October 2, 2023 — Washington, DC
American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, today welcomed the Biden administration’s release of Allied Against Hate: A Toolkit for Faith Communities as part of the effort to implement the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
“In announcing the National Strategy, the White House sent a clear, unequivocal message that antisemitism is a problem that affects all of society, not just Jews, and one that demands a whole-of-society response,” said AJC CEO Ted Deutch. “Hate does not exist in a vacuum, and interfaith partnerships to combat antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of bigotry help us to create safer, more inclusive communities. AJC is committed to the implementation of the National Strategy and continues to work with our partners across faiths and all sectors of society to ensure its realization, now and in the future – no matter who is in the White House.”
Many of the proposals in the Allied Against Hate toolkit mirror the recommendations for coalition partners in the AJC Call to Action Against Antisemitism, a society-wide guide that offers numerous sectors specific tools to understand, recognize, and fight antisemitism. Additionally, the Toolkit quotes AJC’s Director of Muslim-Jewish Relations, Ari Gordon, from his article From Conflict to Cooperation: Lessons from the Road to Muslim-Jewish Partnership.
“The American Jewish community cannot fight antisemitism alone—it requires leaders and people of good faith, from religious, ethnic, and racial communities across the ideological spectrum, to join in the fight,” added Deutch. “Non-Jewish voices need to raise awareness that antisemitism is not just a Jewish problem, but an assault on the core values of pluralism, freedom, and democracy that Americans hold dear. As the toolkit references, AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America report found that 73% of people who know someone Jewish say antisemitism is a problem in the U.S. today, compared with 59% who do not know anyone who is Jewish. Working with all faith communities is vital to the success of the National Strategy and this new toolkit from the Biden administration will be a key tool in this work.”
AJC has and continues to support the White House in drafting, amplifying, and implementing the National Strategy. These efforts are bolstered by the AJC Task Force to Implement the National Strategy, composed of more than 50 AJC staff and three dozen AJC leaders from across the country, which is focused on ensuring that the plan’s more than 200 recommendations, 100-plus for the federal government and another 100-plus for the rest of American society, are carried out.
Three months prior to the Biden administration’s release of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, AJC organized a meeting with envoys from across the globe at the White House, 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. More at AJC.org.
