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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.

This week, American Jewish Committee (AJC) mourned with the Asian American community after an Atlanta shooting spree left six Asian American women dead. AJC also urged the United Nations to adopt a definition of antisemitism a day after a copy of the antisemitic tract that inspired Hitler was found in plain sight at a guarded U.S. Capitol entrance.

People of the Pod

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

How the Arab Vote Counts in Israel

As Israel faces its fourth national election in two years, Haviv Rettig Gur, a senior political analyst for The Times of Israel, explains why the Arab vote counts more than ever before and why that’s a good thing. LISTEN NOW

JTA | 4-minute read

In this JTA column, Shira Loewenberg and Dylan Adelman, director and assistant director of AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute, call on Jews to express solidarity with the Asian American community. “There is no denying that Asian American women were the victims and that their murder reflects a rising public crisis and increasing – and legitimate – fears among Asian Americans across the country,” they wrote. “Jews understand that silence at times like these is complacency. We must not be silent.” READ MORE

AJC action: Join AJC in urging Congress to pass the bipartisan Jabara-Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act to protect vulnerable minorities. (Take action at AJC.org/NOHATE)

AJC hosts: Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-NY) and Haipei Shue, President of United Chinese Americans, joined AJC last year for an online discussion about the rising racism and xenophobia targeting Asian Americans during the COVID-19 outbreak. (Watch on AJC Advocacy Anywhere)

U.S. Capitol Officer Suspended for Protocols of the Elders of Zion

CNN | 3-minute read

Two months after U.S. Capitol police failed to prevent a mob from breaching the home of Congress, an officer has been suspended after a congressional aide spotted a copy of Protocols of the Elders of Zion at a security checkpoint. Meanwhile, a security contractor at a Navy base, a known Nazi sympathizer who told co-workers he would “kill all the Jews,” was charged in the January riots. READ MORE

AJC responds: “We are deeply alarmed that a copy of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion—the most notorious piece of antisemitic propaganda in modern history—has been found at the workstation of a Capitol Police officer. This demands a full and impartial investigation.” (Share on Twitter)

AJC resources: AJC’s newly updated Translate Hate glossary includes a history of the Protocols. AJC’s series of Arabic animated short films, which have reached over 45 million people in the Arab world, also debunks the 117-year-old fabricated text. (View on AJC.org)

More News

AJC Disappointed by California’s Adoption of Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum

AJC Global Voice | 1-minute read

California’s State Board of Education has adopted an ethnic studies curriculum far better than the first draft but still deeply flawed. AJC supports ethnic studies and successfully fought to integrate lesson plans on antisemitism (including the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism) and Jewish Americans. But that’s not enough. READ MORE

AJC analysis: Director of AJC Northern California Serena Eisenberg joined People of the Pod to explain why the conversation about California’s model curriculum should matter to all of us. (Listen on People of the Pod)

UN Urged to Adopt IHRA Definition of Antisemitism

The Jerusalem Post | 4-minute read

The United Nations antisemitism envoy Miguel Moratinos and Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan are urging the international body to adopt a formal definition of antisemitism, specifically the Working Definition of Antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). READ MORE

AJC responds: Addressing the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) conference on antisemitism, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson called for all UN member states to adopt the IHRA Working Definition. “To combat antisemitism, those in positions of authority ... must be able to identify it,” he said. (Read his remarks on AJC.org)

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:

Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET: Around the World with AJC CEO David Harris
Join AJC CEO David Harris, one of the Jewish world’s foremost experts on global trends, as he examines recent developments on the world stage and what lies ahead for Jewish advocacy. Register

Did you miss...

Speaking Out for the Voiceless
Rabbi David Saperstein, Director Emeritus at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, joined AJC to discuss how to address religious persecution and the importance of interfaith dialogue. Watch
France Honors AJC CEO David Harris
During a ceremony this week, France promoted AJC CEO David Harris to the rank of Officer within the order of the Legion of Honor for his “unwavering commitment to strengthening ties between the United States and France, his deep friendship for France, as well as his extraordinary work to combat antisemitism and hate speech.” Watch

AJC’s Shabbat Table

This week, in AJC’s Shabbat Table, Moses gives us a leadership lesson in humility. We also recall the horror of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire that killed 146 garment workers and inspired Jewish labor activists to push for desperately needed safety standards in American factories. READ MORE

Tidings

Life Outside the Womb (Haaretz)
Dead Sea Scrolls in the Desert (The New York Times)
‘Rosebushes’ Return to Rightful Owner (The Washington Post)

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

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