Confront Iran
Newsweek / 3-minute read
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has boldly claimed that the execution of a France-based journalist won’t hurt Iran's relations with Europe. Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute in Brussels, writes for Newsweek that the incoming Biden administration should urge Europe to prove him wrong, seize the opportunity to build a united front domestically and internationally, and renegotiate the failed Iran nuclear agreement before any sanctions are lifted against the world's number one state sponsor of terrorism. “Let's remember that only after the U.S. and the EU imposed unprecedented sanctions did the Islamic Republic agree to the JCPOA,” Schwammenthal writes. “Nothing less will work to substantively renegotiate it.” AJC tweeted: “The ‘moderate’ leadership in Iran believes that kidnapping and executing dissidents is unlikely to hurt Iran-Europe relations. Your move, Europe.” Read more

Technology Giants Must Work to Curb Online Antisemitism
The Jerusalem Post / 3-minute read
AJC’s recent State of Antisemitism in America report found that 22% percent of American Jewish adults have experienced antisemitism online or on social media in the last five years, 25% of Americans do not know what “antisemitism” means, and 21% have never heard the term. AJC Media Relations Director Kenneth Bandler writes for The Jerusalem Post that the amassing of hate online, specifically antisemitism, demands attention and action by the leaders of the technology giants. Users also need to learn what is antisemitic. “Those involved in the business of education, including social media firms, should lead in making the battle against antisemitism a national priority,” Bandler writes. Watch Monika Bickert, Facebook’s vice president of content policy, explain how Facebook determines what content is and is not permitted and what it is doing to keep its platform free of antisemitism and all forms of hate during a recent Advocacy Anywhere program. Read more

Senate Votes to Upgrade Antisemitism Special Envoy to Ambassador
Jewish Insider / 2-minute read
U.S. senators unanimously passed a bipartisan bill this week elevating the status of the State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism to ambassador level. The bill now goes to the House for a final vote. AJC Director of International Jewish Affairs Rabbi Andrew Baker told Jewish Insider that the heightened rank “will enable the U.S. to enhance our leadership addressing the scourge of antisemitism across the globe.” AJC strongly supported a May 2018 congressional letter calling for the appointment of an envoy, as well as an elevated rank of the position. AJC tweeted: “This is an important step to ensure that combating antisemitism remains a top priority for the [U.S.] at home and abroad.” Read more

AJC Shabbat Table

This week, in AJC’s Shabbat Table, we reflect on how Joseph’s advice to Pharoah to sustain Egypt during a famine with the surplus set aside in years of plenty suggests how we can endure challenges: perhaps we can draw on reserves of joy and memories of togetherness to get through the final clutches of the global pandemic and the dark winter ahead. We also remember the ouster of Jews from Spain — one of many expulsions of Jews from European countries during the Middle Ages, but the most notorious, as it was not fully rescinded until 1968. And we provide some discussion prompts about Belgium’s effective ban on kosher slaughter, which was upheld this week by the European Union’s highest court, despite the long history of similar bans linked to antisemitism. Read more

Tidings

May Their Memory Be For a Blessing (JTA)
Puppy Love (NPR)
Abu Dhabi Doughnut (Reuters)

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

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