The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) was proud to participate this week in the visit of a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers from the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) to Israel, which was organized by the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL) and Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Human rights icon and CAM Advisory Board Chair Natan Sharansky met in Jerusalem on Wednesday with the delegation members and was the featured guest on the latest episode episode of AIFL’s weekly webinar series. In his remarks, Sharansky shared his insights on the global fight against rising antisemitism, as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
The webinar was moderated by the AIFL’s Wayne L. Firestone. Kentucky State Senator Whitney Henderson Westerfield spoke on behalf of the NCSL delegation, and CAM Chief Operating Officer Yigal Nisell also gave remarks.
“You can’t fight antisemitism today if you’re not doing it on all the fronts, simultaneously,” Sharansky said. “That’s why it’s important people on the left will fight antisemitism on the left, and people on the right will fight antisemitism on the right. It can’t simply be a political debate where one side accuses the other.”
Sharansky also highlighted the critical importance of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism as tool to delineate all forms of contemporary Jew-hatred.
Watch a full recording of the webinar here:
The NCSL delegation was briefed by CAM on its work to promote adoptions of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism by governmental bodies (31 U.S. states have already done so through legislation, resolutions, executive orders, and/or executive proclamations).
They were also told about Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM), which was officially recognized by 38 state governors and 135 mayors of cities across the U.S. in May. CAM made a concerted nationwide push this year to get more state, county, and municipal levels to proclaim May as Jewish American Heritage Month and implement relevant programs, ceremonies, and activities, and these efforts will continue in future years.
On Tuesday, the NCSL delegation toured the Dalton Winery in northern Israel, where the state lawmakers learned more about Israel’s story through a The Wine Fairy experience hosted by CAM.
The NCSL delegation included: Montana Senate President Pro Tempore Kenneth Bogner, Kansas State Senator Elaine Bowers, Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, Montana Senate President Jason Ellsworth, Arkansas House of Representatives Speaker Pro Tempore Jon Eubanks, Mississippi State Senator W. Briggs Hopson III, Idaho State Representative Wendy Horman, Kansas House of Representatives Democratic Leader Victor Miller, Colorado Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, NCSL State Services Division Vice President Arturo Pérez, Montana House of Representatives Speaker Matt Regier, North Dakota Senate President Pro Tempore Donald Schaible, Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair, Massachusetts Senate President Karen Spilka, Kentucky State Senator Whitney Henderson Westerfield, and Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver.
For more information on the America-Israel Friendship League, please visit: aifl.org
