AJC Dispatch

Spotlight

This week on People of the Pod, we sit down with Middle East experts Patrick Clawson, research director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Tamara Cofman Wittes, a senior fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, to talk about the rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. We also are joined by Deborah Lauter, executive director of New York City’s new Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, to discuss efforts to curb the recent rash of antisemitic attacks. Then we went around New York City to ask people why they feel #JewishandProud. Listen now

Must-reads

A Badge of Honor
AJC Global Voice / 2-minute read
In AJC’s landmark survey of American Jews last year, nearly a third of the respondents said they conceal their Jewish identity. That simply shouldn’t be. To show solidarity with Jews who have been attacked on the streets of New York because they were visibly Jewish, and to stand with all Jews who feel threatened, AJC proclaimed January 6 to be #JewishandProud Day. The response was overwhelming. Tens of thousands of Jews and allies from 60 countries wore kippot, donned Stars of David, or wrote eloquently about why they’re #JewishandProud. The Forward is encouraging Jews to share how they choose to wear their Jewishness on their sleeves every day. Read some of the #JewishandProud participants’ beautiful, inspirational, and empowering stories. Read more

U.S., Iran Step Back from Brink of War
The Washington Post / 4-minute read
President Trump says he does not foresee more military action against Iran this week, now that the Islamic Republic “appears to be standing down.” In a press briefing, Trump made clear that no one was harmed by the barrage of missiles aimed at two military bases in Iraq that housed American troops. The missiles seemed intended to send a message, not to end lives. Tensions between Iran and the U.S. have escalated in recent days after Trump ordered a drone strike near the Baghdad airport, killing Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander and a leader of Iran’s terror-supporting activities around the world. Read more

Crowd Sings, Chants, Marches Across Brooklyn Bridge to Protest Antisemitism
The New York Times / 2-minute read
Thousands of people gathered in Lower Manhattan and poured across the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn on Sunday in a show of solidarity for New York’s Jewish community after a spate of antisemitic attacks in the region. The march, organized by five Jewish organizations including AJC, featured signs and chants denouncing hate and fear, condemning antisemitism, and proclaiming the AJC slogan #JewishandProud. Speaking to the crowd on Sunday, lawmakers pledged to find more funding for security at religious institutions and to treat those who commit hate crimes with more severe penalties. AJC CEO David Harris also called for a unified response: “We need to link arms with all people of goodwill, here in New York, here in America, and around the world, just as we’re doing today, because an assault on any group is an assault on every group. It is an assault on the values that bind us together as Americans.” Read more

Good to Know

Déjà Vu: Remembering Hyper Cacher Five Years Later
AJC Global Voice / 2-minute read
Five years ago, this week, Frenchman Amedy Coulibaly stormed the kosher Hyper Cacher supermarket in eastern Paris, murdering four people inside. The attack capped three days of terror across the city of Paris, including the massacre of 17 at the office of the satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo and the murder of a French policewoman. Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, AJC’s Paris-based Europe Director, looks back on that turning point in January 2015 when many in France came to understand that their destiny was intrinsically linked to that of French Jews and French Jews were once again reminded that their safety was in jeopardy. Read more

New York Governor Urged to Dial Back Bail Reform for Antisemitic Attackers
The New York Times / 2-minute read
New York lawmakers have proposed tweaking a new state law that requires suspects charged with less than class D felonies to be released without cash bail pending court proceedings. Nearly all the recent antisemitic attacks in Brooklyn fall into this category, including the case of Tiffany Harris, a Brooklyn woman who was released without bail after being accused of slapping three Orthodox Jewish women, then rearrested after authorities say she assaulted another woman a day later. “A fair system of criminal justice would take into account the fears of victims, not just the interests of defendants,” AJC CEO David Harris and AJC New York Michael Schmidt wrote in a letter to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. “Victims of hate crimes see the victimizers walk out of court with what appears to be impunity, often to return to the neighborhoods they share with the victims.” Read more

Chicagoans Protest Antisemitism in Millennium Park
Chicago Tribune / 1-minute read
AJC Chicago convened a crowd of about a hundred in Chicago’s Millennium Park this week to take a stand against antisemitism, show solidarity with the victims of a recent surge of antisemitic hate crimes, and display their Jewish pride. A new study by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University at San Bernardino shows antisemitic hate crimes in Chicago are headed for an 18-year high. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted her support: “No one should ever have to live in fear because of who they are. That’s why I will fight anti-Semitism and hate in all its forms. I stand with all my friends and neighbors who are #JewishandProud." Read more

Tidings

No Arguments Here: Israelis Are Three-Time World Champion Debaters (JPost)
Back From the Dead: Holocaust Survivor Corrects Yad Vashem (Tablet magazine)
Notorious RBG is Cancer Free (WaPo)

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

Enjoy receiving the AJC Dispatch each week? Forward it to your friends! They can sign up for their own Dispatch here.

AJC’s mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.

To unsubscribe or to manage your email preferences, please click here.