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.
Did German History End with the Holocaust?
At the conclusion of the Holocaust and World War II, the German Federal Republic adopted the slogan “Never Again,” the obligation to fight antisemitism in all its forms, as well as the commitment to fight for and defend the existence of the Jewish state. These cornerstones of German policy still exist today, but after more than 70 years, they are increasingly under a spotlight. What does the rise of antisemitism and extremism mean for the Jewish community in Germany? And what does Germany’s growing political and economic weight in the 21st century mean for German history? Join AJC and Tablet Magazine as they answer this question and more.
Shine a Light on Antisemitism
Recent years have seen rising antisemitism on the streets, in schools, on college campuses, and expressed by elected officials across the political spectrum. As Hanukkah is a profound symbol of the resilience of the Jewish people, AJC experts joined the Shine a Light on Antisemitism campaign, a global movement to raise awareness of Jew-hatred and empower individuals to stand against it, and mitigate ignorance.
Israel and the News Coverage in German Media
German media coverage of incidents and events in and around Israel frequently gives cause for debate and irritation, pens AJC’s Berlin Annina Fichtner in Belltower News. Earlier this month, reports of a Hamas-affiliated terrorist who murdered a 26-year-old South African Israeli, and seriously wounded several others, dangerously reversed the perpetrator-victim narrative. Headlines such as “Israel: One Palestinian Shot Dead” without mentioning neither the Israeli victims nor the Islamist ideology of the martyrdom-seeking gunman, undermine basic journalistic standards, one of the cores of our democratic societies.
Why Germany’s Iran Policy is Dangerous
Interviewed by Europe’s largest-circulation newspaper BILD, AJC CEO David Harris covers a wide range of current issues, including Germany-Iran ties, Germany-Israel relations, COVID-19 conspiracy theories, and Holocaust relativization.
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.