Articles by Ted Deutch

In Jewish tradition, memory carries responsibility. To remember is to speak names, to honor life. So as we reflect on Sarah and Yaron, we hold on to the generosity of spirit they lived with, not the hatred that ended their lives. And we honor their memories by carrying forward what they strived for: the steady pursuit of a secure, thriving Israel, a peaceful Middle East, and a vibrant, enduring Jewish community–even in the face of enormous resistance.

Disagreements about war and peace are as old as American democracy itself. They should be debated vigorously, examined carefully, and decided with the seriousness that questions of life and death demand. But declaring that those who reach a different conclusion simply don’t belong crosses a very different line: It replaces debate with ideological exclusion.

In June 2024, then-Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah publicly warned that Cyprus could become “part of the war” if Israel were allowed to use Cypriot territory or infrastructure in a future conflict with Lebanon. It was an extraordinary statement—one that effectively attempted to place an EU member state in the crosshairs of an Iranian regime-backed terrorist group.

The Supreme Leader and his forces have brought suffering to their own people, chaos to the region, and violence to the world. The blood of American soldiers and innocent civilians from across the globe is on their hands.

Conspiracy theories and misinformation are eroding trust, stoking hate and tearing at the very fabric of our society, often with tragic consequences. At American Jewish Committee, we’re seeing those consequences up close — and our new report on “The State of Antisemitism in America,” out Tuesday, reveals how these divisions are affecting the Jewish community, and us all.

American leadership brought us all to the White House lawn five years ago. Today, with the continued leadership of the Trump Administration and the support of Congress, we have the opportunity and the obligation to support and build a larger and bolder coalition to counter the terror-driven death and destruction that has long imperiled the region. The Abraham Accords have thus far survived Iran’s effort to destroy them – on this five-year anniversary, it’s time to strengthen and expand them.

We can't afford, America can't afford, and the Jewish people can't afford to move on. Moving on would mean capitulating to those who have, through sick and twisted logic, decided that Sarah and Yaron’s murders are acceptable "resistance" instead of brutal, deadly hatred. We will not move on. We will not be silent. And we need everyone fighting this vicious Jew-hatred with us.

The United States has long been regarded as a safe harbor for Jews because of our country's commitment to democracy and our values of individual rights, liberty, and equality. In this environment, Jewish communities have been able to grow and thrive. But today, extremism and division are tearing at the fabric of our society.

As one of the American Jewish leaders who often feel the need to reaffirm and assert Israel’s right to exist, I can tell you that is because Israel is the only state whose right to exist is regularly challenged, not because I hold the country to a lesser standard.

As we begin the 119th Congress and President Trump’s second term, I urge everyone to recognize the bipartisan work displayed between senior officials in the outgoing Biden Administration and the then-incoming Trump Administration to make a breakthrough in an agreement to secure the release of 33 of the remaining hostages brutally abducted from Israel during Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023. We cannot take for granted the unique power of senior officials from the Biden and Trump administrations working together.

When word came that a deal had been reached that would provide a pathway for the release of the 98 hostages still held by terrorists in Gaza, I felt relieved, but I could not yet celebrate. Of course, I will enthusiastically welcome the return of the hostages and the end of the torture they have endured over the last 15 months. But until every hostage is returned home, we cannot rest.

As world leaders gather in New York for the U.N. General Assembly next week, there should be one item that tops their agenda: Condemn Hamas for the atrocities of Oct. 7 and demand the release of the hostages.

All across the country and around the world, the Jewish community gathered earlier this month in profound grief and solidarity to honor the memory of those taken from us by an act of pure evil committed by Hamas terrorists. We stood together, united in our sorrow and determination, that the lives of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Carmel Gat, Almog Sarusi, Alex Lubnov and Ori Danino will not be forgotten, and that no other living hostage will meet the same fate.

AJC CEO Ted Deutch’s Statement and Call to Action After Hamas’ Murder of Six Hostages

With the Islamic Republic of Iran on the brink of developing nuclear weapons and dragging the entire region toward a full-scale war, the US, Europe, and their allies need an urgent policy review to confront the regime’s clear and present danger to global security. It is time to move beyond diplomacy and defense, and take concrete actions to thwart Iranian aggression. The US must rally a global coalition to forcefully counter Iran’s conventional, terror, and nuclear threats.

Meta, who owns Facebook and Instagram, is the only social media company that is preventing ‘Zionist’ from being used as hate speech

At AJC’s Global Forum 2024 last month, the AJC and The Jewish Agency announced a new partnership to strengthen the ties between young Jewish American leaders and Israeli emissaries. In the short term, it will lead to more informed and passionate advocates for Israel; provide training for shlichim (Israeli emissaries) to better understand the challenges facing Jewish American teens; and foster greater understanding between American Jews and Israelis. In the long term, this partnership has the potential to build lifelong relationships between Israel and the future leaders of American Jewry.

The world has become increasingly perilous in recent years. First, Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine shook European and global security. Then, the horrific attacks by Iran-backed Hamas on October 7 against innocent Israeli civilians marked not only a new level of antisemitic and terrorist horror but also opened a seven-front war of survival for the Jewish state.

Since Oct. 7, students and faculty on college campuses around the country have been expressing blatant support for Hamas terror tactics, advocating for excluding Zionists from campus spaces and chanting antisemitic slogans. But in recent weeks we have seen an alarming escalation from deeply problematic and hateful speech to chaotic disruptions to threats of violence.

In March, demonstrators barged into a Columbia Law School luncheon for admitted students, chanting virulently anti-Israel and abusive rhetoric. The school administrators present did not object or call campus security.