By Daniel Silver
American Jewish Committee
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, more than 2,000 dedicated activists, from over 50 countries, came together in Washington, D.C., for AJC Global Forum 2024—the premier global Jewish advocacy conference. We convened to advance our mission and to send a clear message: our support for Israel is strong and enduring, our drive to defeat antisemitism is unwavering, and our commitment to protecting the Jewish people is steadfast.
From the emotional start of Global Forum, when we paid tribute to those we lost on and since October 7, to our closing moments, when Matisyahu performed his inspirational song, “One Day,” this year’s entire conference was a powerful display of Jewish unity. It was also a reminder that even in the darkest of times for our people, we must never stop working to shape a new and brighter Jewish future. Read on for highlights from this year’s AJC Global Forum.
In a recurring Global Forum segment, Heroes of Israel, AJC highlighted ordinary Israeli citizens who emerged as extraordinary heroes after Hamas’ October 7 attack. Their actions embody the resilience and indomitable spirit of the Israeli people. AJC honored Zvi Reder, a medic with Magen David Adom, and his wife Dorit, a nurse, who treated wounded civilians that fateful October morning. Tragically, their son, Dor z”l, was killed by Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Be’eri while they were saving the lives of wounded Israelis. We honored Nasreen Yousef (pictured), a Druze mother of four who speaks Arabic. Her calming presence and quick thinking prevented a massacre in Moshav Yated on October 7. And we paid tribute to Ofir Libshtein z”l, an Israeli politician and peace advocate murdered at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, while defending his community. Ofir was a longtime AJC friend and partner. To honor his memory and efforts for coexistence, AJC announced the creation of a new award—the Ofir Libshtein Bridge Builder Award. Watch all the moving presentations.
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With antisemitism surging worldwide, AJC has united Jewish communities from around the world in a Global Call to Action Against Antisemitism. Recognizing that this moment requires an international, whole-of-society approach, AJC has convened a coalition of global Jewish leaders and partners to mobilize their governments and communities to act against antisemitism. AJC’s Global Call to Action is signed by 47 organizations, representing 35 countries and three multi-country umbrella organizations. It builds on the success of previous AJC action plans in Europe and America by providing practical policies and action items for various sectors of society. At Global Forum, representatives from Jewish communities all over the world joined together on stage to announce the new Global Call to Action Against Antisemitism. Watch the announcement.
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Following a school year marked by rising antisemitism, protests extolling terrorists, and shocking harassment of Jewish students, the current climate on college campuses was a core focus at Global Forum. In separate conversations, Ronald Liebowitz, President of Brandeis University, and Santa Ono, President of the University of Michigan, shared best practices, hard lessons learned, and ways they plan to create a safe and supportive campus atmosphere for Jewish students. AJC also honored three student leaders representing outstanding campus organizations with the Sharon Greene Award for Campus Advocacy; Hanna Veiler, of the German Union of Jewish Students; Noa Fay, of Columbia/Barnard Hillel; and Micah Gritz, of Jewish on Campus, were recognized for their extraordinary work fighting anti-Jewish hate. Watch all the segments.
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AJC CEO Ted Deutch delivered a powerful call to action during the Closing Plenary, in which he acknowledged that “it’s easy to feel hopeless right now.” But the way we can overcome this feeling is “by joining together as one unified Jewish community where we stand together and declare to the world that we [are]… proud Jews and proud Zionists.” Ted also announced the establishment of two groundbreaking initiatives: AJC’s Center for Education Advocacy, which will dramatically scale AJC’s efforts with Jewish students, their parents, and university and K-12 administrators to ensure that our young people do not need to be afraid anymore, and AJC’s Center for a New Middle East, which is dedicated to advancing Israel’s role in the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond—a goal AJC has been working toward for more than 30 years. Watch Ted’s call to action.
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U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan sat down with AJC CEO Ted Deutch during the Closing Plenary. Sullivan reiterated the administration’s clear stance in support of a ceasefire deal and the return of all the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists. He said, “Israel and the U.S. are friends in many ways, but we’re really family… Anyone who thinks they’re going to effectively drive a wedge between the President and Israel on the core question of Israel’s security, they have another think coming.” Other key topics of the conversation included potential normalization with Saudi Arabia and the broader vision for regional security. Sullivan reinforced that the administration remains resolute in preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and countering Iranian aggression, emphasizing close cooperation with Israel. Watch the conversation.
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This year’s Global Forum program reinforced that there is so much at stake for Israel and the global Jewish community right now. Our actions today will shape our future. Your support for AJC will allow us to do even more to safeguard Israel, counter surging antisemitism, and protect the Jewish people. Please donate today.
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AJC was pleased to have both Israeli Prime Minister H.E. Benjamin Netanyahu and President H.E. Isaac Herzog deliver special video messages to Global Forum. Both expressed profound gratitude to attendees for standing in solidarity with—and advocating for—the Jewish state and the Israeli people after October 7, with Herzog reminding us that “while hatred lives on, so does our resilience.” Netanyahu, whose address came a day after Israeli forces rescued four hostages in Gaza, underscored that bringing all the hostages home and dismantling Hamas’ terror army are Israel’s highest priorities. We also heard from a diverse group of leading Israeli journalists, who gave us an inside look at Israeli current affairs. Listen to all the speeches and panels.
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When it comes to advocating for Israel and the Jewish people, no one is louder, prouder, and more outspoken than Aviva Klompas, Boundless Israel co-founder, and Michael Rapaport, actor and comedian. On stage at AJC Global Forum, the duo shared how to effectively stand up for Israel and the global Jewish community on social media amid a sea of anti-Jewish hate and misinformation. Watch the segment.
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In our Closing Plenary, AJC was privileged to hear from incredible friends and allies of Israel. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) spoke with moral clarity about Israel and the need to fight antisemitism. Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Brad Schneider (D-IL), co-chairs of the bipartisan House Abraham Accords Caucus, shared their perspectives on the future of the Middle East and the importance of countering the Iranian regime. Over three decades, AJC helped lay the groundwork for the Abraham Accords, and we continue to work with partners in the U.S. government and other governments in the region to sustain this progress. Following the plenary, AJC Global Forum participants ascended Capitol Hill for face-to-face advocacy meetings on the most pressing issues affecting world Jewry.
Experience memorable moments like these at next year’s conference. In 2025, AJC Global Forum returns to New York City, April 27-29. Will you be in the room? This is the premier global Jewish advocacy conference for all who are dedicated to combating antisemitism and standing up for Israel. Register now to save!
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Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos Reaffirms Solidarity with Israel and Condemns Hamas
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The Great Debate: Election 2024. Watch Halie Soifer, CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, debate Morgan Ortagus, founder of POLARIS National Security and former Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, on the 2024 presidential election.
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New AJC Survey Shows American Jews are Deeply and Increasingly Connected to Israel: Read the Key Takeaways
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AJC and the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) in North America Announce Historic Partnership. The new partnership is aimed at forging closer ties between Israeli and American Jewish teens and addressing growing rates of antisemitism in private high schools.
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Remembering the AMIA Bombing: A 30-Year Struggle for Justice, On July 18, 1994, Iran-backed Hezbollah bombed AMIA, the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. Thirty years later, it remains the deadliest antisemitic attack outside Israel since the Holocaust.
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The View from Campus: Unpacking the Post-October 7 Climate. Student leaders from AJC’s Campus Global Board give their first-hand perspective on the challenges facing Jewish and pro-Israel students on campus.
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New World Disorder: Exploring the Interconnectedness of Global Conflict. Hear from global experts Richard Fontaine, CEO, Center for a New American Security, and Julia Ioffe, Founding Partner and Washington Correspondent, Puck News.
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Daniel Silver is AJC’s Director of Global Events.