Topic
Antisemitism
Combating Antisemitism and all Forms of Bigotry.
Within living memory of the Holocaust, the remnants of Europe’s Jewish communities have endured a steep rise in anti-Semitism. Since 2012 alone, at least 14 people have been killed in anti-Jewish violence in the EU. The numbers of European Jews emigrating to Israel or the United States has also increased significantly.
AJC Strategy Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism
The AJC Transatlantic Institute, together with AJC offices in Berlin, Paris, Rome and Warsaw, works together with EU officials, policy makers and civil society to expose and combat anti-Semitism. In 2015 the AJC Transatlantic Institute hosted in Brussels the ground-breaking conference “A Defining Moment for Europe,” where it presented an action plan for European governments to address the intensifying crisis of anti-Semitism.
Identifying Anti-Semitism – The Working Definition of Anti-Semitism
In order to effectively confront anti-Semitism, we must first define it. In June 2016, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which includes 25 of the EU’s 28 Member States, adopted the so-called Working Definition of Anti-Semitism. That definition crucially encompasses contemporary forms of anti-Semitism, such as the demonization of Israel and holding all Jews responsible for Israel’s actions. The AJC Transatlantic Institute has consistently called for the EU and its Member States to officially adopt this definition as well. In a first step, the European Parliament in May 2017 did so and urged member states to follow suit.
⇨ Learn more about we're doing to promote the Working Definition of Anti-Semitism
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Media
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.
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.