Press Releases and Statements

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, issued a statement today welcoming the decision of Adidas to terminate its partnership with Kanye West today.

American Jewish Committee CEO Ted Deutch today sharply criticized Kanye West’s antisemitic statements, calling them “a clear and present danger to every Jewish person.” Deutch urged Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms to keep West’s anti-Jewish hate off their channels.

American Jewish Committee Central Europe today launched “Don’t Talk Like An Antisemite,” a social media campaign to fight antisemitism in Poland. Short videos appearing on Facebook and Instagram over the next four weeks will raise awareness of words and terms that may not be recognized as furthering hate towards Jews. “Antisemitism starts with hurtful words and prejudices, but it never stops there,” said Dr. Sebastian Rejak, Director of the Shapiro Silverberg AJC Central Europe Office.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) has honored Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, with the leading global Jewish advocacy organization’s prestigious Jan Karski Award. “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 presented the award to Shaheed at an AJC diplomatic reception on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and who knew Karski well during the last 15 years of his life.

The U.S. Department of Education has announced it will investigate a complaint that accuses the University of Vermont of not doing enough to clamp down on antisemitic activity on campus. AJC criticized the university for not addressing the concerns of Jewish students in a constructive manner.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Lufthansa Group announced today a joint initiative to combat global antisemitism. The new partnership, detailed in a Memorandum of Understanding that the German airline and the leading global Jewish advocacy organization are signing, focuses on Lufthansa utilizing AJC staff experts to train airline employees to identify and respond to antisemitism.

American Jewish Committee today released a comprehensive Call to Action for America to help key sectors of society better understand antisemitism, so they can better respond to and prevent anti-Jewish hate in their communities.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) launched today its Campus Global Board, an initiative to broaden the leading global Jewish advocacy organization’s engagement with college students around the world.

Sara Coodin has been appointed Director of Academic Affairs at the American Jewish Committee (AJC). This new position will enhance and expand the leading global Jewish advocacy organization’s engagement with university administrators regarding the conditions for Jewish students.

The Organization of American States (OAS) and American Jewish Committee (AJC) have co-published a Handbook for the Practical Use of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. The publication offers clear guidance and examples of how the definition is being used by law enforcement, the judiciary, educational institutions, and civil society.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today released “What is Antisemitism?” (“ma hiya mu’adat as-samiya?”), an Arabic-language video that is the latest effort of the leading global Jewish advocacy organization to raise awareness in the Arab world about the varied expressions and violent impact of Jew-hatred. The video also is available in English. What is Antisemitism? is the eighth episode of AJC’s Arabic language educational web series, ‘An al-Yahud (“About the Jews”), launched in 2020.

This summer, the New-York Historical Society presents Confronting Hate 1937–1952, a timely exhibition that explores the groundbreaking campaign launched by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in 1937 to combat increasing antisemitism in the United States during the interwar period. On view July 28, 2022 – January 1, 2023, the exhibition examines the history of the campaign through vibrant posters, engaging comic books, newspaper advertisements, radio spots, and television cartoons that have never before been exhibited to the public.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the publication by the UN Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu, of a new policy paper on combating Holocaust and genocide denial. The paper was produced in collaboration with AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI). “Holocaust denial is rooted in antisemitism,” emphasizes Nderitu in the policy paper’s foreword, adding that her office is also “extremely worried about the increasingly frequent distortions of the Holocaust’s scope and intentionality.” Nderitu emphasizes that denying the facts of the Holocaust and other genocides generates fear among victims, “constitutes a warning sign of societal fragility” and “can inspire and fuel hatred of, or even incite violence against, communities that previously experienced atrocity crimes.”

Hillel chapters in Kharkiv and Indiana University received the AJC Sharon Greene Award at AJC Global Forum.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) and The E.W. Scripps Company have partnered to combat antisemitism in the United States. 160 Scripps employees, including news directors and reporters, participated in two training sessions led by AJC staff experts on antisemitism and media. “Journalists who recognize antisemitism are more effective in covering incidents targeting Jews, and in ensuring their audiences gain a better understanding of this age-old hatred that again is on the rise, threatening society at large,” said Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism by Dr. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. The plan, released today, identifies antisemitism as a pressing and enduring challenge that all governments, as well as social media companies, faith leaders and other actors, should be confronting with urgency.
Felice Gaer, Director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, said: “The special rapporteur’s action plan is an essential roadmap for governments, companies, and other UN experts to follow to ensure that their efforts to combat antisemitism are comprehensive and effective."

American Jewish Committee (AJC) polls of the general and Muslim populations in Germany show widespread recognition of the gravity of antisemitism in Germany.

College and university presidents and diversity officers from across North America learned best practices and new tactics to improve the campus climate for Jewish students this week at the University Presidents Summit on Campus Antisemitism. Presented by Hillel International and American Jewish Committee (AJC), in collaboration with the American Council on Education (ACE), the Summit helped higher education leaders grappling with the multi-faceted challenge of campus antisemitism, from how to define antisemitism to the special role of diversity officers as champions of all students experiencing discrimination.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauded the UN General Assembly decision to suspend Russia’s membership on the UN Human Rights Council. “Today’s momentous vote to suspend Russia from the Human Rights Council is a principled action reflecting the grave concern shared by many governments about the gross, systematic violations of human rights that Russian forces have committed during the invasion of Ukraine,” said Felice Gaer, Director of AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights.