United in Mission of Defeating Antisemitism, CAM’s Broad Coalition Sees Strong Partner Growth

For the past two-and-a-half years, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) has been hard at work building a broad coalition to fight contemporary Jew-hatred through innovative and collaborative action.

Today, CAM has a strong interfaith, non-partisan coalition of 365 partners that is built for long-term success.

In the last four months alone, CAM has added 36 new partners, including the Jewish Institute for Liberal Values, Jazz Leadership Project, Jewish Future Pledge, Holocaust Survivor Day, and Jewish Life Television, among others.

When CAM was first established in 2019, it was hard to imagine that such rapid partnership growth could occur. Yet, in less than 30 months of operations, CAM has developed a robust international network of dedicated partner organizations from across the ideological spectrum.

How did this coalition grow so large, and so quickly?

The coalition experienced exponential growth because like-minded organizations, large and small, old and new, could see that antisemitism was on the rise, and they felt obligated to act. From Europe to Latin America, from North America to Oceania, partner institutions are amplifying CAM’s message by joining the coalition and taking concrete steps to help defeat antisemitism.

Following the launch of CAM’s Hispanic Outreach Department earlier this year, the movement has added a dozen new Hispanic partners, including Fundación Sabras (Guatemala), Fundación Jerusalem (El Salvador), Asociación Israelita de Paraná (Argentina), CIPEMU (the Jewish Community of Punta del Este, Uruguay), and Coalición Humanitaria (Central America), among others.

It is the diverse composition of the coalition that makes CAM so dynamic. Half of CAM’s partner organizations are based outside of the United States, providing a global perspective on issues that require global solutions. And of the 365 partners, half identify as Jewish groups, and half do not, creating a unique blend of religious outlooks and promoting outside-the-box thinking. 

In 2021, CAM focused its attention on interfaith and international partner outreach, and this proved to be very successful. Today, CAM has an expanded global reach, engaging with faith communities, diplomatic leaders, local governments, NGOs, and higher education institutions, among other entities.

International NGOs made their voices heard by signing on to be the newest partners of CAM, including the Galicia Jewish Museum (Poland), Miqtë e Izraelit — Friends of Israel (Albania), JCC Krakow (Poland), Azerbaijani Friends of Israel, and Save Vilna Coalition (Lithuania).

Large-scale and impactful events such as the Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism and Central America Forum for Israel, as well as the upcoming “Shaping an Omni-American Future” gathering, were made possible thanks to CAM’s close relationships with influential partner organizations.

As CAM looks ahead to 2022, the coalition is aiming to expand the depth and breadth of its work with Hispanic, European, and interfaith partners. By minding and identifying gaps in coalition membership, CAM is able to transcend traditional barriers and add partner organizations united by the shared belief that Jews should not have to live in fear for their safety anywhere in the world.

The collective power of the CAM’s big-tent coalition is not to be underestimated. CAM and its partners are better together, and stronger together. The mission of eradicating antisemitism is arduous, but it can ultimately be achieved if we stand united.