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.

If you like what you see, forward it to your friends! They can sign up at AJC.org/Dispatch.

More than two decades ago, American Jewish Committee (AJC) became the first Jewish organization to establish a permanent presence in postwar Germany to monitor antisemitism on the ground. So, it was no surprise to AJC when German police recently revealed that crimes against Jews have reached a peak since 2001.

WATCH: Learn more about the alarming rise of antisemitism in Germany and what the AJC Berlin Ramer Institute is doing to combat this disturbing trend.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | 3-minute read

During a historic conversation about combating antisemitism with WNBA star Alysha Clark and Washington Nationals player Josh Bell, Pittsburgh Steeler Zach Banner urged the NFL and his own team to follow the lead of European sports leagues and adopt the Working Definition of Antisemitism developed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). Banner and Bell met with AJC’s U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism Holly Huffnagle and AJC’s Director of Black-Jewish Relations Dov Wilker ahead of the public conversation. READ MORE

AJC responds: “Thank you, [Zach Banner, Josh Bell and Alysha Clark], for asking your organizations to adopt @TheIHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. This critical tool will help combat Jew-hate both on and off the field!” (View on Twitter)

Israel, U.S. Announce Collaboration on Anti-Missile Defense System

The Jerusalem Post | 2-minute read

A day after President Joe Biden phoned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and assured him that the U.S. remains committed to Israel’s security, Israel’s Defense Ministry announced that it has joined the U.S. Missile Defense Agency to update the radar system and interceptors designed to protect Israel from long-range ballistic missiles, like those produced in Iran. “Our teams are in constant touch to strengthen the U.S.-Israel strategic cooperation on all regional security issues, including Iran,” Biden tweeted. The U.S. has offered to restart talks with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement. READ MORE

AJC responds: “Israel's Missile Defense Organization and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency have announced the development of the advanced Arrow-4 anti-missile defense system. The U.S.-Israel partnership is key in keeping both countries and their people safe.” (View on Twitter)

More News

Spain’s Jewish Community Calls for Hate Crimes Investigation

The Algemeiner | 2-minute read

“The enemy will always be the same, even if it wears different masks: the Jew!” That statement and others prompted the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain to ask the country’s hate crimes prosecutor for an investigation of a neo-Nazi demonstration in Madrid to honor volunteers who fought with Nazis in World War II. READ MORE

AJC responds: “After hundreds of neo-Nazis marched in Madrid last Saturday, our partners [Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain] are requesting an investigation by the country’s hate crimes prosecutor into antisemitic statements made during the demonstration. AJC fully supports this critical effort.” (View on Twitter)

Iran Eyes New Targets in Africa

The New York Times | 5-minute read

American and Israeli officials say sixteen people have been arrested as part of a foiled Iranian plot in Ethiopia to gather intelligence on diplomats from United Arab Emirates, Israel, and the U.S. Officials say the goal was to identify opportunities in Africa to avenge the deaths of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran’s top nuclear scientist, and Major General Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s elite Quds Force. READ MORE

AJC CEO David Harris tweeted: “Iran has plotted attacks against: UAE embassy in Ethiopia, while casing US & Israeli embassies, Iranian dissidents in France, Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan, Washington, D.C., AMIA & Israeli embassy in Argentina … World, wake up!” (View on Twitter)

What’s happening next 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:

Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET: In honor of Black History Month, join Dr. Lillie Edwards, Professor Emerita of History and African-American Studies at Drew University, and Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher, co-producers of the 2000 documentary From Swastika to Jim Crow, to discuss the little-known story of German-Jewish refugees who found new lives and careers at America’s historically Black colleges and universities. REGISTER

AJC’s Shabbat Table

This week, in AJC’s Shabbat Table, we consider the meaning of the commandment to remember Amalek in the special Torah reading traditionally read on the Shabbat before Purim, and we provide some questions to spur conversation about the role of Jewish collective memory in ensuring the future of Judaism. We also remember the 1917 dedication of the Midrás Abarbanel, the first synagogue established in Madrid since the expulsion of Jews in 1492, marking a rebirth of Jewish communal life there. READ MORE

People of the Pod

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

A Troubling Ruling at the International Criminal Court

This week, Barak Ravid, Contributing Correspondent for Axios and Diplomatic Correspondent for Walla News, joins us to discuss the International Criminal Court’s recent determination that it has jurisdiction to investigate alleged Israeli and Palestinian war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank. LISTEN NOW

Tidings

Playing Cards in South Africa (Tablet Magazine)
Conspiracy Theory Whack-A-Mole (The Washington Post)
Resort Reservations Rebound for Passover (The Forward)

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

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