In a one-on-one interview with Jerusalem Post Editor-in-chief Avi Mayer at the Jerusalem Post Second Front Conference, Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), said that the current spike in antisemitism in the United States and around the world has brought with it a sense of impunity.
“We’ve seen rallies with people holding up swastikas,” said Deutch. “We’ve seen violence against Jewish communities in the US and around the world, and vandalism against Jewish institutions and cemeteries.” The most troubling aspect of the current wave of antisemitism, he pointed out, has been the desire of protestors to go into the streets in the United States and around the world to march in support of Hamas’ terrorism and praise what happened on October 7.
The source of antisemitism
Deutch noted that the three primary sources of antisemitism today come from the far Right, the hard Left, and Islamist extremism. “The far Right and the Lar left often line up touching, and this is a moment where we are seeing that kind of overlap,” he said. Antisemitism does not only put the Jews at risk but endangers society as a whole, Deutch said. “Ultimately, society as a whole is put at risk when this kind of rabid antisemitism is allowed to spread.”
In order to defeat antisemitism, he said that it needs to be called out when it occurs. “We can never accept it as normal. We need to work with our allies with whom we have relationships. AJC has spent a long time developing relationships with other faiths and ethnic groups.
"Now is the time to lean on other faiths and ethnic groups to stand with us," he said. "We need business leaders, university presidents, and politicians to stand with the community against antisemitism. We have to continue to be proud Jews.”
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