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.
Hate is on the Rise: Antisemitism Surges on America's Far Left and Far Right
After the release of AJC's landmark 2021 Antisemitism Report, and its troubling findings, Avi Mayer, Managing Director for Public Affairs, explains in this must-read piece in USA Today that "the time has come for Americans of all backgrounds to realize that antisemitism is multifaceted and that no group or community is immune to it."
How the Jews Went Right in Britain
Jeremy Corbyn’s tenure as British Labour party leader was fraught with antisemitic scandals. During his nearly five-years in his position, the Labour Party was poisoned with antisemitism, amplified hateful rhetoric, and failed to properly address Jewish concerns. Did the Corbynization of the Labour party move Jews to the right or leave them politically homeless? Has current party leader Keir Starmer been able to regain the confidence of the country’s Jewish population? Join AJC and Tablet Magazine as they unpack the political shift in the United Kingdom.
The Impact of the UN Antisemitic Durban Conference: 20 Years Later
At the sidelines of the General Assembly of the United Nations, the 2001 Durban conference was meant to unite countries in the fight against racism. Instead, it became an antisemitic hate fest. While its ugly legacy has fueled Jew-hatred for over two decades, 30+ countries decided to skip the anniversary event last month. Gilad Erdan, Ambassador of Israel to the United States and the United Nations, and Joëlle Fiss, Author of The Durban Diaries, joined AJC’s Felice Gaer and Simone Rodan-Benzaquen for a timely conversation on Durban’s ugly legacy.
AJC Warmly Welcomes the Release of the First EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life
Brussels – October 5, 2021 – American Jewish Committee (AJC) warmly welcomes the release of the first EU Strategy on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life, which seeks to place the EU in the lead in the global fight against Jew-hatred. The European Commission’s ultimate goal is...
AJC Applauds Lawmakers’ Call to End Incitement in Palestinian Textbooks
3 September 2021 – Brussels – The AJC Transatlantic Institute applauds the calls by Members of the European Parliament in yesterday’s unprecedented debate on Palestinian Authority textbooks to finally end incitement in Palestinian school material--if necessary by withholding some funding to...
European Parliament Hearing on Palestinian Textbooks that Violate UNESCO Standards
In a recent European Parliament hearing, lawmakers across the aisle condemned the teaching of antisemitism and glorification of terror in Palestinian school books, urging the EU to show zero tolerance for such incitement. The Georg-Eckert Institute, which carried out an EU-commissioned study on the Palestinain textbooks, clarified that those books that contain antisemitism and other forms of incitement clearly violate UNESCO standards. The study’s executive summary had given rise to misinterpretation on this issue.
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.