International Antisemitism Envoys Receive Inaugural AJC David Harris Award from American Jewish Committee

International  Antisemitism Envoys Receive Inaugural AJC David Harris Award from American Jewish Committee

TEL AVIV–June 12, 2023–Seven of the world’s leading envoys dedicated to fighting antisemitism today received the inaugural AJC David Harris Award from American Jewish Committee (AJC), named after the organization’s longtime former CEO.

The award is given for exemplary leadership, moral courage, and outstanding contribution to the global fight against antisemitism.

David Harris was AJC CEO from 1990 until October 2022. With honors from more than 20 foreign governments, Harris is the most decorated American Jewish leader in U.S. history and was once called by the late Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres “the foreign minister of the Jewish people.”

“And so, as much as it's bad news,” Harris said at AJC Global Forum in referring to antisemitism, “it's good news to know that there are people who represent powerful institutions and governments who are ready to wage the fight alongside AJC and others, who have the courage the will the determination to say never again.”

AJC President Michael Tichnor said Harris “stands in a category of his own when it comes to protecting and advancing the well-being of the Jewish people.”

Tichnor noted that under Harris’s leadership, AJC was the first to sound the alarm about rising antisemitism in Europe in the early 2000s.

“David spent decades working with government officials, including several of this evening’s honorees, to ensure they knew that fighting antisemitism is not the responsibility of Jews alone, but that governments had to become the first line of defense,” Tichnor said.

The envoys were honored in Tel Aviv during AJC Global Forum, the organization’s annual meeting. They are:

• Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
• Katharina von Schnurbein, European Commission Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism and Fostering Jewish Life
• Dr. Felix Klein, Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight Against Antisemitism
• Lord John Mann, Independent Advisor to the Government on Antisemitism, United Kingdom
• Eddo Verdoner, National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism, Netherlands
• Fernando Lottenberg, Commissioner for Monitoring and Combating Antisemitism, Organization of American States (OAS)
• Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC Director of International Jewish Affairs; Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Antisemitism

“The envoys’ contributions to fighting antisemitism are critical,” said Holly Huffnagle, AJC’s U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism, who introduced them at AJC Global Forum. “These are dedicated individuals, who have tirelessly devoted themselves to exposing and confronting the scourge of antisemitism around the world. And we see success. These envoys have shown how we can make progress when we refuse to back down.”
 

Three months prior to the Biden administration's release of the U.S. National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, AJC organized a meeting with these envoys 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.

Von Schnurbein credited Harris, Huffnagle, AJC International Jewish Affairs Director Andrew Baker and others at AJC for convincing governments of their responsibility to act.

“That we are where we are today is also thanks to the AJC and to the relentless work of David Harris,” von Schnurbein said. “Over the past four-and-a-half decades, convincing governments of their responsibility … It is a strong encouragement to redouble our efforts in working toward tikkun olam, a planet free from antisemitism.”

“Seven years ago, we were not more than a handful of antisemitism special envoys, including one from Israel,” von Schnurbein said. “Today, more than 30 governments and international organizations have appointed envoys, some Jewish, others non-Jewish like myself.”

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.