Analysis
Counterpoint: Shimon Peres Addresses the European Parliament
On 12 March 2013, Israeli President Shimon Peres delivered a historic speech to the European Parliament's plenary in Strasbourg, France. To mark the moment, Counterpoint played the speech in its entirety the following day. Afterwards, Daniel Schwammenthal (Director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute) joined host Joshua Goodman by phone to discuss the significance of President Peres' address and EU-Israel relations overall. Listen to that conversation below.
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar Has a Problem With Jews
When will Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar of Minnesota face real consequences for her incendiary, antisemitic comments? In this column for Newsweek, AJC CEO David Harris writes that it’s high time. “There should be clear-cut consequences for any member of Congress, of either party, responsible for a growing list of unambiguously bigoted comments.”
European Commission President Vows to Strengthen Ties with Israel and Fight Antisemitism at AJC Global Forum
Addressing thousands of participants worldwide at AJC Global Forum 2021, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged to strengthen ties with Israel, “a vitally important country for the European Union, not only because of our common past, but also because of our common future,” and underlined the EU’s commitment to fight rising antisemitism across the continent.
French President Macron Pledges Commitment to Israel’s Security and Fight against Anti-Jewish Hatred at AJC Global Forum
"France's profound attachment to Israel's security [...] has never wavered," declared French President Emmanuel Macron to an international audience at AJC Global Forum 2021. Stressing France’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism in December 2019, President Macron reiterated his commitment to combat hatred and extremism across the country.
Letter From a Forgotten Jew
In a tribute to millenia-old vibrant Jewish Communities across the Middle East, AJC CEO David Harris stresses in The Times of Israel that the issue of Jewish refugees from Arab countries remain unsolved, and too often brushed aside.
Europe Must Double Down on Fighting Antisemitism
Between a recently leaked bombshell EU study confirming anti-Jewish incitement taught in EU-funded Palestinian classrooms, and Jews being intimitated and beaten in the streets across the continent, it’s “open season on Jews,” says AJC Transatlantic Institute’s Deputy Director Michael Sieveking, in a forceful piece for New Europe.
AJC, Alongside Partners, Issues Recommendations to EU on Fighting Antisemitism
2 June 2021, Brussels – The AJC Transatlantic Institute alongside other major international Jewish organizations published a set of recommendations to combat antisemitism and foster Jewish life in Europe....
Remembering the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
On 19 April 1943, the vastly outnumbered and outgunned Jewish members of the Warsaw Ghetto underground rose up against the German Nazi occupiers. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was the single largest act of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. Marking 78 years since the courageous uprising, Dr. Sebastian Rejak, Acting Director of AJC Central Europe, hosted Marian Turski, a 94-year-old Auschwitz death camp survivor, for a special conversation commemorating this heroic chapter in Jewish history and its enduring legacy.
Kuwait Airways Denies Boarding to Israeli in Germany
Five years ago, Kuwait Airways denied boarding to a student living in Germany because of his Israeli citizenship. The state-owned airline cited the country's own antisemitic 1964 boycott law. AJC Berlin Senior Associate Annina Fichtner argues in Jüdische Allgemeine that Berlin must urgently take decisive action to end this anti-Jewish discrimination on German soil: “If the fight against antisemitism is not to be simply lip service, and as long as Kuwait Airways is not prepared to make any changes, Germany should resort to suspending the airline's take-off and landing rights.”
Launch of AJC-Inspired “Community of Conscience” Coalition
Twelve prominent Polish community leaders launched the AJC-inspired “Community of Conscience – A Coalition of Mutual Respect,” an interfaith group that aims to fight discrimination against religious, ethnic, and cultural minorities. At the virtual launch ceremony, AJC Central Europe Acting Director Sebastian Rejak, who last year initiated the process to establish the group, said: “Truth and righteousness are like a symphony: many voices, many experiences together form a new whole – a harmony that we hope will transform people’s minds and hearts.”
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
The AJC Transatlantic Institute partnered with the Mission of Israel to the EU and NATO and the European office of the Konrad Adenaeur Stiftung (KAS) on an online ceremony to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Marking 76 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas delivered a powerful address, underscoring the need for Europe to not only remember the horrors of the Shoah but also address all forms of antisemitism. Concluding the moving speech, the Vice President lit a personal memorial candle with the name of one of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.