Israel and the War Updates

Watch AJC Jerusalem Director Lt. Col. (Res.) Avital Leibovich explain the critical role of civilian guards who protect communities in and around Israel's borders. Leibovich honors the memory of seven civilian guards of Kfar Aza who died defending their beloved kibbutz from Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023.

Amid horrifying levels of denial about the Hamas massacre of Israelis on October 7, AJC Project Interchange led a delegation of social media influencers to see firsthand the atrocities of Hamas’ attack.

Four-year-old Abigail Mor Idan, the youngest U.S. citizen who was kidnapped and held by Hamas, returned home during a pause in fighting in November. Abigail’s great-aunt joins us to recount her family’s harrowing story and her relentless effort to bring the remaining captives home to their loved ones.

Amid the terrifying increase of antisemitic harassment, intimidation, and violence around the world in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terror attack against Israelis, many antisemitic phrases and terminology have been used at protests, on social media accounts, by celebrities, and even government officials, when criticizing Israel.

Although the October 7 Hamas massacre produced unprecedented devastation in Israel, it also gave rise to modern-day Maccabees. As we usher in Hanukkah at the darkest hour in recent memory for all of world Jewry, we recognize the courage of the following eight individuals — one for each night of Hanukkah. Some of them made the ultimate sacrifice. Others have survived against the greatest of odds. All of them are showing us the light.

This week, more than 110 Ibero-American and U.S. Jewish leaders unanimously endorsed American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Santiago Declaration, reaffirming their regional commitment to fight antisemitism, stand by Israel in its war against Hamas, support democratic values and human rights worldwide, and promote continued collaboration. The Strategic Forum for Leaders of Ibero-American Jewish Communities, convened December 3-5 by AJC's Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA) and hosted by the Jewish Community of Chile, brought together diplomats, political leaders, and representatives from civil society from 13 countries for discussions on current relations with Israel and rising global antisemitism, among other topics.

To commemorate two months since Hamas' massacre, AJC Jerusalem Director Lt. Col. (res.) tours the Nova Festival Commemoration memorial in Tel Aviv. On October 7, 2023, terrorists murdered more than 360 innocent civilians at the festival near Kibbutz Re'im.

Watch AJC CEO Ted Deutch address the increase in antisemitism since O‍ct‍obe‍r 7 at The Second Front conference hosted by The Jerusalem Post.

Since the Hamas attack on Israel, we have seen disturbing headlines, videos, and even arrests made on college campuses across the country due to an alarming surge in antisemitism. As we justifiably focus on how to ensure the safety of Jewish university students, we cannot forget the need to combat antisemitism in K-12 schools as well. 

Learn about the violent history behind the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” and how it is being used today by people rallying in support of Palestinians for widespread violence against Jews in Israel and across the globe.

From the frontlines of the Israel-Hamas War, Lt. Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich, director of AJC Jerusalem, joins us to discuss the current pause in fighting between Israel and the terror group Hamas, the release of hostages, and more.

American Jewish Committee today welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives’ unanimous passage of a bipartisan resolution condemning the Hamas terror attack on Oct. 7 and demanding that Hamas immediately release all hostages and allow for their safe return home.

Under a U.S.-brokered peace deal, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners—many convicted of deadly terror attacks—in exchange for 48 hostages freed from Hamas captivity. The agreement underscores the moral difference between innocent hostages and convicted terrorists.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes today’s announcement of an agreement brokered by the United States, with assistance from Qatar, for the release of 50 of the hostages abducted by Hamas and other terrorists from southern Israel on October 7.

I have not been immune to doom scrolling Facebook, to post and repost in support of Israel. Much of what I read — the obituaries, the stories of those held hostage, the pain of parents and children — is deeply affecting, but one post stopped me in my tracks. A young woman whose bat mitzvah I had officiated at many years ago simply posted, “’Never Again’ Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date.” In seven words she said it all.

The IDF entered Al-Shifa Hospital and found weapons and uniforms that unequivocally confirmed Hamas is using the hospital for terror, violating the laws of war. Here is what you need to know about Gaza’s hospitals, Israel’s operation, and how Hamas uses hospitals as a base for its terrorism.

Questions submitted by parents on our Advocacy Anywhere program “For Parents: Advocating for Effective Responses to the Israel-Hamas War” which took place on October 17, 2023.

AJC CEO Ted Deutch is immensely proud to be in our Nation's Capital at the March For Israel, where he – alongside hundreds of thousands of advocates and allies – are standing in solidarity with the Jewish state, condemning rising antisemitism, and demanding the immediate release of all hostages.

In a speech at the Park Avenue Synagogue, AJC CEO Ted Deutch reflects on the reality of the new world following the Hamas massacre on Israel on October 7. Ted details the work American Jewish Committee has been doing since the attack. He also spoke about what it was like to, earlier in the week in Israel, visit the sites of Hamas’ atrocities and meet with survivors, family members of hostages, and Israeli President Herzog.

Delve into the unsettling rise of antisemitism on American college campuses, focusing on alarming incidents at Cornell University and Columbia University. Our guests, Molly Goldstein and Elliot Sadoff, share their experiences of Jewish students being targeted in the classroom and facing death threats for merely speaking Hebrew.