Poland, the country where I was born and where I live and work today, has suddenly found itself at the center of a major internal and international crisis that is deeply rooted in historical tragedy, competing narratives and questions of identity.
The face of antisemitism completely changed following the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, and left American society leaders wondering how they can respond meaningfully to this new manifestation of the world’s oldest hate.
Recognizing the need to provide all of society with not just the tools to prevent and combat antisemitism, but also to understand what antisemitism is and how it can present itself in various forms, AJC today released a newly updated and expanded Call to Action Against Antisemitism, a Society-Wide Nonpartisan Guide for America.
Entertainment leaders gathered for the first-ever “Countering Antisemitism: An Entertainment Industry Summit”. Launched by Jewish advocacy and entertainment experts, the Summit was jointly held by American Jewish Committee, Creative Community for Peace, an entertainment-industry nonprofit, and Creative Artists Agency a leading entertainment and sports agency. Hundreds of entertainment professionals joined for the full day of programming. The Summit featured Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, with Van Jones, Political Analyst, Eli Roth, Actor/Director, Scott Budnick, Producer, and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Actress.
The “Confronting Hate Together” exhibit at the Wing Luke Museum offered an important opportunity for a much-needed conversation about discrimination and bigotry. Instead, the staff who have shut down the museum are engaged in the very hate the exhibit is meant to address. They are censoring Jewish voices, offering to promote only a single point of view and demanding that leadership cancel the exhibit altogether.
The unbearable images of the war in Gaza have shaken the world, prompting urgent calls for an end to the suffering. However, neither calls for an immediate unilateral ceasefire, nor incantations, nor grand speeches, nor votes at the United Nations will be enough to bring about peace or stop the violence.