Van Jones, the CNN political commentator and civil rights advocate, said humanity has a “special responsibility” to defend the Jewish people as the Genesis Prize Foundation announced his appointment to its advisory board.
In a video shared by the foundation, Jones framed the Jewish people as one of the world’s smallest and most vulnerable minorities, arguing that Israel must be understood against the backdrop of Jewish history, persecution, and the Holocaust.
“There’s only 15 million Jews left in the whole world,” Jones said in the video. “Only 15 million left.”
He compared the size of the global Jewish population to the world’s much larger religious, ethnic, and national communities, including Chinese, Indians, Africans, Catholics, and Muslims. Jones said the Jewish population would have been “massively bigger” without the Holocaust and “centuries of violence” that preceded it.
Jones also stressed that Israel is home to roughly half of the world’s Jews and described the Jewish state as “the tiniest little place in the world.”
“That’s where half of the remaining Jews in the world are clinging to their existence,” he said. “And when that group comes under attack, humanity has a special responsibility to defend them.”
Jones said criticism of Israeli governments and policies is legitimate, including criticism of political, economic, and military decisions. He then warned against calls for the West to abandon Israel.
“We already ran a 3,000-year experiment where Jews did not have a state, and it ended with Hitler’s hell,” Jones said. “We are not going to run an experiment again.”
Jones joins 'Jewish Nobel' board, to focus on Black-Jewish alliance
The Genesis Prize Foundation announced Wednesday that Jones had joined its advisory board, saying he would work with fellow board members to advance the mission of the Genesis Prize, often referred to as the “Jewish Nobel.”
The foundation said Jones would focus in particular on renewing the Black-Jewish civic alliance in America and broadening public engagement against antisemitism, racism, and polarization.
Jones, a Yale Law School graduate, is a civil rights advocate, attorney, author, CNN host, and social entrepreneur. He has founded and led initiatives focused on criminal justice reform, racial justice, green jobs, technology access, and bipartisan problem-solving.
“I’m honored to serve on the Advisory Board of The Genesis Prize Foundation and look forward to supporting its important work,” Jones said in a statement released by the foundation. “One area I am particularly interested in is the renewal of the Black-Jewish civic alliance in America.”
“Together, Black and Jewish Americans have written some of the most important chapters in the story of American democracy,” he said. “That relationship has since faced real strain, but it is far too important to abandon today. At a time of rising antisemitism, racism, and polarization, we need to rebuild trust, deepen relationships, and stand together against hate.”
Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of the Genesis Prize Foundation, said Jones brings “a rare combination of moral clarity, public credibility, and practical coalition-building experience.”
“At a time when Jewish communities are facing rising antisemitism, it is essential to engage respected non-Jewish leaders who can strengthen alliances and bring Jewish concerns into the broader public debate,” Polovets said.
Jones' appointment connects Jewish achievement to civic responsibility
The Genesis Prize Advisory Board is chaired by Natan Sharansky, the former Soviet dissident, Israeli statesman, and human rights advocate.
Sharansky said Jones’s appointment reflects the foundation’s view that Jewish achievement also carries a call to “civic responsibility, moral leadership and engagement with the wider democratic society.”
The Genesis Prize Foundation said it works to foster Jewish identity, celebrate Jewish achievement, and strengthen ties between Israel and the Diaspora. Since its founding in 2013, the foundation said it has leveraged the annual $1 million Genesis Prize into philanthropic initiatives totaling more than $50 million, supporting more than 230 nonprofit programs in 31 countries.
The foundation said its supported causes have included organizations fighting for social, racial, and economic justice; groups assisting refugees from Syria and African countries; programs empowering women in marginalized communities in Israel; humanitarian aid in Ukraine; and advocacy for hostages and their families during the war in Gaza.