August 10, 2023
In the fight against antisemitism, American Jewish Committee (AJC) has emerged as a leading force, advocating for change, and implementing innovative strategies. From the inception of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism to collaborations that span government, education, and the private sector, AJC's approach is both comprehensive and impactful.
Here are the ways that AJC is leveraging its deep and broad connections—from elected officials to faith and civic leaders, from corporations to celebrities—to ensure they are also working to counter antisemitism using the action items in the Strategy and AJC’s Call to Action.
A Call for a National Strategy and a Task Force to Implement It
In May AJC welcomed the release of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. AJC played an essential role in making this possible. This is part of a long call by AJC for a national antisemitism strategy, stressing that a whole-of-government approach was key to the fight. This was a core proposal from AJC’s Call to Action Against Antisemitism, our society-wide guide for addressing the problem in America.
Following the announcement by the White House, in June, AJC CEO Ted Deutch announced the launch of AJC’s Task Force to Implement the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, activating the agency’s national and regional staff to implement many of the more than 200 action items for government, law enforcement, educators, the business community, and others outlined in the Strategy.
Currently comprised of more than 50 professional staff from 14 departments, the Task Force prioritizes our efforts and oversees AJC advocacy work as it relates to recommendations from the National Strategy. The Task Force will also include AJC advocates from around the country. Find the makeup of the AJC Task Force Here.
The Task Force is designed to leverage AJC’s nonpartisan approach and global experience to lead the fight to ensure that the action items in the National Strategy are fully enacted to protect the Jewish community.
While the White House defined an implementation timeline for federal agencies that goes through May 2024, AJC wants to make sure that the Strategy transcends this and any administration and becomes a permanent part of U.S. policy.
URGE CONGRESS TO ACT TO PROTECT JEWISH STUDENTS: Using AJC’s quick and simple online action alert, you can easily reach your Representative and Senators to call on them to address antisemitism in education. Take Action Here.
AJC's Collaborative Initiatives: Strengthening the Fight Against Antisemitism
Built on our Partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors
Building upon their longstanding relationship, AJC and the U.S. Conference of Mayors partnered together to provide a “A Mayor’s Guide to Countering Antisemitism: Implementing the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.” View the guide at AJC.org/MayorsGuide. The guide provides suggestions for actions mayors can take to implement the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. Mayors are often on the front line of combating antisemitism, protecting Jewish communities, and supporting American values.
Signed an Historic Memorandum with the Small Business Administration
As part of the Task Force’s efforts, on July 12, Ted joined the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), Isabella Casillas Guzman, in Miami to sign a Strategic Alliance Memorandum. The agreement states the SBA’s commitment to working with AJC to implement the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This historic, national memorandum will help small business owners and employees understand and address antisemitism, helping Jews feel safe when they shop, go to work, and interact in their communities. AJC’s 25 regional offices will collaborate with the SBA to ensure small businesses have resources to respond to and prevent antisemitic incidents. Learn More Here
“Back to School” Campaign and Partnership with the Department of Education
This week AJC launched our “Back to School” campaign to help students navigate being Jewish, pro-Israel advocates. We’ve compiled a Campus Library to help students in high school, college, and beyond become well-informed and effective advocates for Israel and the Jewish people. Learn More Here and take AJC's Back to School Quiz.
As part of our continued, deepening engagement in the academic space, AJC’s Task Force to Implement the U.S National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism is working with Jewish students and administrators on campuses and at high schools nationwide to ensure the recommendations in the U.S. National Strategy are enacted.
To address the threats to and concerns of Jewish students, schools and colleges are called upon to:
- issue clear and unwavering statements condemning all forms of hate, including antisemitism, especially in the wake of antisemitic incidents.
- ensure efforts to prevent and address antisemitism are integrated into their DEIA programs.
- have a clear and transparent mechanism for students to report hate incidents and acts of antisemitism.
- create committees or task forces to combat hate on campus, including antisemitism.
- to treat antisemitism with the same seriousness as other forms of hate.
Assisted the U.S. Department of Agriculture
AJC is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide AJC’s Translate Hate to USDA for their enforcement agents of the U.S. Forest Service to learn how to identify and counter antisemitic discrimination. AJC will also help USDA distribute resources on antisemitism and Jewish religious practice to rural universities, and work with USDA to convene a dialogue with religious leaders from across rural America to assess the state of antisemitism. Most immediately, AJC’s Kansas City Director, Gavi Geller, was asked by USDA to serve alongside a USDA official on a panel on combating antisemitism in rural communities at the upcoming Parliament of World Religions conference in Chicago.
Deepened Engagement with Administration Officials
Ted and AJC professionals engaged in our antisemitism policy work have had numerous meetings with key White House officials regarding the next steps for implementation of the National Strategy, with Director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden, Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin, and White House Jewish Liaison Shelley Greenspan. AJC is also in ongoing conversations with federal agency officials from the Department of Justice, FEMA, the Department of Education, in addition to the USDA and SBA.
HELP US TRAIN BUSINESS LEADERS: AJC is constantly looking for new businesses to engage in this work. If your company or firm, or one you have ties to, would benefit from an AJC-facilitated Understanding Antisemitism Training, please email our team at [email protected].
Empowering Change: Next Steps in AJC’s Efforts to Counter Antisemitism
Collaborating with the Department of Education
AJC is in contact with officials at the Department of Education (ED)’s Office for Civil Rights and Office for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. ED's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) recently announced that its Civil Rights Data Collection on incidents of harassment and bullying in schools that receive federal funding now includes "antisemitism" as an option for bias motivation. AJC advocated for this exact policy within the Executive Branch action items of our Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America. We are eager to assist ED to implement even more recommendations from our Call to Action and action items from the National Strategy.
Tapping Into the Uniqueness of AJC ACCESS’s Veterans Affinity Group
AJC has an active affinity group for young Jews who are veterans or active service members of the U.S. armed forces. This group is energized to reach out to contacts at the Department of Veterans Affairs and local VAs to help them implement the National Strategy by developing educational programs highlighting the diversity of veterans, contributions of Jewish veterans, and trainings on antisemitism.
Engaging Businesses
In addition to our new partnership with the Small Business Administration, AJC is actively engaging businesses big and small through LinkedIn, especially those that celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month last May, to offer our many resources, trainings, and other opportunities to carry out the National Strategy’s recommendations for the private sector to combat antisemitism. Businesses are called upon to:
- consider their diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) programs to ensure full inclusion of antisemitism awareness and training
- review workplace religious accommodation requirements, and best practices to prevent religious discrimination.
- acknowledge Jewish holidays and other important days and events to the Jewish community, such as International Holocaust Remembrance Day or Jewish American Heritage Month. (With a robust library of resources related to Jewish American Heritage Month and a legacy of planning the premier annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day event at the UN, AJC is primed to help businesses implement these action items.)
Creating New Resources in the Fight Against Antisemitism
In addition to the Guide for Mayors which AJC and the U.S. Conference of Mayors are jointly disseminating to mayors across the nation, we are creating similar guides for counties, governors, corporations, celebrities, members of Congress, and others. With hundreds of recommendations, our assistance in breaking down the plan and making the action items digestible and accessible to these audiences will be invaluable.
Our Task Force members will contribute new, richer sets of recommendations to AJC’s next version of AJC’s Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America which will provide many new specific suggestions for nine sectors of society—the Executive branch, Congress, local and state governments, law enforcement, corporations, media, social media, coalition partners, and educational institutions—in understanding, responding to, and preventing antisemitism. Responding to needs and calls in the National Strategy, the next iteration of this proven resource will include suggestions for celebrities and influencers as well as religious institutions.
AJC’s Task Force will also soon be launching an expanded and updated version of AJC’s signature Translate Hate glossary, including additional customized versions, which we will be sharing with numerous federal, state and local governmental agencies and additional partners in the fight against antisemitism.
