CAM Coalition Partners Spotlight: From the New York Governor’s IHRA Antisemitism Definition Proclamation to Israel’s Presidential Award for Volunteerism

Politicians and citizens alike have the opportunity to learn about the history of the Jewish people, and chart a new course for humanity: one that is free of bigotry and hatred. As the world grapples with extremists and antisemitism, people of good conscience must work together to find a solution to the world’s oldest hatred for the sake of current and future generations.

Here are illustrations of what CAM partners were up to this week:

Spotlight

American Jewish Committee (AJC): A warm kudos to New York Governor Kathy Hochul for endorsing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism. Gov. Hochul spoke about how it is vital to the state’s efforts to combat hatred in an executive proclamation at AJC Global Forum 2022. She addressed the rise in antisemitism and hate crimes as well as ways to combat extremism and support Israel. Antisemitic hate crimes in New York rose by 24% last year, it can only be stopped with swift action.

Watch her announcement here.

Upcoming Events

The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy (ISGAP): Many people are not aware that Jews fled Europe to Asia before and during the Holocaust. On June 16th, NYU PhD student in Hebrew and Judaic Studies Kimberly Cheng will provide her expertise on the history of Central European Jews in Shanghai.

Learn more and register here.

Partner Achievements

Interfaith Encounter Association: For decades across the Holy Land, this organization has brought together locals and internationals of all faiths and cultures for food and dialogue. On June 15th, the IEA was honored with the Israel’s Presidential Award for Volunteerism by President Isaac Herzog.

Watch the event recording here.

Gen-Z Jews: Meet four young Jewish leaders, Zack, Carrie, Arielle, and Nati. They are descendants of Holocaust survivors. They are members whose communities have been targeted by hate. They are tomorrow’s leaders in the fight against antisemitism.

Learn more and watch here.

Christians United for Israel (CUFI): Spotlighting the dangers of radicalism, a new documentary tells the parallel stories of Irving Roth, a Holocaust survivor recovering from the trauma he experienced, and CUFI Senior Middle East Analyst Kasim Hafeez, a reformed antisemite who turned into a vocal pro-Israel advocate. The film spotlights modern-day Jew-hatred and brings a newfound awareness of the power to say “I will not rest nor be silent. NEVER AGAIN.”

Learn more about the film here.

Recommended Readings and Viewings

Fighting Online Antisemitism (FOA): The organization reported 111 pieces of antisemitic content to Spotify earlier this year, including incitement to violence and neo-Nazi propaganda. Despite dozens of antisemitic podcast episodes and playlist titles being reported to Spotify, the platform has not deleted all of the hateful content.

Read more here.

Indiana Hillel: As part of the organization’s response to a disturbing spate of antisemitic incidents on campus this past academic year, Indiana Hillel has opened a new Jewish Culture Center to offer students opportunities to connect with Judaism in many traditional and creative ways. The center was established at the request of a student task force set up to address Jew-hatred.

Read more here.

Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se): Based on monitoring school textbooks across the Middle East, the organization reports that inciting antisemitic materials being taught to students. The U.S. State Department used this data to raise concerns that radicalization on the ground was even worse than commonly thought. The State Department’s 2021 “Report on International Religious Freedom,” published last week, featured four of IMPACT S-E’s country curriculum reports from last year. The State Department report is used to inform U.S. policy and to promote global religious freedom.

Learn more here.

Ruderman Family Foundation: As time passes and more Holocaust survivors pass away, the Foundation wants to help connect the gap between the elderly and younger generations through a digital series called “3rd Generation.” The first episode in the series is an emotional and exciting conversation between Ashley and her grandmother, Elizabeth. Elizabeth, 94, is a Holocaust survivor from Hungary. Her entire family, except for her sister, were murdered at Auschwitz.

View more here.