RSS
This Is How America Can Unite Against Antisemitism
Jewish Americans and supporters of Israel gather at the National Mall in Washington, DC on Nov. 14, 2023 for the “March for Israel” rally. Photo: Dion J. Pierre/The Algemeiner
Hamas’ brutal terror attack on October 7 created shockwaves that are still being felt across the globe. According to American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report, 78% of American Jews feel less safe in the United States as a result of the massacre.
Our report underscores the painful reality that antisemitism is a longstanding, serious threat in the US, which has become even more dangerous since October 7. We have seen a dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents across the country, including attacks on Jewish businesses, Jewish students, and Jewish institutions.
President Biden rightfully recognized the need for a national mobilization against antisemitism even before the Hamas massacre, and AJC’s Task Force to Implement the U.S. National Strategy is working with the administration to ensure that the US National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, released last May, is implemented. We need tangible results in this time of crisis.
AJC’s Task Force has shared data from the State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report with staff from the White House and numerous Federal agencies, and we were able to share statistics that relate to the work of specific US agencies.
We asked American Jews and the general population how important it is for hate crimes, including antisemitic crimes, to be reported to a Federal database by local law enforcement. Nine in ten said it was.
Reporting is currently voluntary, which presents a problem. The FBI needs robust data to allocate appropriate resources to fighting antisemitism. Our findings can bolster the FBI’s pleas for data, give Congress impetus to pass bills like the bipartisan Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act, and help convince reluctant local law enforcement agencies to do better.
Jewish people and businesses are being targeted and need our support. One in five local Jewish businesses have been targeted by antisemitism through threats, graffiti, broken windows, or other attacks over the past five years, which takes a toll on our communities’ economic health.
As AJC continues our partnership with the Small Business Administration, these statistics highlight the need to address this issue by ensuring that small businesses have the resources they need to address antisemitism and other forms of hate.
But Jew-hatred isn’t limited to the private sector. Schools and universities have become hotbeds of antisemitic incidents. For example, one in four Jewish students said they changed their behavior out of the fear of antisemitism, and one in five felt or were actively excluded from a club or program because of antisemitism. In 2022, that number was 12%, representing a jump of eight percentage points in just one year.
This data is crucial in our conversations with college presidents and administrators, as well as with the Department of Education, as they continue to work with these schools and on Title VI enforcement.
Antisemitism on social media is also of major concern. Since October 7, 62% of American Jews shared that they saw antisemitism on social media, with 56% seeing it more than once. AJC is using this data to urge platforms to protect Jewish users online. We are also bringing these stats to Congress as we push for legislation improving accountability and transparency.
As we — along with other organizations — continue our work with government officials and community leaders at every level, each of us can also take action to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people. Here are three steps you can take:
1. Use your voice to influence Congress. Join us in urging Congress to take decisive action to ensure the full implementation of the US National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
2. Educate yourself about antisemitism. You can see our annual report here, and there are countless other resources online to learn from.
3. Stand up against antisemitism in your community. Your voices are needed at the local, State, and Federal level.
Please join us and become a participant in the urgent fight against antisemitism.
Julie Rayman is the American Jewish Committee’s Managing Director of Policy and Political Affairs.
The post This Is How America Can Unite Against Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Sweden Ends Funding for UNRWA, Pledges to Seek Other Aid Channels
View of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) building in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Abed Rahim Khatib / Flash90.
i24 News – Sweden will no longer fund the U.N. refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) and will instead provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza via other channels, the Scandinavian country said on Friday.
The decision comes on the heels of multiple revelations regarding the agency’s employees’ involvement in the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel that triggered the war in Gaza.
Sweden’s decision was in response to the Israeli ban, as it will make channeling aid via the agency more difficult, the country’s aid minister, Benjamin Dousa, said.
“Large parts of UNRWA’s operations in Gaza are either going to be severely weakened or completely impossible,” Dousa said. “For the government, the most important thing is that support gets through.”
The Palestinian embassy in Stockholm said in a statement: “We reject the idea of finding alternatives to UNRWA, which has a special mandate to provide services to Palestinian refugees.”
Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel thanked Dousa for a meeting they had this week and for Sweden’s decision to drop its support for UNRWA.
“There are worthy and viable alternatives for humanitarian aid, and I appreciate the willingness to listen and adopt a different approach,” she said.
The post Sweden Ends Funding for UNRWA, Pledges to Seek Other Aid Channels first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Pope Calls Gaza Airstrikes ‘Cruelty’ After Israeli Minister’s Criticism
Pope Francis waves after delivering his traditional Christmas Day Urbi et Orbi speech to the city and the world from the main balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, December 25, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi
Pope Francis on Saturday again condemned Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, a day after an Israeli government minister publicly denounced the pontiff for suggesting the global community should study whether the military offensive there constitutes a genocide of the Palestinian people.
Francis opened his annual Christmas address to the Catholic cardinals who lead the Vatican’s various departments with what appeared to be a reference to Israeli airstrikes on Friday that killed at least 25 Palestinians in Gaza.
“Yesterday, children were bombed,” said the pope. “This is cruelty. This is not war. I wanted to say this because it touches the heart.”
The pope, as leader of the 1.4-billion-member Roman Catholic Church, is usually careful about taking sides in conflicts, but he has recently been more outspoken about Israel’s military campaign against Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
In book excerpts published last month, the pontiff said some international experts said that “what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide.”
Israeli Minister of Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli sharply criticized those comments in an unusual open letter published by Italian newspaper Il Foglio on Friday. Chikli said the pope’s remarks amounted to a “trivialization” of the term genocide.
Francis also said on Saturday that the Catholic bishop of Jerusalem, known as a patriarch, had tried to enter the Gaza Strip on Friday to visit Catholics there, but was denied entry.
The patriarch’s office told Reuters it was not able to comment on the pope’s remarks about the patriarch being denied entry.
Israeli officials were not immediately reachable for comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, and the Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The post Pope Calls Gaza Airstrikes ‘Cruelty’ After Israeli Minister’s Criticism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
IDF Pledges to Implement Lessons from Failure to Intercept Houthi Missile
Iranian-backed Yemeni terrorist leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – The Israeli military said on Saturday that while the investigation into the failure to intercept the missile that hit Tel Aviv early in the morning was still ongoing, some lessons were already being implemented. The ballistic missile, fired by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, landed at a playground in a residential area, leading to 16 people sustaining injuries from glass shards.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson said that “some of the conclusions have already been implemented, in regards of both interception and early warning.”
The spokesperson added that “no further details regarding aerial defense activities and the alert system can be disclosed due to operational security considerations.”
The Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles towards Israel in what they describe as “acts of solidarity” with Palestinians in Gaza.
The post IDF Pledges to Implement Lessons from Failure to Intercept Houthi Missile first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login