American secretaries of state form across the country participated in a virtual training seminar hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) whose aim was to teach them to combat misinformation and disinformation regarding anti-Semitism.
During the program, members of the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) learned about the “range of anti-Semitic conspiracies, tropes, and symbols, and how anti-Semitism can be used to undermine elections,” the way in which “anti-Semitic conspiracy theories influence prejudice against other communities,” and concrete steps that can be taken to “protect Jews, promote pluralism, and build coalitions across communities to counter false narratives.”
A discussion took place about misinformation and disinformation and AJC resources were talking about, including the State of Antisemitism in America in 2020 report and Translate Hate.
The ACJ also “shared ways NASS participants can address these threats and tools they may have at their disposal to counter mis/disinformation.”
The State of Antisemitism in America report found that 88 percent of US Jews consider anti-Semitism a problem, while 37 percent had been victims of anti-Semitism over the last five years.
“In the first-ever survey of the general U.S. population on anti-Semitism, AJC found a stunning lack of awareness of anti-Semitism. Nearly half of all Americans said they had either never heard the term "anti-Semitism" (21 percent) or are familiar with the word but not sure what it means (25 percent),” the AJC stated.
Earlier in the month, the AJC presented a similar training session to America’s mayors, represented by the US Conference of Mayors.