Press Releases and Statements

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the introduction today of a resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives urging the European Union to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terror organization. “We encourage swift passage of this important bipartisan resolution pressing the EU to do the right thing and correct the fiction of a bifurcated Hezbollah it endorsed nearly a decade ago,” said AJC CEO David. “Mistakenly believing it can tame Hezbollah’s behavior, a proposition unsupported by evidence, the EU has created ‘military’ and ‘political’ wings within Hezbollah, when, in reality, it is a single, unified terrorist entity."

American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds Germany for its principled decision to not attend the 20th anniversary summit of the UN’s notorious 2001 World Conference Against Racism. “Germany has again asserted leadership in the global fight against antisemitism,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “Germany has once again, as it did in 2009 and 2011, laudably recognized the discredited nature of the original conference, held in Durban, South Africa. We hope other nations will follow suit.”

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation, led by CEO David Harris, has concluded a four-day visit to Greece. The group met with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and other senior government officials, and Harris addressed a major policy conference. Leaders of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece, a longtime AJC partner organization, joined in many of the meetings.

“Our fight against antisemitism is more urgent than ever,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told thousands participating in the 2021 American Jewish Committee (AJC) Virtual Global Forum. The commission, she announced today, will adopt later this year “the first-ever EU strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life.”

French President Emmanuel Macron, in an historic address to the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Virtual Global Forum, reaffirmed his commitments to combat antisemitism, strengthen France’s relations with Israel and the United States, and ensure that Iran’s ballistic missile and regional activities are addressed in any agreement. It was Macron’s first address to an American Jewish organization since his election as president four years ago.

An additional American Jewish Committee (AJC) donation to IsraAID will bring vital Israeli medical supplies to India to deal with the rapid spread of the coronavirus. “The images from India are heartbreaking, and compel us, as longtime friends of India, to do whatever we can to provide relief to the millions of Indians suffering from this deadly COVID-19 surge,” said AJC CEO David Harris.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, is partnering with IsraAID, the Israeli humanitarian relief organization, to provide urgent coronavirus relief in India.

The Legion of Honor is France’s highest order of merit. In September 2005, Harris was inducted into the French Legion of Honor at a dinner hosted by the French Minister of Foreign Affairs. Today’s ceremony elevated Harris from a Knight to Officer of the National Order of the Legion of Honor.
“No other country on this planet, other than the U.S. and Israel, has had more of a direct impact on my life than France,” said AJC CEO David Harris.

Twelve prominent Polish community leaders launched today the Community of Conscience – A Coalition of Mutual Respect, an interfaith group that aims to fight discrimination against religious, ethnic, and cultural minorities.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) regrets today’s unanimous Supreme Court decision in the Guelph Treasure case (Federal Republic of Germany v Philipp), which sends the plaintiffs back to Germany to seek justice for their Holocaust-era art restitution claims. “Unfortunately, Germany’s record on these matters has been deficient,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC Director of International Jewish Affairs.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) Berlin welcomes FC Bayern Munich’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. Today’s announcement coincides with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) Berlin welcomes the joint declaration of five major German corporations to combat antisemitism. Daimler, Deutsche Bahn, Deutsche Bank, Volkswagen, and Borussia Dortmund published a statement today endorsing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. Germany’s Friends of Yad Vashem joined in the statement, issued on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

AJC Europe welcomes the European Commission’s publication of the Handbook for the Practical Use of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism. This new publication offers clear guidance and examples of how the definition is already being used throughout Europe by law enforcement, the judiciary, educational institutions, and civil society.

“We are shocked by the EU Court of Justice decision, which is nothing less than a frontal assault on the basic rights and religious freedoms of Jews and Muslims in Europe. Within living memory of the Holocaust, a European court not only bans a core Jewish ritual but potentially Jewish life altogether in Europe, ” said Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute.

“Bravo to Lord John Mann and all of those involved in this landmark decision,” said AJC CEO David Harris. Mann is the British government’s top advisor on antisemitism and a leading proponent of the IHRA working definition. “The importance of the British Premier League recognizing the most widely used definition of antisemitism cannot be overstated,” said Harris. “Hundreds of millions of people around the world follow closely the Premier League’s teams and players. The impact of today’s decision and its implementation can be extraordinarily helpful in the battle against rising antisemitism.”

American Jewish Committee applauded the Slovenian government for recognizing Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization. The government announced today that it “adopted a decision on treating the Hezbollah Group as a criminal and terrorist organization posing a threat to peace and security.”

Next month the United Nations General Assembly will pass a litany of one-sided resolutions against Israel. Europe, for the most part, supported in committee a whopping eleven texts lambasting the Middle East’s lone democracy. Six more resolutions are headed straight to the world body’s plenary.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) lauded Estonia’s announcement today that it will designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.

“This is an important step in the global fight against rising antisemitism — and the broader threat it poses to liberal democratic values,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who has long been interested in Albanian affairs.

An initiative launched by academics and AJC Central Europe voicing concern over the nomination of Dr. Przemysław Czarnek MP as Poland’s Minister of Education and Science has brought together universities, NGOs, popular publicists, and religious leaders to send a clear message that experimenting with education is unacceptable. A statement supported by 122 intellectuals was published by Poland’s top online media outlets.