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.
Can Europe protect Diaspora Jews from Iran's IRGC threats?
While the EU is a leader in the fight against global antisemitism, if it really wants to protect its Jewish communities, expeditiously designating the IRGC as a terrorist entity is the next logical step and a moral imperative. “EU foreign ministers gathering in Luxembourg on April 24 should take action and urgently designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity,” writes AJC’s Michael Sieveking.
American Jews Shouldn't Be Afraid to Be Jewish
Following the findings of AJC’s State of Antisemitism 2022 Report, making clear that many in the Jewish community now feel uncomfortable and unsafe at work or on campus, AJC CEO Ted Deutch penned in Newsweek what can be done to combat rising Jew-hatred. The report was released at a critical time, just two months after the White House announced the creation of an interfederal agency committee to prepare a nation-wide strategy on combating antisemitism.
AJC CEO Ted Deutch at the UN on the Institution’s Role to Combat Antisemitism
Speaking at a high-level UN side event focused on globalizing efforts to combat antisemitism alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of an American president or vice president, AJC CEO Ted Deutch called on UN leaders to do more to counter antisemitism at the world body. The program was co-hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the missions of Argentina, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Morocco, and the United Kingdom.
When Will The Far Left Stop Instrumentalizing The Palestinian Cause?
Jailed for plotting the murder of the former chief Sephardic rabbi of Israel and for his connections with the EU-listed terrorist organization PFLP, Salah Hamouri, often misrepresented as a “human rights activist,” was warmly welcomed by several far left lawmakers in France last December. In Le Figaro, AJC’s Simone Rodan-Benzaquen calls them out for embracing Palestinian terrorists and stresses their serious responsibility to refrain from glorifying terrorism as elected officials.
AJC Honors UN Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed for Leading UN Action on Combating Global Antisemitism
Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, former UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, received AJC’s prestigious Jan Karski Award, named after the renowned Polish diplomat who sought to focus world attention on the Nazi Final Solution against the Jewish people. “This is an award that belongs to very few living people who can match the standards of Jan Karski. You are one of them,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who knew Karski well during the last 15 years of his life.
AJC, Lufthansa Announce Joint Initiative to Combat Global Antisemitism
After Orthodox Jewish passengers were barred from a flight this past May, German airline Lufthansa has turned to AJC to train its employees to identify and respond to antisemitism. AJC strongly criticized the incident at the time. At AJC’s urging, the airline has since endorsed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
TFI Statement on Antisemitic Incitement in Textbooks Used by the Palestinian Authority
Brussels, 15 June 2022 - The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI) expresses its profound regret at the failure of the European Commission to adequately respond to ongoing antisemitic incitement in textbooks used by...
AJC is Dismayed that the EU Failed to Act against Antisemitic Incitement in Palestinian Textbooks Supported by EU Funds
The AJC Transatlantic Institute is dismayed that the EU failed to condition at least some of its €214 million annual funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) on ending incitement in its textbooks.
Antisemitism and Foreign Policy: Amnesty International's Israel Report
By denouncing and attempting to uniquely criminalize Jewish self-determination, Amnesty International’s latest report accusing Israel of apartheid has earned a place of dishonor in the annals of antisemitism. AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal joined the Hudson Institute's Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East, for a virtual international panel discussion on the document’s objective to delegitimize the lone Jewish-majority state in the world.
The State of Antisemitism in France
In late January, American Jewish Committee (AJC) released its 2022 Survey on Antisemitism in France, the largest and most comprehensive of its kind ever conducted. The troubling results, reported by both Jewish and non-Jewish respondents, underscore the persistence of prejudice targeting Jews. Watch AJC Europe Managing Director Simone Rodan-Benzaquen and AJC Paris Director Anne-Sophie Sebban-Bécache, in conversation with AJC Chief Advocacy Officer Belle Yoeli for an in-depth analysis of the report’s findings and what they mean for efforts to combat antisemitism in France.