Rising antisemitism around the world demands action. How will you respond?

Dear John,

Sarah Halimi was a mother… a doctor… a teacher… and a victim of antisemitism.

In 2017, the 65-year-old Jewish women was savagely beaten and thrown off the balcony of her Paris apartment while the killer, a Malian immigrant, screamed “Satan” and “Allahu Akbar.”

Yesterday, Halimi’s family was devastated again when a French court ruled that the suspect would not stand trial because he was under the influence of marijuana when he carried out the murder.

What an awful day for those committed to combating antisemitism and for all who value human life and the rule of law.

As AJC CEO David Harris writes below, antisemitism is again threatening Jewish lives throughout Europe and around the world, and it’s up to us to fight it. [link removed] I have been watching with alarm as this hatred has resurfaced on American soil, but for me, as a European Jew, this is nothing new.

For the past two decades, AJC has been sounding the alarm about rising antisemitism and drawing attention to its multiple sources. We have worked to engage governments and civil society, and we have seen some progress. But this is not a problem that will be solved overnight or one that we can solve alone. We need your support.

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Actions speak louder than words and AJC has been pushing those in power to do far more to protect Jewish communities. Recently, France adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, becoming the 17th nation to do so.

AJC, which played a key role in drafting the definition, had long advocated for this critical step, working closely with members of Parliament to make it happen despite well-funded opposition. The definition’s adoption will help ensure that policymakers and law enforcement authorities work to counter antisemitism in all its forms and no matter its source.

This is the kind of change that AJC is driving every day, through an unparalleled global advocacy network that includes more than 70 offices and partnerships worldwide.

Sarah Halimi’s murder illustrates the consequences of failing to confront modern Jew-hatred. We face an uphill battle, but we must not give up. Make a year-end gift to AJC today—a gift that will be doubled—and show that what happened to Sarah Halimi cannot ever happen again.

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Sincerely,

Simone Rodan-Benzaquen
AJC Europe Director

P.S. If you have already given, please accept my sincere appreciation. If you have not, please give today so your gift can be doubled.
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Begin forwarded message:

From: David Harris, AJC CEO
Date: Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 8:03 AM
To: Simone Rodan
Subject: Don’t look away
   
Antisemitism is rising and it’s threatening Jewish lives. Will you confront it?
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Dear Simone,


No, the photo above isn’t from 1938—it was taken last week at a Los Angeles synagogue ransacked on Shabbat.


It was taken five days after a Hebrew-speaking student was brutally beaten on the Paris Metro… four days after a deadly shooting at a kosher market in Jersey City… and two days after a man that 87% of British Jews feel is an antisemite—UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn—stood a stone’s throw away from the Prime Minister’s office.


I wish I could tell you that this week was an aberration. It was not. The storm of anti-Jewish hate is surging and it’s threatening Jewish lives in countries around the world, including our own.


In this crucial moment, don’t look away. Your support for AJC today can help us stem the rise in antisemitism before it’s too late.

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If you donate now, every dollar will be matched, so your gift will go twice as far.
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As antisemites grow bolder and the sources of antisemitism more complex, AJC must ramp up its efforts to confront and defeat them. This year, AJC was again on the frontlines. And we will be there next year. Because it’s up to us to tackle this poisonous hate that is infiltrating our communities.

It’s up to us to call on our leaders to act:
[link removed] AJC met with elected officials and law enforcement authorities to share the frightening results of our landmark survey on antisemitism in America. More people in power now understand this crisis and are mobilizing to better confront it.

It’s up to us to unite Americans:
[link removed] AJC rallied our interfaith and interethnic allies behind common goals—promoting pluralism, rejecting bigotry, and advancing hate crime laws that aim to protect people of all faiths.

It’s up to us to innovate against hate:
[link removed] AJC recently launched Translate Hate, a cutting-edge digital resource to help people of all backgrounds understand antisemitic tropes and expose hate speech.

It’s up to us to speak truth to power:
[link removed] AJC partnered with governments worldwide to devise strategies for addressing antisemitism, including the adoption of a universal definition of this evil that makes it easier to bring perpetrators of antisemitic crimes to account. As much as we’ve accomplished together, think of how much further we must go to ensure a safe and secure future for all. It’s up to us to get there. We are united in this endeavor, perhaps the most important of our lives.


Please give to AJC today. Give as if our lives depend on it. Because they do.

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Make a year-end gift now and double your impact.

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Urgently,

David Harris
AJC Chief Executive Officer
Edward and Sandra Meyer Office of the CEO  

Individual gifts up to $10,000 will be matched through 12.31.19. The total challenge grant is $350,000.

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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.

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