AJC Dispatch

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Spotlight

On this week’s episode of People of the Pod, President of the British Union for Jewish Students Esther Offenberg joins us to discuss how the Jewish community in the UK is feeling after the Conservative Party's landslide victory. Then Raoul Wootliff, political correspondent for The Times of Israel, explains why Israel faces a third election on March 2 and whether the recent call for Palestinian elections is likely to coincide. Finally, AJC Chief Legal Officer Marc Stern explains President Trump’s executive order aimed at strengthening efforts to combat antisemitism on college campuses. Listen now

Must-reads

Shooting at New Jersey Kosher Supermarket Terrifies Community
The Atlantic / 2-minute read
A New Jersey kosher supermarket was targeted in a shooting rampage that killed a police officer, a customer, a store employee, and the store owner’s wife. Authorities have linked at least one of the shooters to the Black Hebrew Israelites, a religious movement that believes African Americans are descended directly from the biblical Israelites and white people are Edomites and not true Jews. AJC has reached out to the Satmar Jewish community to offer support and Rabbi David Levy, AJC New Jersey Director, attended a local healing service. AJC tweeted: “We are horrified by the murders in Jersey City and are deeply distressed by reports the attackers may have targeted the Jewish community.” Read more

Trump Signs Executive Order to Combat Antisemitism on Campus
The New York Times / 2-minute read
An executive order signed Wednesday by President Trump extends anti-discrimination protection to Jews under the Civil Rights Act. The order denies federal funding to universities that don’t try to stop antisemitism on campus and could apply to some cases of anti-Zionism, the denial of Israel’s right to exist. AJC welcomed the executive order with a statement: “Existing federal policy has not been fully enforced and today’s order merely gives Jews what other groups have long enjoyed—the right not to be subject to a hostile environment on campus.” In a letter published by The New York Times, AJC CEO David Harris wrote: “The bottom line is there is nothing inconsistent with protecting freedom of expression and, simultaneously, providing Jews with the same protections accorded other minorities.” Read more

Why British Jews Feared a Labour Election Victory
AJC Global Voice / 2-minute read
Why should Jews around the world care about the defeat of Jeremy Corbyn in this week’s UK election? A recent poll found that 47% of British Jews had their proverbial bags packed in case the Labour Party leader made it to No. 10 Downing Street. The fear was so intense that many British Jews abandoned their traditional support of the Labour Party and handed a landslide victory to Boris Johnson. What made them so scared? Read more

In Israel, Third Time Might Be a Charm
The Times of Israel / 2-minute read
It’s easy to dwell on the cost and embarrassment of a third Israeli election on the horizon, but The Times of Israel founding editor David Horovitz prefers to take the “glass-half-full” approach. He reminds readers that they are heading into the third election cycle more informed than they were in previous rounds. Since every vote does truly count in Israel, the system might actually be working for Israelis, not against them, and a third opportunity to elect Israel’s next coalition builder might simply be part of the process to determine Israel’s future. Read more

Good to Know

Natan Sharansky Receives “Jewish Nobel”
The Jerusalem Post / 2-minute read
Jewish refusenik Natan Sharansky has received Israel’s prestigious 2020 Genesis Prize, often dubbed the “Jewish Nobel,” for his efforts to promote religious and political freedom. The $1 million prize is awarded each year to a person recognized for outstanding professional achievement, contribution to humanity, and commitment to Jewish values. AJC tweeted: “Mazel tov to hero of the Jewish people and dear friend of AJC Natan Sharansky on his selection as the 2020 recipient of @TheGenesisPrize. AJC Palm Beach congratulated Sharansky in person at a previously scheduled dinner on Thursday.” Read more

Austrian Parliament Poised to Condemn BDS
The Times of Israel / 2-minute read
The Austrian Parliament is expected to follow in the footsteps of Germany by adopting a resolution next month to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Spearheaded by former Chancellor Sebastian Kurz’s center-right People’s Party, the legislation denounces any boycott of Israeli products, businesses, artists, scientists, or athletes. In May, Germany’s Bundestag passed a similar resolution, denouncing the BDS movement’s methods as antisemitic and similar to Nazi-era boycotts of Jews. Kurz acknowledged Austria’s responsibility to both the Jewish people and the State of Israel during a history-making address to AJC Global Forum in 2018. Read more

With Rise of Far-Right Extremists, NYPD Forms Special Unit
The New York Times / 3-minute read
The New York City Police Department has created a first-of-its-kind unit within the department’s intelligence division to investigate terror threats from far-right and neo-Nazi organizations. After less than a month, it already has dozens of cases. The unit will include representatives from New Jersey and Pennsylvania state police, and agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, as far-right militias have been identified in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. In its landmark survey of American Jews on antisemitism, AJC found that 89% of respondents believe the extreme political right poses a threat to American Jews; 64% pointed to the extreme political left, and 85% blamed extremism in the name of Islam. Read more

Tidings

Jewish Golden Globes (JTA)
Hallmark Hanukkah? No Thanks (WaPO)
Their Auschwitz Romance Saved His Life (NYT)

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

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