Press Releases and Statements

AJC New Jersey Regional Director David Levy released the following statement in reaction to the agreement made between Rutgers News Brunswick Campus administration and protest encampment leaders.

Today, as Jewish American Heritage Month begins, American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights & Justice are launching a special initiative, the Congressional Solidarity Sabbath. This initiative invites all Members of Congress, regardless of political party, religious tradition, or cultural background, to engage with the Jewish community in a meaningful way during the month of May.

Sarah van Loon, Regional Director of American Jewish Committee (AJC) Chicago, released the following statement in reaction to the agreement made between Northwestern University and protest encampment leaders.
"I am appalled at the cowardly actions of Northwestern University’s administration yesterday. In order to avoid exhibiting real leadership by enforcing its own recently amended policies, Northwestern succumbed to the demands of a mob, which has intimidated Jewish students, espoused antisemitic, hate-filled speech, and whose members have celebrated Hamas terrorists."

Following a week filled with increasing threats, harassment, and violence directed at Jewish students at campus protests and encampments across the country, students from Brown, Columbia, and Rutgers demanded that university administrators better ensure the safety of Jewish students on campus. The students were joined by leadership from Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Hillel International, American Jewish Committee (AJC), and UJA-Federation of New York.

Despite feelings of vulnerability in the wake of the Hamas massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, American Jews must remain united and never stop being proud of who they are, American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch said. Deutch spoke during a fireside chat with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Gavriela Geller, Executive Director of JCRB|AJC at Driving Out Darkness in the Heartland, a summit on countering antisemitism co-sponsored by American Jewish Committee. The first-of-its-kind meeting of 400 Jewish leaders, educators, local officials and community activists from various faiths featured sessions on best practices for addressing antisemitism in the Midwest, including rural areas.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today released its inaugural Voices Against Antisemitism campaign featuring Jewish celebrities and influencers, which highlights the impact Hamas’ October 7 massacre in Israel has had on American Jews.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Touro University’s Lander College for Women (LCW) today wrapped their second annual collaboration on a unique program that equips female Jewish Orthodox college and high school students with advocacy skills to stand up for Israel and the Jewish community at a time when anti-Zionist and antisemitic activity has surged at many schools and campuses.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today welcomed the introduction of the bipartisan, bicameral Countering Antisemitism Act, legislation that will strengthen federal efforts in the fight against anti-Jewish hate.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) will serve as the leading partner for a first-of-its-kind summit on the state of antisemitism in middle America. The summit, including a day-long public symposium, Unity Seder, and a private convening of regional Jewish leadership, are part of Driving out Darkness in the Heartland: 2024 Regional Summit on Combating Antisemitism, presented by JCRB/AJC of Kansas City and AJC.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Hillel International today announced that they are expanding their partnership to deepen the organizations’ critical work with college and university presidents and administrators to combat rising antisemitism on campus.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today welcomed a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) agreement made with the Park City School District in Utah based on the Department’s investigation of seven complaints across three schools.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is calling on the Alameda County District and the Department of Justice (DOJ) to conduct criminal investigations into an anti-Jewish riot that occurred at UC Berkeley on Monday evening at an event featuring an Israeli speaker. News reports describe a siege of the building, with the mob attempting a break-in, breaking a door and window in the process. Attendees were spat at while being bombarded with antisemitic hate speech.

American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) recently released State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report found that 4 in 10 (44%) current or recent college students were affected by antisemitism during their time on campus.

American Jewish Committee condemns in the strongest possible terms Monday night’s actions by Bears for Palestine (BfP) at UC Berkeley. What transpired meets the criteria for a riot, complete with violent incursion of some 200 protesters into the auditorium where invited Israeli speaker Ran Bar-Yoshafat was scheduled to talk. The auditorium’s doors were breached, its windows smashed, and threats of violence along with actual violence were leveled against attendees, who were forced to evacuate to safety underground.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today congratulated Julie Katz, AJC Atlanta Associate Director, on her appointment to a special one-year role at the U.S. State Department, working under Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt in the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (SEAS). AJC is pleased to support Katz’s tenure for the upcoming year as she takes a sabbatical from the organization, reaffirming its steadfast commitment to supporting the efforts of the United States in countering antisemitism.

The release of the data, from surveys done in the fall of 2023, comes four months after the Hamas terror attack on Israel on October 7 – the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust – at a time when the global Jewish community is experiencing a dramatic surge in antisemitism.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today welcomed a U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) agreement made with Delaware’s Red Clay Consolidated School District in a June 2023 student-filed case detailing horrific harassment of a Jewish student.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) released new data showing that an overwhelming consensus of Americans – both Jews and the general public – support Holocaust education in public schools and measures to invest in resources to teach about the Holocaust and to assess the effectiveness of these lessons.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today released A Law Enforcement Guide to Countering Antisemitism: Implementing the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in partnership with the Secure Community Network (SCN), National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA).

American Jewish Committee (AJC) released the following statement after University of Pennsylvania (Penn) President Liz Magill stepped down from her post.