AJC Dispatch

Spotlight

On this week’s episode of People of the Pod, we are joined by AJC Berlin Acting Director Remko Leemhuis to discuss the horrific antisemitic attack on Yom Kippur targeting a synagogue in Halle, Germany. Then, we hear from Raphael Ahren, Diplomatic Correspondent for the Times of Israel, to break down Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz’s efforts to advance non-aggression treaties with several Arab countries in the Gulf. Finally, we sit down with David Makovsky, Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute. He discusses his new book, Be Strong and of Good Courage, in which he and co-author Ambassador Dennis Ross profile the courageous leadership of four Israeli prime ministers. Listen now

Must-reads

Three Things to Know about German Antisemitism
AJC Global Voice / 2-minute read
The horrific attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany on the holiest day of the Jewish year was the second in less than a week – a lethal turn of events that has seemed inevitable as antisemitic crimes continue to rise across Germany. In the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a number of antisemitic incidents arose in the U.S. as well. Antisemitic stickers and posters were found at a Holocaust memorial in suburban New York on the eve of Yom Kippur. At Yale Law School, a swastika spray painted in white above the word “Trump” appeared near an entrance. And leaders at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are investigating a swastika found in the foreign languages building on campus, along with a recent staff development presentation that reportedly contained antisemitic content. Sign AJC’s message of solidarity to Germany’s Jewish community and tell the world that an attack on one Jew is an attack on all. Read more

Four Ways to Keep Antisemitism From Becoming New Normal
Religion News Service / 3-minute read
Last year, within hours of the Tree of Life Synagogue massacre, the American Jewish Committee established on social media a rallying cry, #ShowUpForShabbat. Thousands of Americans – Jewish and non-Jewish --flocked to synagogues the following weekend. Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, writes in this RNS column that the resounding response of “We are all Jews” signaled there is still plenty that Americans want to do. They can start by joining AJC in another #ShowUpForShabbat on Oct. 25-26, to commemorate the Pittsburgh tragedy and the global response of solidarity. Read more

Syria Withdrawal Catches Israel By Surprise
Times of Israel / 2-minute read
Surprised by U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from northern Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assured Israelis on Thursday that the country can take care of itself and offered humanitarian aid to Sunni Kurds threatened by a Turkish military operation. Netanyahu didn’t refer directly to Trump’s controversial decision, which has been widely condemned for abandoning U.S. allies. But it is clear that leaving Sunni Kurds on their own in their fight against the Islamic State endangers the U.S.-Israel defense pact and risks emboldening Iran, Syria, and Russia. AJC CEO David Harris tweeted: “Speechless. How can such a move by @POTUS possibly be justified? How can America betray trust of our Kurdish allies, all the more so after their essential help in defeating ISIS in Syria?” Read more

Good to Know

Pro-Israel Stalwart Nita Lowey Won’t Seek Reelection
JTA / 2-minute read
Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., one of the most influential Jewish lawmakers, announced on Thursday that she will not run for reelection to Congress next year. Lowey, 82, was the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee. In that role, she has directed record funding to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship, championing funds for Israeli-Palestinian dialogue programs that were cut by the Trump administration. Lowey told The New York Times that her decision came after introspection during the High Holy Days. AJC tweeted: “Our country, and our world, are better because of Congresswoman @NitaLowey. For three decades she has led efforts to combat antisemitism, strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance, and stand up for democratic values. A true friend of AJC, she will be missed.” Read more

As Peace Treaty Anniversary Approaches, Israel’s Farmers Worry
The Jerusalem Post / 2-minute read
It’s been nearly 25 years since Jordan's King Hussein and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin signed the landmark Israeli-Jordanian Peace Treaty, which included a 25-year lease of agricultural land near the border. But as the relationship between the two countries has eroded in recent years, there will be no celebration to mark the historic event. Instead, Israel is trying to persuade Jordan’s King Abdullah to maintain the land lease. If no agreement is reached, the lease will expire later this month, and Israeli farmers will no longer be able to till the soil. Read more

Author Who Has Called Out Polish Antisemitism Wins 2018 Nobel
Times of Israel / 2-minute read
Polish novelist Olga Tokarczuk has won the 2018 Nobel Prize for Literature in honor of her tomes that explore the “crossing of boundaries as a form of life.” Delayed by a Nobel Committee scandal, her belated award was announced alongside the 2019 Nobel winner, Peter Handke, a right-leaning Austrian author who eulogized Slobodan Milosevic, the former leader of Yugoslavia tried for war crimes. In her 900-page opus, The Books of Jacob, Tokarczuk chronicles the little-known history of Frankism, a Jewish messianic sect that emerged in Poland in the 18th century. Published in 2014, the book’s pages are numbered in reverse in the format of Hebrew books. The Swedish Academy called it a “remarkably rich panorama of an almost neglected chapter in European history.” Tokarczuk, 57, has been criticized by Polish conservatives for calling out troubling moments of Poland’s past, including its episodes of antisemitism. Poland’s Culture Minister Piotr Glinski tweeted his congratulations to Tokarczuk, adding he might finally finish her books. Read more

Tidings

Bagel Burn: 38,000 Bagels Go Up In Smoke (Jerusalem Post)
Calling All Carnivores: Israeli Start-Up To Open Clean Meat Lab (Jerusalem Post)
Koufax Curse: Jewish Baseball Stars Lose on Yom Kippur (Tablet Magazine)

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

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