Articles by Kenneth Bandler

American Jewish Committee (AJC) initiated in 2019 a survey of American Jews focused exclusively on antisemitism in the United States and, in 2020, began a parallel survey of the general U.S. adult population. Although AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, had polled Jews in the U.S. for decades, the Tree of Life synagogue massacre in Pittsburgh in October 2018, the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history, prompted a new approach and the launch of what has become AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America report.

The misuse of Holocaust terminology and images has attained disturbing acceptance and respectability during the gravest global public health crisis in a century. Many opposed to wearing masks, getting vaccines and other measures to prevent the spread of the deadly virus have willfully accepted and are promoting a narrative that such steps are akin to what the Nazi regime did in Germany. Without any regard for historical truths, some elected officials, candidates for political office, and media personalities have been amplifying Holocaust equivalences.

The potential for further improvement of Jewish-Arab relations in Israel is promising, given the participation of an Arab party, Ra’am, for the first time in the governing coalition. The role of non-governmental organizations like Givat Haviva in shaping Jewish-Arab understanding and cooperation has long been and will continue to be an important factor in strengthening Israel’s democratic society.

IsraAID has demonstrated over and over that humanitarian aid is a crucial Israeli export that has an indelible global impact. Over the past 20 years, IsraAID has responded to a range of crises, including earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and refugees in more than 50 countries, and is currently active in 14 countries.

The outpouring of empathy from Americans of all faiths, ethnicities and ages following the murder of 11 Jewish worshipers at Tree of Life Congregation Shabbat services on October 27, 2018, was heartening. But the attention to Jewish concerns about endless antisemitism, even after additional fatal attacks in Poway, Monsey and Jersey City, turned out to be more transient than enduring.

Hamas was one of the first to congratulate the Taliban. “The demise of the American occupation and its allies proves that the resistance of the peoples, foremost of which is our struggling Palestinian people, will achieve victory,” Hamas stated the day Kabul fell to the Afghani terrorist organization. Sixteen years ago, Israel’s transfer of Gaza to the PA set the stage for establishing, through negotiations, a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Now, it’s tragically clearer than ever that peace, a possible two-state deal, will remain elusive as long as Hamas rules.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a longstanding favorite in the biennial General Synod, the denomination’s national decision-making body, which has sought to end what it calls “Israel’s occupation of Palestine.” Last month the group did not disappoint its adherents or others who believe Israel is singularly responsible for the current situation. It generated yet another resolution condemning Israel in many ways while never asking the Palestinians to also take responsibility and do something to resolve the conflict, to advance peace.

While Israel is known internationally as the start-up nation, Arab citizens, 20% of the country’s population, comprise only 3% of the hi-tech workforce, and no blockbuster global innovation developed by an Israeli Arab has yet emerged. Takwin is determined to enhance the role and influence of Arab citizens in the continually expanding hi-tech field.

The Assad family has ruled Syria for 50 years, but Bashar’s war against the Syrian people has in many ways destroyed the country that he inherited from his late father, Hafez. Syria remains a tinderbox, with potential conflagrations that could affect all its neighbors. The Biden administration should consider a fresh approach to the Syria crisis as it weighs US engagement with the Middle East region.

Whether Palestinian elections can help or hinder the resumption of talks will depend on the outcome – if the voting actually takes place – and ultimately on Abbas’s posture, or that of his successor.

“Israel’s economic growth depends on the talent and integration of Arabs and haredim. The future of our economy is these groups,” says Danny Gal, CEO of Kav Mashve, a nongovernmental organization that focuses on Arab employment.

In the constantly expanding digital universe, purveyors of hate are exploiting the newest communications technologies to threaten Jews. The deleterious impact of the “digitization of antisemitism” was revealed in the 2020 State of Antisemitism in America report recently issued by the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

Beit Berl College, one of Israel’s top colleges of education, has been making strides. “Ninety-nine percent of our haredi students graduate with a bachelor’s of education degree, essential for professional advancement and higher salaries,” says Orit Lehrer Kanfo, director of Beit Berl’s Center for Haredi Educators.

“This is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. The State Department rightly said this is the largest incarceration of any ethnic minority since the Holocaust,” says Nury Turkel, a leader of the Uyghur community in the United States and a newly appointed member of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

One of the most outrageous incidents emerged last week in America’s City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia. Rodney Muhammad, president of the NAACP [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] Philadelphia chapter, posted to Facebook what clearly was a blatantly antisemitic image that he used to suggest Jews are trying to silence prominent blacks, who themselves have been criticized for their own antisemitic comments and posts.

In a rare public dialogue, UAE Ambassador to the UN Lana Nusseibeh shared how the UAE is dealing with the pandemic, interfaith coexistence in her country, and Israel’s place in the region. The refreshingly frank conversation with Nusseibeh and my colleague Jason Isaacson aired live on AJC Advocacy Anywhere, the American Jewish Committee’s popular online program.

Syrian President Bashar Assad pronounced a death sentence on his own country long before the coronavirus arrived.

Ending Israel’s prolonged political stalemate by creating an emergency national unity government is potentially one positive outcome of the battle against the deadly Coronavirus. With prodding from President Reuven Rivlin, and the prospect of a fourth election looming, Blue and White party head Benny Gantz and Likud chair Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to launch direct talks several weeks after the March 2 elections.

The joint visit was transformative for both Muslim and Jewish participants. While both sides may have had questions, uncertainties about the nascent relationship in advance of the trip, by Friday evening both Harris and Issa were referring to one another as partners. Indeed, the visit confirmed the potential for further joint efforts by AJC and the MWL.

As the second decade of the 21st century ends with heightened partisanship descending to new depths of divisiveness, the positive evolution of Jewish-Muslim interactions and cooperation in the United States are a welcome and hopeful indication that seemingly irredeemable rivals can transform.