Press Releases and Statements

Today, German Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser issued a ban on the activities of the Islamic Center Hamburg (IZH) for its illicit activities on behalf of Hezbollah and the Iranian regime. American Jewish Committee (AJC), which for years has raised concern over the misuse of this religious center for malign purposes by the Iranian regime, praised the decision as good for all Germans, including the Jewish and Muslim communities.

Yesterday’s passing of a symbolic resolution opposing Palestinian statehood in the Israeli Knesset – with more than a third of the body absent – reflects the Israeli people’s understandable fear and deep skepticism of a Palestinian state in the aftermath of October 7, the deadliest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust in which more than 1,200 people were murdered and 240 taken hostage, 120 of whom remain in Hamas captivity. Israelis are rightly concerned that Hamas or another terrorist movement could at some point take over the Palestinian Authority, and that the realities of October 7 could repeat. The resolution should not be misinterpreted as the Israeli people’s rejection of peace with their Palestinian neighbors. It must be understood in the context of this moment.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) in North America today announced an historic partnership aimed at forging closer ties between Israeli and American Jewish teens and addressing growing rates of antisemitism in private non-Jewish high schools.

As antisemitic intimidation, harassment, and violence rise on university campuses in the U.S. and Europe, American Jewish Committee (AJC) joined European and American Jewish community leaders and government officials for the third annual European Conference on Antisemitism, to assess the threat to Jewish students and civic order, and urge comprehensive action by campus administrators.

American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Paris office released preliminary findings of its Survey of Antisemitism in France 2024 which showed that younger French people are more likely to hold antisemitic beliefs and French Jews under 25 years old are more likely to be the target of antisemitic incidents. Yet, even with rising antisemitism, the survey also found profound resilience among French Jews who are overwhelmingly embracing their Jewish and Zionist identities, with nearly three-quarters of French Jews saying that the October 7 massacre strengthened their Zionist convictions (73%) and their Jewish identity (71%).

NATO is an indispensable bulwark of peace, security, and prosperity.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today announced that Agnieszka Markiewicz will be returning to her previous post as the Rubin and Frances Partel Director of the AJC Central Europe Office in Warsaw. Markiewicz, a native of Poland, previously held this position from 2017 - 2019.

AJC CEO Ted Deutch today praised President Biden's nomination of Jack Lew to be the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today expressed profound disappointment over the passage of the Reasonableness Standard Law in Israel.

The new law was pushed through unilaterally by the governing coalition amid deepening divisions in Israeli society as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have taken to the streets. Of particular concern to AJC, the continued effort to press forward on judicial reform rather than seeking compromise has sown discord within the Israeli Defense Forces at a time of elevated threats to the Jewish homeland and has strained the vital relationship between Israel and Diaspora Jewry. 

AJC CEO Ted Deutch issued this statement following Israeli President Isaac Herzog's address to Congress this morning:

President Herzog’s address to Congress is a potent symbol of the ironclad partnership between the U.S. and Israel and how it has transformed the Middle East. It also underscores the president’s vital role as a bridge builder, one who offers pragmatic and actionable solutions to many of the issues that confront Israel. His voice is one we need to hear more. Israel has no better emissary. I know him personally as someone whose commitment and love for his nation knows no bounds. That passion was on full display today on Capitol Hill.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today expressed concern over the Knesset’s vote to advance a portion of the governing coalition's judicial reform effort, deepening existing divisions instead of resuming the compromise negotiations conducted by President Herzog.

A delegation of U.S. college presidents has arrived in Israel to exchange ideas with their counterparts in the Jewish State and forge partnerships with students and faculty from both nations, as part of a trip sponsored by Project Interchange, an educational institute of American Jewish Committee.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is urging NATO to give Ukraine a “clear path” to becoming a member of the alliance to deter further aggression by Russia and other “bad actors” who seek to destabilize Europe. In a letter prior to the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12, AJC CEO Ted Deutch and AJC President Michael Tichnor described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as posing a threat to democracy and the international order.

American Jewish Committee will work with the European Jewish Congress 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.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog told AJC Global Forum that Israel’s relations with Diaspora Jewry are crucial to the future of the only Jewish state.

Speaking with Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee (AJC) during the opening session of AJC Global Forum 2023 in Tel Aviv, Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said the battle over a proposed overhaul of Israel’s judicial system, is proof that democracy in Israel remains vibrant and an example for the world.

Today at AJC Global Forum 2023, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said her nation stands with Israel in stemming the threat posed by Iran’s growing nuclear capability and promised her country would do its part to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions in check.

The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI)—the interparliamentary, cross-party network spearheaded by the American Jewish Committee (AJC)—launched its Italian chapter to strengthen the ties between Europe, and specifically Italy, the United States, Canada, and Israel. TFI Italy Chair Senator Marco Scurria announced the launch in the Italian Senate with the support of 16 bicameral lawmakers from Fratelli d'Italia, Lega, Forza Italia, Noi Moderati, and Partito Democratico.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other Polish leaders at a time when Poland has moved to strengthen its ties with Israel. Deutch and Morawiecki discussed Poland’s leading role in providing ongoing military and economic aid to Ukraine from where an estimated 10 million people fled to Poland following the Russian invasion last year.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) President Michael Tichnor and CEO Ted Deutch led a leadership delegation to the Vatican. “We are so grateful for the transformation in Catholic-Jewish relations and for the privilege AJC has enjoyed and continues to enjoy as a central actor in this ongoing historic reconciliation, which Pope Francis has taken to even greater heights,” said Deutch. “Pope Francis’s love and care for the Jewish People is universally known. We are grateful for his strong voice condemning antisemitism.”