May 21, 2024 — New York, NY
The face of antisemitism completely changed following the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023, and left American society leaders wondering how they can respond meaningfully to this new manifestation of the world’s oldest hate.
Recognizing the need to provide all of society with not just the tools to prevent and combat antisemitism, but also to understand what antisemitism is and how it can present itself in various forms, AJC today released a newly updated and expanded Call to Action Against Antisemitism, a Society-Wide Nonpartisan Guide for America.
The Call to Action includes, for the first time: a section providing specific guidance for Jewish communities and another for influencers – including athletes, actors, musicians, celebrities, and social media content creators. The newly expanded section for technology companies addresses new and growing concerns around artificial intelligence (AI).
AJC first introduced its Call to Action in September 2022. In addition to the new sections for Jewish communities and influencers, this updated Call to Action Against Antisemitism in America includes amended policy suggestions and actions for federal and local governments, Congress, law enforcement, technology companies, media organizations, the private sector, intergroup and interfaith partners, and educational institutions.
Every recommendation takes into account current manifestations of antisemitism, especially in light of Hamas’ October 7 terror attack against Israel and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war, which has led to an even greater surge of antisemitism both domestically and around the world.
“The world’s reaction to Hamas’ October 7 massacre has not only led to a staggering increase in antisemitism, but it has also completely changed the face of anti-Jewish hatred and how we, as a society, need to combat it,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “While many of these manifestations will feel eerily familiar – the blocking of Jewish students from some university campuses is reminiscent of the 1930s – we’re now also seeing hate-filled protesters telling their Jewish peers and neighbors to ‘go back to Poland,’ where three million Jews were systematically murdered during the Holocaust, and scores of demonstrators calling to ‘globalize the Intifada.’ We’ve been hearing from leaders across our society that they need better and updated guidance on how to counter antisemitism at this moment – AJC’s Call to Action provides those resources.”
Among the recommendations for influencers is a call to collaborate with and “[a]mplify the voices of trusted, nuanced Jewish content providers and organizations, ensuring they represent the mainstream opinions of Jews” as well as pointing out the need to “hold celebrities, including actors, artists, athletes and other personnel, sports franchises, and sports leagues accountable [to help] push antisemitic rhetoric to the fringes where it belongs.”
AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report, for the first time, asked American Jews about generative artificial intelligence (AI). 72% of American Jews are concerned (very or somewhat) that generative AI or automated systems, such as ChatGPT, will spread misinformation about Jews. 62% of American Jews expressed concern that generative AI will show bias against Israel. To address these concerns, the Call to Action highlights the need for companies to “utilize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism to strengthen policies around hate speech and hateful conduct, violence, abuse and harassment, Dangerous Organizations and Individuals (DOI), and synthetic and manipulated media, amongst others, across their platforms” and also proactively “[t]rain AI models to properly identify antisemitism, including contemporary terms and tropes.” Due to the various and disparate forms of antisemitism, anti-Jewish hate speech can be difficult to pinpoint. Recognizing this, and that antisemitism is often coded, it is recommended that AI companies “consider creating computational models and workflows specific to the Jewish community that detect extremist speech and prevent it.”
With 93% of American Jews feeling that antisemitism is a problem in the United States and nearly two-thirds (63%) saying the status of Jews in the United States is less secure than a year ago, this nonpartisan plan is a critical tool in the fight against Jew-hatred.
“Antisemitism is not just a problem for the Jewish community,” said Holly Huffnagle, AJC U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism. “Thankfully, the vast majority of Americans agree – more than nine in ten believe antisemitism is a problem that affects society as a whole and everyone is responsible for combating it. This Call to Action, for the first time since October 7, lays out how we, as a society, can fulfill this responsibility.”
AJC’s September 2022 Call to Action first called on the White House to publish a national strategy to counter antisemitism and this new iteration builds off the recommendations outlined in the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, published by the White House in May 2023, which contained dozens of recommendations from AJC.
In addition to the Call to Action, AJC has also published numerous guides to help all sectors of society implement the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. With headquarters in New York, 25 regional offices across the United States, 15 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. For more, please visit www.ajc.org
###
