American Jewish Committee

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Dear AJC Friend, Shabbat Shalom. Welcome to the latest edition of AJC Dispatch, bringing you everything you need to know about Israel and the Jewish world from the past week.

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This week, as Congress debated whether an embrace of antisemitic conspiracy theories disqualifies a member from leadership, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) reminded everyone that Jew hatred comes from all sides and multiple sources. The fight against antisemitism is and always should be a nonpartisan issue.

SAVE THE DATE: The countdown has begun for the premier global Jewish advocacy event of the year: AJC Virtual Global Forum returns June 6-9, 2021! Expect spirited conversations with world leaders and hard-hitting expert debates on the most pressing issues facing America, Israel, and the Jewish people.

The Times of Israel | 4-minute read

AJC CEO David Harris writes in The Times of Israel that antisemitism hails from three basic directions – the hard left, the far right, and jihadists. This trifocal analysis reflects a nonpartisan approach. “Those who genuinely care about antisemitism must open their eyes wide and be swivel-headed and not allow partisan political thinking to narrow the field of vision and sense of outrage,” Harris writes. READ MORE

AJC Releases Arabic Video Debunking Protocols of the Elders of Zion

AJC.org | 1-minute read

This week, AJC released an Arabic-language video about the infamous antisemitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It is the fifth installment of AJC’s Arabic-language video series, ‘An al-Yahud (“About the Jews”), which has been viewed by tens of millions of Arabic-speakers around the world. The new animated short film presents the twisted history of the 117-year-old fabricated text, which alleges a secret conspiracy by a cabal of influential Jews to control the world. It then goes on to expose and discredit The Protocols’ outrageous claims. READ MORE

Poland and Jews: Coauthors of History?

Gazeta Wyborcza | 5-minute read

Polish-Jewish relations are fraught with bitter challenges, as AJC CEO David Harris knows firsthand from four decades of front-line experience. In this column for Gazeta Wyborcza, considered “The New York Times of Poland,” Harris explains why Poland and Israel, and Poland and the Jewish people, should be the most natural of allies in today’s world. READ MORE

More News

U.S. Mayors Team Up with AJC to Combat Antisemitism

The Jerusalem Post | 4-minute read

Some of the more than 200 mayors that have joined the Mayors United Against Antisemitism, a joint initiative of AJC and The U.S. Conference of Mayors, tell The Jerusalem Post why they signed the pledge. “It’s more important than ever for public officials to speak and take a strong stand that any engagement in antisemitism is not acceptable in America,” said Mayor Ravinder Bhalla of Hoboken, New Jersey. READ MORE

AJC quoted: Melanie Maron Pell, AJC Chief Field Operations Officer, told The Jerusalem Post: “In the last number of years, we’ve had Pittsburgh, Poway and Monsey. We see the rise of antisemitism continuing on the streets of Brooklyn. It feels like it’s emerged in full force in the U.S. and we ask mayors to commit themselves to combating it, not just calling it out in other parts of the world, but actually combating it in the states. Communities look to their mayors for moral guidance.” (Read in The Jerusalem Post)

U.S. Affirms IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism

The Jerusalem Post | 2-minute read

Addressing an expert committee meeting on combating antisemitism in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kara McDonald voiced support for the Working Definition of Antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance – a definition AJC helped draft and which it has long promoted. READ MORE

AJC CEO David Harris quoted: “McDonald’s remarks are a solid reaffirmation of American leadership in the global fight against antisemitism… The IHRA working definition is the gold standard.” (Read in The Jerusalem Post)

Israel Establishes Diplomatic Ties with Kosovo

The Washington Post | 3-minute read

Israel and Kosovo established diplomatic relations this week in a virtual ceremony attended by both countries’ foreign ministers. As part of the agreement, the Muslim-majority country—with which AJC has longstanding ties—pledged to open an embassy in Jerusalem. READ MORE

AJC responds: “AJC welcomes the establishment of full diplomatic relations between Israel and Kosovo. This is a monumental step in reinforcing Kosovo's warm ties to the Jewish people and Israel, a move long advocated by AJC.” (View on Twitter)

What's happening next week? (And what you may have missed this week!)

Advocacy Anywhere is AJC’s online platform bringing you top-quality content during the pandemic. View the Advocacy Anywhere page for information on past and future programs:

Monday at Noon ET: Despite a devastating third wave of COVID-19, Israel continues to lead the world in vaccinations and is poised to inoculate every single resident over age 16 by the end of March. How did this happen and what can the rest of the world learn from Israel’s speedy rollout? Is there coordination between Israel’s Ministry of Health and the Palestinian Ministry of Health with regards to vaccinating those living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip? Join Prof. Hezi Levy, Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Health, to answer these questions and more. Register
Thursday at Noon ET: Join Lord John Mann, the United Kingdom Government’s Independent Adviser on Antisemitism and a leading proponent of the Working Definition of Antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), and Rola Brentlin, Head of Special Projects for Chelsea Football Club, one of the 20 soccer clubs in the English Premier League, which adopted the IHRA definition in December. Register

Did you miss...

AJC CEO David Harris, one of the Jewish world’s leading experts on global trends, discussed developments on the world stage and analyzed the first days of the Biden administration and what lies ahead. Watch
AJC marked the 40th anniversary of the AJC-Konrad Adenauer Foundation Leadership Exchange Program, which has produced two generations of notable American and German alumni committed to the critical relationship between Deutschland and the Jewish community. Watch

AJC's Shabbat Table

This week, in AJC’s Shabbat Table, we ponder the lessons to be learned when Moses’ father-in-law instructs him to avoid burnout by delegating some duties. No one leads alone. It is only with communities of committed leaders that we accomplish our goals. We also recount Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky’s triumphant arrival in Israel and provide some talking points and resources for a discussion about the Working Definition of Antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, which is rapidly gaining acceptance across the globe. READ MORE

People of the Pod

AJC’s weekly podcast analyzing global affairs through a Jewish lens

The Problem with California’s Ethnic Studies; Mayors United Against Antisemitism

A controversial curriculum for teaching ethnic studies in California public schools will face a final vote in March. Since the first draft came out in 2019, a coalition of Jewish organizations has advocated for content that meaningfully includes Jews and other groups, discusses antisemitism, and avoids perpetuating stereotypes that put Jews in danger. We sit down with Director of AJC Northern California Rabbi Serena Eisenberg to talk about the curriculum and why it should matter to all of us. Then, on Shabbat Table Talk, we hear from AJC’s Chief Field Operations Officer Melanie Maron Pell about AJC’s Mayors United Against Antisemitism initiative, Manya Brachear Pashman on why she’s no longer laughing at jokes about U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Seffi Kogen on antisemitism on college campuses. LISTEN NOW

Tidings

Daniel Pearl’s Killer Must Never Go Free (Tablet Magazine)
A Tale of Two Super Bowl Linemen (The Forward)
Sweet 16: Israel Opens Inoculations to Teens (The Times of Israel)

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*The articles highlighted above do not necessarily reflect AJC’s positions.

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