Press Releases and Statements

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, and the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF), the organization representing Europe’s largest Jewish community, today announced the signing of a new partnership agreement, formalized in Paris on the occasion of the CRIF’s 40th annual Dinner, to deepen transatlantic coordination in combating antisemitism and defending democratic values.

Recognized for his national and international leadership, Pace University President Marvin Krislov has begun work as a Fulbright Specialist —hosted by AJC Paris—to help identify the most effective ways French and American leaders can stem a rising tide of antisemitism.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) and more than 75 Jewish organizations across 34 countries today expressed their “unequivocal support and appreciation for Katharina von Schnurbein, the European Commission Coordinator on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, in light of recent unfounded and pernicious criticism” in a letter to President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) strongly condemns the antisemitic demonstrations and Holocaust denial that marred today’s commemoration of the Jedwabne massacre.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, announced a new Fulbright Specialist Program, a cutting-edge initiative focused on building a future where young people on both sides of the Atlantic grow up in societies where antisemitism is no longer normalized and where democratic ideals flourish.

Today, American Jewish Committee (AJC) Director of International Jewish Affairs Rabbi Andrew Baker met with Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin during his official visit to Washington to directly address concerns about antisemitism and the demonization of Israel in Ireland, seen as one of the most problematic countries in Europe. AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, has been in close touch with Ireland’s Jewish community as the situation has worsened following Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. ADL Senior Vice President for International Affairs, Ambassador Marina Rosenberg, also participated in the meeting.

More than 40 Jewish and non-Jewish elected officials, leaders, and organizations from across the EU joined American Jewish Committee (AJC) in signing a letter urging European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Antonio Costa, and other EU Council members to prioritize combating antisemitism. The letter calls for this issue to be central to the agenda during the European Council Meetings on December 19 and highlights the need for a holistic response as a key priority for the incoming European Commission.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, is today calling for immediate action from European government ministers in response to surging and increasingly violent antisemitism on the continent. To protect Jews in Europe - and the European way of life - AJC is calling for an emergency high-level meeting of relevant ministers from across Europe and for these officials to implement new enforcement, protection, and justice-related actions in the fight against antisemitism.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the nonpartisan global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, has urged the Lithuanian Social Democrats leader and likely next Prime Minister, Gintautas Paluckas, to reverse his plans to enter into a coalition with the antisemitic Dawn of the River Neman party.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, is horrified by the violent, antisemitic assaults on Israeli and Jewish fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team that took place in Amsterdam. This modern-day pogrom reflects a broader rise in antisemitic violence across Europe since October 7 – fueled not only by an anti-Israel political ideology and extremist interpretations of Islam, but also by the rhetoric and complacency of some European leaders. Symbolically, the attacks were a chilling reminder of Europe’s darkest chapters on the very eve of the anniversary of Kristallnacht on November 9.

As antisemitic intimidation, harassment, and violence rise on university campuses in the U.S. and Europe, American Jewish Committee (AJC) joined European and American Jewish community leaders and government officials for the third annual European Conference on Antisemitism, to assess the threat to Jewish students and civic order, and urge comprehensive action by campus administrators.

American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Paris office released preliminary findings of its Survey of Antisemitism in France 2024 which showed that younger French people are more likely to hold antisemitic beliefs and French Jews under 25 years old are more likely to be the target of antisemitic incidents. Yet, even with rising antisemitism, the survey also found profound resilience among French Jews who are overwhelmingly embracing their Jewish and Zionist identities, with nearly three-quarters of French Jews saying that the October 7 massacre strengthened their Zionist convictions (73%) and their Jewish identity (71%).

American Jewish Committee will work with the European Jewish Congress to help European Jewish communities tackle rising antisemitism and bring more attention to looming threats and foster a more vibrant Jewish life on the Continent.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) expressed deep concern regarding renewed attempts to hold the far-right Lukov March in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on February 25.

On the anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, American Jewish Committee (AJC) is urging Congress to pass legislation designating the Wagner Group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). A private military company with ties to Russian white supremacist and neo-Nazi far-right extremists, the Wagner Group has a long record of committing atrocities against civilians in Ukraine and in African countries.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomed the latest French government plan to combat antisemitism. The plan, updated by the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight Against Racism and Antisemitism (DILCRAH) every three years, included several policies recommended by AJC and was presented yesterday by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to an audience that included AJC leaders in Paris. “DILCRAH has long recognized that antisemitism endangers all of French society, not only Jews. It is essential for the government to have a robust strategy dedicated to confronting antisemitism in all its forms,” said Anne Sophie-Sebban, Director of AJC Paris,

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today told the European Parliament that the Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and three Arab nations, was an important historical moment “we can never take for granted.”

220 lawmakers from Europe, the United States, and Canada urged Western democracies to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies, such as Hezbollah, as terrorist organizations. The legislators’ call for action against the regime’s state terrorism comes only days before EU foreign ministers are set to deliberate further measures against Tehran on Monday. Spearheaded by the AJC-backed Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI), the interparliamentary statement was released amid the regime’s deadly crackdown on protesters

Rabbi Andrew Baker, American Jewish Committee Director of International Jewish Affairs, addressed today the Terezin Declaration Conference. The two-day conference, hosted by the Czech government, which holds the EU Presidency, is a follow up to the Prague Holocaust Era Assets Conference in 2009. “Government recognition of Jewish communities’ security needs is not the same as action,” Baker declared in remarks focused on the continuing rise of antisemitism. He also underscored the need “for governments to adopt and employ the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.”

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.