American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch met this week with EU officials on the topic of the spread of antisemitism in the United States and worldwide.
Asked about the White House setting up a task force on antisemitism, and getting advice from foreign officials, when in the past America used to lecture other countries on the need to fight hatred against Jews, he noted that a new AJC survey found 40 percent of American Jews feel less secure now than they did even one year ago.
“The number of people who have changed their behavior so as not to be identifiably Jewish out of fear for what might happen to them is dramatically higher than it’s been,” Deutch told DW. “So there’s a need for action, and the Biden administration has committed to creating a national action plan.”
Stating that 90 percent of the American public acknowledge antisemitism is a problem, he said: “Antisemitism never just stops with the Jews. It suggests a greater problem in democracy. That is why the administration is committed to this. That’s why there’s an ongoing interagency process to create a national action plan. By creating a national action plan, it’s not just going to address the needs of the Jewish community, it’s going to help set in motion the opportunity to strengthen democracy as a whole, something that’s desperately needed.”
He said that there were several “clear takeaways” from his trip to Germany and other EU nations, namely that the move to create a national plan can’t be a “political exercise… and has to seek the input of the community impacted” and must acknowledge the role social media companies play in antisemitic posts spreading across the globe.
“It has to be a plan for the long haul that includes education and security and opportunities to bring communities together. Tat’s how we’re going to do this in a way that will be sustainable.”
Attendees at a White House roundtable on antisemitism hosted by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Tuesday called for a longterm, non-politicized solution to address rising global antisemitism.
The meeting, convened by AJC as part of the efforts of an interagency group created by President Joe Biden to build a national strategy to combat antisemitism, welcomed envoys from around the world. Attendees included US Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt and Shelley Greenspan, White House liaison to the Jewish community.
“Antisemitism is a 2,000-year-old problem,” said Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life. “We need to make sure the commitment to fight antisemitism and national action plans are long-term and are not politicized.”
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)