AJC Dispatch

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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, amid an outbreak of violence against Jews across the U.S., American Jewish Committee (AJC) offered concrete steps for Americans to speak up and stand against antisemitism. Meanwhile, AJC CEO David Harris led a delegation to Israel to show solidarity with the Jewish state. From Tel Aviv, he addressed about 23,000 participants in a virtual rally to combat antisemitism organized by AJC and other Jewish groups.

AJC Virtual Global Forum 2021 takes place June 6-9. Be on the lookout for the full Virtual Global Forum schedule and session registration details coming your way next week.

People of the Pod

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

High Stakes: What’s Next for U.S. Policy on Iran?

What have European, Israeli, and American policymakers learned since signing the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)? AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson analyze what the next few months could bring during a special live recording. LISTEN NOW

Top Stories

15 Israel-related Whoppers

The Times of Israel | 5-minute read

As the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas fired rockets at Israel for 11 straight days, Israel’s critics fired off one outrageous accusation after another. In this column, AJC CEO David Harris examines 15 of the most egregious salvos. READ MORE

AJC shows up: An AJC delegation that traveled to Israel this week to show solidarity met with Israeli Foreign Minister Gaby Ashkenazi and a number of diplomats, including Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja of the United Arab Emirates. AJC CEO David Harris also met privately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Every trip to Israel is a reminder of the remarkable qualities of this nation,” he said. (Read more on AJC.org)

Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism: Is the U.S. Following in Europe’s Footsteps?

Jewish News Syndicate | 4-minute read

AJC Europe General Manager Simone Rodan Benzaquen writes for Jewish News Syndicate that Europeans believe they can atone for the sins of their past by creating a narrative of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that allows them to hate Jews with a clear conscience. Europe can offer a cautionary tale for the U.S. READ MORE

Lessons from Europe: After a weekend of violence against Jews in the U.S., Simone Rodan Benzaquen shared this advice in a Twitter thread: “Now that it is obvious for everyone that America has an antisemitism problem, just as Western Europe has had one for the past 20 years, let’s look at some of the lessons Europeans and organizations like AJC have learned.” (Read the thread on Twitter)

More News

Instagram Posts Alone Can’t Change Antisemitism

The Times of Israel | 3-minute read

In this thoughtful column for The Times of Israel, Meggie Wyschogrod Fredman, AJC’s Deputy Director of Young Leadership, writes that the fight against antisemitism is often a lonely one. In this moment, she has discovered many of her Jewish peers are woefully unprepared. She suggests four steps to address antisemitism on social media and beyond. READ MORE

Jewish Groups Meet with White House

NBC News | 5-minute read

AJC and other Jewish groups met with White House officials this week to discuss the recent surge of antisemitism. AJC U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism Holly Huffnagle told NBC News that a “deafening silence” around recent events prompted the push for action. “For the Jewish community, it's very disconcerting because they're thinking, wait, where are our friends?” A few days before the meeting President Biden affirmed his commitment to Israel’s security, adding that unless the Middle East region acknowledges the right of Israel to exist as an independent Jewish state, there will be no peace. READ MORE

AJC responds: “Thank you, @POTUS, for so clearly asserting that a precondition of Middle East peace is full regional recognition of the Jewish people's right to statehood in their native land.” (Share on Twitter)

What did you miss 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:

High Stakes: What’s Next for U.S. Policy on Iran?
In a special live recording of People of the Pod, co-host Seffi Kogen interviewed AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson on what the next few months could mean for relations with Iran. Watch

Tidings

Unfriendly Jewish Jokes (The Forward)
Babbling Tower of Twitter (Tablet Magazine)
From Mumbai to Montclair (Alma)

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