May 4, 2026
To quote our April 19 "Standing Together Against Antisemitism" community summit keynote, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt: it is no small thing that hundreds of people chose to spend a gorgeous Sunday afternoon inside a windowless ballroom, talking about antisemitism.
American Jewish Committee (AJC) San Diego's third annual community summit on antisemitism drilled down on San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria’s pressing reminder that, “Antisemitism has never been just a Jewish problem. It’s one we must all solve. Because that’s what a community does.”
This year’s Summit was framed by AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report, a comprehensive survey of the impact antisemitism has had on American Jews. It found:
- 91% of American Jews say they feel less safe as a Jewish person in the U.S. due to violent attacks in the past year including the burning of a Jewish governor’s home, the firebombing of Jews in Boulder, Colo., and the murders at the DC Capital Jewish Museum.
- More than half (55%) of American Jews say they changed their behavior in the past year out of fear.
- 73% of American Jews say they have experienced antisemitism online—either by seeing or hearing it or by being personally targeted.
Antisemitism is on the rise, and San Diego has not been immune to this hate. Ambassador Dr. Deborah Lipstadt, former U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, shared insights, best practices, and cautionary tales about how best to combat this hate. Amb. Lipstadt instilled on the community that it is necessary to have courage to speak up and speak out, but also to educate yourself.
Amb. Lipstadt's informative and inspiring keynote kicked off a full day of learning, community, and advocacy that included workshops about Interfaith Approaches to Combating Antisemitism, Modern Media Advocacy, Fostering Jewish Pride and Community on Campus, and Fighting Bias in K-12 Schools.
High school students participated in their own specially-designed "Teen Track" workshop with noted experts, influencer advocates, and activists focused on Jewish identity, antisemitism, and how to be an effective advocate and leader.
We closed the day with an Advocacy In Action session focused on federal, state, and local opportunities to advance real change to benefit our community:
- Federal: Advocated to increase the federal nonprofit security grant
- State: Emailed Assemblymember Garcia to oppose AB 2159
- Local: Thanked Mayor Gloria and the San Diego City Council for Adopting IHRA's working definition of antisemitism
Thank you to Amb. Lipstadt, our tremendous breakout workshop speakers, our sponsors, and all the incredible attendees who showed up and showed us what's possible here in San Diego. And thank you to our Summit Planning Committee for their leadership. It takes a community to do this work, and lending your voice and your efforts helps ensure that the entire San Diego community stays strong and united against antisemitism.
