More than 525 mayors of cities across the United States have joined together to combat anti-Semitism from coast to coast.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) has partnered together on a project calling on America’s mayors to sign on to a statement which says that anti-Semitism is “incompatible with fundamental democratic values.”
"Anti-semitism is a growing societal menace, it comes from multiple sources, and mayors are uniquely positioned to lead their cities in taking concerted steps to fight it," said AJC CEO David Harris in a statement.
Mayors from 46 states have signed the statement, including Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcettie, Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney.
"In a world of global communications, where anti-Semitic ideas spread rapidly, a concerted and principled response is required to raise awareness, to educate, and to ensure decency prevails. As mayors and municipal leaders, we have a unique responsibility to speak out against the growing menace of anti-Semitism," Mayors United Against Antisemitism said in a statement.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors said that it has always called on mayors to speak out against hate crimes. In 2019, the organization adopted a policy condemning the dangerous increase in violence toward individuals and institutions based on religious faith. The resolution condemned "antisemitic acts and statements as hateful expressions of intolerance that are contradictory to the values that define the people of the United States.”
“By signing this statement, more than 525 mayors registered their opposition to the dramatic increase in antisemitism we have experienced in our country and pledged to work together to reverse it," said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, president of The U.S. Conference of Mayors.
The joint initiative comes at a time when incidents of anti-Semitism, including violent attacks, are surging in the U.S. The AJC noted that America’s Jews, who are less than two percent of the population, account for 60.2 percent of hate crime victims, according to 2019 FB hate crime statistics.
The statement asks mayors to pledge to “condemn anti-Semitism in all its forms,” support all levels of government efforts to eradicate Jew hatred and extremist indoctrination, reject the idea that opinions about the State of Israel can ever justify or excuse anti-Semitic acts, recognize the need to be “vigilant” about effort to report anti-Semitism, and to “affirm that a climate of mutual understanding and respect among all citizens is the bedrock of pluralistic communities.”