SAN DIEGO — Following are some of the stories of Jewish interest that hit our editor’s computer mail box at editor@sdjewishworld.com on Sunday, June 10. We are interested in local, national, and international news of Jewish interest, and welcome comments from members of the Jewish community about these news items.
Updated AJC Plan to Combat Anti-Semitism in Europe Urges Government Action
An updated American Jewish Committee (AJC) action plan calls on European governments to make the fight against anti-Semitism an urgent priority for individual countries, and collectively for the entire EU. It specifies steps for governments to assess the severity of the problem; provide for the security of Jewish institutions and communities; invest in education that imparts European values; take on purveyors of anti-Semitism on the Internet and in social media; and recognize that vilification of Israel too often is a cover for expressions of anti-Semitism.
The AJC commends the European commission for appointing a special coordinator for combating anti-Semitism and the few EU member states that created and filled similar positions. Establishing a senior level position in governments across Europe was a key recommendation in the 2015 AJC Call to Action.
“To understand the problem and to devise the proper counter-measures it is necessary to have a detailed picture that fully describes the incident of anti-Semitism and where possible also provides information on the perpetrators of those incidents,” states the AJC plan. “Only a minority of EU Member States collects comprehensive and disaggregated data on anti-Semitic hate crimes.”
The AJC plan acknowledges that civil society organizations play a critical role in monitoring and raising awareness and engaging the problem on a grass roots level. But recognizing that these groups are generally underfunded, AJC encourages governments to provide them with direct financial support.
Given recent political trends, the updated AJC plan notes with deep concern the rise of far-right and xenophobic political parties, long a part of the European landscape and a traditional source of anti-Semitism. “As governments become more populist and nationalistic, anti-Semitic incidents are also increasing,” states the AJC plan. “In some countries where political leaders should otherwise be the first to challenge such language they are instead employing it for their own partisan goals.”
Moreover, how to counter purveyors of hate who are using social media is a major concern. “The internet and multiple forms of social media have allowed for the instant and universal dissemination of anti-Semitism,” states the AJC plan.
AJC has urged social media companies to police their sites and supports the EU code of conduct signed with social media companies last year, following on one of the recommendations in the original AJC Call to Action.
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Greek-Jewish-Israeli Tour Underway
AJC ACCESS and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC) are completing their inaugural joint mission to Athens, Nicosia and Jerusalem. The trip affirms the next generation of joint advocacy in support of the American-Hellenic-Israeli partnership. Participants arrived in Israel today and will participate in the AJC Global Forum, taking place for the first time in Jerusalem.
In Cyprus and Greece the group met with a number of senior government officials, including: the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades; the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides; Greece’s Minister of Digital Policy, Telecommunication and Media and former Minister of State, Nikos Pappas; the Deputy Foreign Minister of Greece, Terrence Kouik; Republic of Cyprus Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou; the head of New Democracy – Greece’s main opposition party – Kyriakos Mitsotakis; and New Democracy’s representative for defense issues, former Minister of Public Order, Vassilis Kikillias.
Participants had the opportunity to gain insight into bilateral and trilateral relations and geopolitical issues in the region in conversations with the U.S. and Israeli ambassadors. They also met with civil society leaders, leaders of Athens’ Jewish community, and members of the press.
The joint mission follows an event in Washington, D.C. last month, where AJC and HALC marked the fifth anniversary of the Congressional Hellenic-Israel Alliance.
“In the last month alone, AJC and HALC have been on the ground in four countries. Building on the success of joint advocacy in Washington, D.C., the next generation of our leaders gained first-hand insight into the realities and challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of HALC. “I am confident that the decades of collaboration between our two communities will be taken to the next level by these young leaders.”
“This visit provided an invaluable opportunity for AJC and HALC’s young professionals to explore thriving partnerships among democracies in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Gene Germanovivh, Co-Chair of ACCESS Global. “On the heels of successful joint advocacy in support of the Congressional Hellenic Israel Alliance caucus, we have a clear understanding on how our partnership is making a difference and where we can make more of an impact.”
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Preceding culled from news releases.