AJC Announces Professional Task Force of 50 Staff in 14 Departments to Spearhead Implementation of U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism

“While the National Strategy has established a timeline through May 2024, AJC is committed to ensuring that the concerns of the Jewish community remain a White House priority regardless of who sits in the Oval Office,” AJC CEO Ted Deutch said.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today revealed the structure, direction, and priorities for a task force to implement the White House strategy to counter antisemitism and help ensure the U.S. Jewish community is safe, strong, and secure.

The Task Force will consist of more than 50 AJC professional staff members and AJC leaders from across the U.S. They will lead efforts to determine how the more than 200 action items in the National Strategy, announced by President Biden in May, can be deployed most effectively.

Deutch had announced the establishment of AJC’s Task Force for Implementing the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism in June at AJC Global Forum in Tel Aviv.

"We will make certain that the focus of this National Strategy becomes a permanent part of U.S. policy,” Deutch said. “From campuses to corporations, across every level of government, and in every part of American society, we are utilizing our experience and relationships with business, government, faith, nonprofit, and civil society leaders to advocate for the full implementation of the National Strategy.”

What AJC’s Task Force Has Done So Far:

• Working with The U.S. Conference of Mayors, AJC has created “A Mayor’s Guide to Countering Antisemitism: Implementing the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism” (AJC.org/MayorsGuide). Similar guides for governors, corporations, celebrities, members of Congress, and others are being developed for release this fall.
• AJC and the Small Business Administration (SBA) signed a Strategic Alliance Memorandum to help small business owners recognize, respond to, and help prevent antisemitism, helping Jews feel safe when they shop, go to work, and interact in their communities. 

• AJC’s Task Force is creating an expanded and updated version of AJC’s Translate Hate glossary to share with federal agencies and additional partners in the fight against antisemitism.
• Deutch and senior Task Force members have discussed the next steps in the National Strategy’s implementation with White House Director of Domestic Policy Neera Tanden, Director of White House Office of Public Engagement Steve Benjamin, White House Jewish Liaison Shelley Greenspan as well as officials from the Departments of Justice, Agriculture (USDA) and Education, FEMA, the SBA, and other White House professionals helping to implement the National Strategy.
• AJC will provide Translate Hate to USDA for their enforcement agents to learn how to identify and counter antisemitic discrimination. AJC will also help USDA distribute resources on antisemitism and Jewish religious practice to rural universities, and work with USDA to convene a dialogue with religious leaders in rural America to assess the state of antisemitism. AJC’s Kansas City Director, Gavi Geller, will serve alongside a USDA official on a panel on combating antisemitism in rural communities at the upcoming Parliament of the World’s Religions conference in Chicago. 

The Task Force is leveraging AJC's nonpartisan approach and global experience to ensure the full implementation of the action items outlined in the National Strategy. “While the National Strategy has established an implementation timeline through May 2024, AJC is committed to ensuring that the concerns of the Jewish community remain a White House priority regardless of who sits in the Oval Office,” Deutch said.

BACKGROUND

AJC  pioneered the concept of a national antisemitism strategy in Europe, where anti-Jewish hate began resurfacing more than two decades ago. AJC worked closely with European governments to launch their national strategies and continues to help refine their plans today. Drawing on that expertise, AJC organized a meeting with envoys from across the globe at the White House in February, where they shared best practices and lessons from abroad, as well as their individual action plans with the interagency policy group.

AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 offices across the United States, 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.