AJC Dispatch 

One year after the Tree of Life massacre, AJC is again calling on all people of good conscience to #ShowUpForShabbat.

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Spotlight
Following the murder of 11 innocent Jews during prayers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue last October, millions of people of all faiths rallied around AJC’s #ShowUpForShabbat [link removed] initiative, packing synagogues in what became the largest-ever expression of solidarity with the American Jewish community. On the one-year anniversary, AJC is again calling on all people of good conscience to #ShowUpForShabbat [link removed]. More than 150 synagogues will host special worship services on October 25 and 26. Communities across the country also are marking the anniversary by declaring October 27 a Day of Action Against Antisemitism. Let us come together to honor the victims and raise our collective voice for a world free of antisemitism, hate, and bigotry. Watch now [link removed]   

Must-reads

AJC Shows Solidarity for Syrian Kurds
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AJC has watched with horror and anguish as the U.S. has abandoned its longtime support of Kurds in northern Syria, withdrawing troops and stepping aside so Turkey can take control of the region. On Friday, AJC became the first national Jewish organization in the U.S. to hold a solidarity event, convening diplomats, members of the Kurdish community, and an award-winning Kurdish journalist to discuss the current conflict. In the latest news [link removed], Turkey has agreed to suspend its military operations in northeast Syria for five days while Syrian Kurdish fighters evacuate the area. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the agreement is a “solution we believe will save lives.” Meanwhile, Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said because of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “we got what we wanted.” Kurds have stood up when we needed them most. Now it’s our turn to stand up. Watch now [link removed]

United Nations Finally Confronts Antisemitism as a Human Rights Problem
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The Times of Israel / 2-minute read
The United Nations General Assembly has received the first UN human rights report focused exclusively on antisemitism. The report examines and documents antisemitic violence, discrimination, and hostility that are “increasing in magnitude” and creating a “climate of fear” in Jewish communities around the world. The report finds that antisemitism is “toxic to democracy” and “threatens all societies in which it goes unchallenged.” In this column, Felice Gaer, director of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, explains why AJC has called the report “historic.” On this week’s episode of People of the Pod [link removed], Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief joins us to discuss the report’s findings. Read more [link removed]

Europe: Do the Right Thing on Hezbollah
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AJC Global Voice / 2-minute read
Pointing to the deadly attack in Bulgaria in 2013, AJC urged the European Union to take action against Hezbollah and declare all of it a terrorist organization. But in the end, the EU only designated Hezbollah’s military branch, legitimizing its so-called “political” faction in the name of maintaining diplomatic relations with Lebanon. This year, AJC is urging the EU to finish the job [link removed] and designate Hezbollah a global terror organization in its entirety. In this column, originally published in German, AJC CEO David Harris makes the case that given the rise of antisemitism and the multiple thwarted attacks across the European continent, Europe’s arguments against placing Hezbollah in its entirety on the EU terrorism list are glaringly weak. It’s time. Read more [link removed]  

Veteran MP Quits Labour Party Over Antisemitism [link removed]
The Guardian / 1-minute read
Veteran Labour Party member Louise Ellman has announced she is leaving the Labour party because antisemitism has become de facto under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership. She said Jewish members have been bullied while antisemites have been welcomed. “The overwhelming majority of the Jewish community is fearful of what a Corbyn government might mean for Britain’s Jews,” she said. “I share those concerns. But this issue is not simply about the Jewish community. This is about the nature of our society.” Read more [link removed]

Good to Know

Elijah Cummings: May His Memory Be a Blessing [link removed]
The Baltimore Sun / 4-minute read
Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings sought to strengthen ties between the African-American and Jewish communities in his Baltimore district by establishing a program for black teens that included seminars on antisemitism and the Holocaust and a month living in an Israeli village. But his legacy also includes fighting for civil rights, urging civility in politics, and lifting up the beauty of Baltimore. Cummings, 68, died Thursday due to complications from longstanding health problems. AJC tweeted [link removed] : “We mourn the passing of @RepCummings, a powerful advocate for justice and civil rights and a champion of stronger Black-Jewish relations.” Read more [link removed]

U.S. Peace Plan Won’t Call for Settlement Evacuations
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The Times of Israel / 1-minute read
Seeking to avoid the kind of disruption that erupted when 8,000 Jewish residents vacated Gaza in the summer of 2005, the U.S. administration’s long-awaited peace plan reportedly will not call for the movement of any residents. “I don’t believe that there is a realistic plan that can be implemented that would require anyone — Jew or Arab — to be forced to leave their home,” U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said this week. There are more than a half million settlers living in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Read more [link removed]  

Forward Opinion Editor Walks Out of Conference After Protests
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The Forward / 3-minute read
When Students for Justice in Palestine, showed up to protest an all-Jewish panel about antisemitism at Bard College last weekend, moderator Batya Ungar Sargon told them it made more sense for them to return the next day for her discussion on Zionism. After all, protesting Jews over Israel when that’s not what they’re talking about is racist, said The Forward’s opinion editor. The protesters stayed, a decision some conference speakers supported. Ungar Sargon walked out of the conference the next day, but not before calling out participants for encouraging antisemitism. AJC tweeted [link removed] : “We are heading toward a great reckoning in U.S. higher education. Will all universities step up to stomp out antisemitism? Or will Jews be forced out of general American academia?” Read more [link removed]

Tidings

Beshert: A New Series on Jewish Love [link removed] (Moment Magazine)

Holocaust Comedy? [link removed] (The Times of Israel)

Showing Up for More Shabbat [link removed] (Jerusalem Post)


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

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