Betsy Burns Korn, the Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, recently spoke with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about the growing challenges of antisemitism, both on college campuses in the US and internationally.
Visiting Israel for the 15th time since the October 7th attacks, Burns Korn shared her perspective on the importance of Jewish unity and the ongoing efforts to combat misinformation and disinformation. Korn emphasized the resilience of Jewish students and the need for collaborative efforts in fighting antisemitism, while expressing hope for the future of Israel and its people.
At the start of the interview, Burns Korn noted that "the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is the convening group for 50 Jewish organizations within the United States. We represent from the far right to the far left. So as you can imagine, it's a span and a spectrum of opinions and beliefs."
But, she added, "Our job really is to present a unified voice. And we really do have a unified voice, even if it doesn't necessarily come across in the press. I would say we probably agree on maybe 80 to 90 percent of the issues, and especially the major issues, we all agree. And which is why it's nice when we come here as a mission, as a group, the CEOs and the chairs, and we come together, and we come visit Israel, and we have the meetings that we're having, and it really helps us become a more unified voice. And hopefully, we take that back to our organizations within the United States, and we present that unified, not uniform, but unified voice."
Regarding the rising antisemitism, both in globally and within the US, she noted, "You feel it from up close. We definitely feel it. There's no question. And it depends on whom you speak to. If you're on a college campus, I have a son who's a senior on a very large college campus, and there's definitely rampant antisemitism. But these students are my heroes because they're really fighting the fight."
"They're living and breathing with these people," she added, "and they're fighting it and doing it in a really lovely, very mature way. So I give them a lot of credit. But on a day-to-day basis, again, I think it's a little bit where you're coming from and where you live. Obviously, if you're living in New York, it's a different animal than living in Florida. But every organization knows that there are issues."
"We've had polling after polling to show that antisemitism has risen dramatically in the United States and obviously in Europe and other countries. And we are doing our best to figure out ways to fight this, to fight the disinformation and the misinformation. And we are figuring out how to work together. And I think that's the main goal, is how to work together, pool our resources to fight this fight."
Asked about her feelings during her trip to Israel, Burns Korn said, "This is my 15th trip since October 7th. So I've seen the country through a lot of downs, obviously, since then. And it's been very difficult. This was the first time, and I'm sure everyone says this to you, but the first time that I've flown in, walked through the airport, haven't seen hostage posters. So there is a bit of a weight off of our shoulders in terms of just making sure that things are going to hopefully get better from here on in."
"Just the idea that the hostages, there are no more hostages in Gaza, is really a weight off of all of our shoulders. But there are real challenges ahead, so none of us diminish that whatsoever."
Concluding her statements, she said, "It's wonderful to be in this country and to meet with the leaders that we're meeting with, and to hope for better times ahead."