June 15, 2023 — Tel Aviv
American Jewish Committee (AJC) will work with the European Jewish Congress (EJC) to help European Jewish communities tackle rising antisemitism and bring more attention to looming threats and foster a more vibrant Jewish life on the Continent.
AJC, the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, has offices throughout Europe. The European Jewish Congress is the representative umbrella organization of 42 national Jewish communities in Europe.
Some 50 representatives from 17 Jewish communities and the European Union of Jewish Students joined AJC this week in Tel Aviv at AJC Global Forum, the organization’s premier annual meeting that concluded Wednesday.
“Europe is a space where many challenges lie, from antisemitism to the rise of extremism and populist parties to the threats posed to external actors such as Russia and Iran. Bringing two organizations to work in this space together is an important first step to explore ways to cooperate more closely,” said AJC Europe Director Simone Rodan-Benzaquen. “Jewish communities may come from all over the Continent, but they face many of the same challenges. The more they unite, the more all European Jews can benefit, and AJC is there to help and advocate on their behalf.”
The groups will seek to address the challenges posed by antisemitism, the proliferation of disinformation campaigns, the increasing influence of populist parties in Europe, and the threats posed by extremists to European Jewish communities, including Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). AJC has long urged the European Union to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.
“There are so many enemies of the Jewish people, it is high time we put our heads together,” EJC President Ariel Muzicant said.
The EJC will leverage the resources of AJC and its eight offices and representations in Europe as well as the AJC Jerusalem and U.S. offices.
Concrete strategies for cooperation will also be developed to foster European Jewish life and identity and counter Holocaust revisionism and distortion.
Jewish communities from the following countries were represented at AJC Global Forum: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York City, 25 offices across the United States, and 14 overseas posts, as well as partnerships with 38 Jewish community organizations worldwide, AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.
