Witnessing an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents globally, key Jewish advocacy organizations from seven nations have united to form the J7 Global Task Force Against Antisemitism.
According to a statement published on Tuesday, this initiative will unite leaders from the world’s most significant Jewish communities to devise coordinated strategies, discuss mutual challenges, and share best practices.
The representative organizations from the participating nations are:
– United States: ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
– United Kingdom: Board of Deputies of British Jews.
– France: Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF).
– Germany: Central Council of Jews in Germany.
– Canada: Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
– Argentina: Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA).
– Australia: Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ).
The creation of the J7 Global Task Force emerges as data from around the world indicates a surge in antisemitic episodes and growing concerns within Jewish communities facing this uptick.
Most of the members are umbrella organizations of specific countries; not affiliated with any stream or group in Judaism. In the US, the situation is different, because of organizations such as the ADL that have so much depth of understanding and combating antisemitism.
In addition, Conference of Presidents is a body that represents Jewish organizations but not Jewish communities. The British parallel would be the Jewish Leadership Council, whereas the Board of Deputies is more similar to the Jewish Federations of North America who aren’t members of this task force.
According to the statement, beyond mere consultations, the J7 aims to be proactive. It will form working groups, leveraging subject matter experts from each community, to shape action plans and strategies.
Leaders of these seven communities shared their perspectives of the importance of this collaboration:
Argentina – Jorge Knoblovits, President, DAIA: “To be part of J7, represents for the DAIA a great responsibility as one of the world’s largest Jewish communities and the only one in Latin America. J7 will allow us to have a greater understanding of the challenges faced by world Jewry in the areas of antisemitism, Holocaust remembrance and other hate-related topics. To be part of J7, led by ADL,ensures that the perspective of Latin American Jews will have a global reach.”
Australia – Peter Wertheim, Co-CEO, Executive Council of Australian Jewry: “Antisemitism is a disease of the human spirit that eats away at the foundations of civilisation everywhere. It is not limited by geographical borders, ideology or creed. It is a global phenomenon that requires a global response. As the elected peak representative body of the Australian Jewish community, we are pleased to join our colleagues from organisations representing other major Jewish communities in the diaspora to co-ordinate our efforts to combat antisemitism and maximise our impact.”
Canada – Shimon Fogel, President and CEO, CIJA: “What starts with the Jews, never ends with the Jews. There is a global imperative to confront antisemitism and drawing on the expertise and strength of the J7 coalition is an important catalyst for universal action.”
France – Robert J. Ejnes, Executive Director, CRIF: “If antisemitism exists everywhere in the world, it is in Europe that it has been brought to its climax. Together with the J7 task force, we will look at the resurgence of antisemitism in all its forms, whether Islamist, conspiratorial, hatred of Israel or Holocaust denial, from wherever it originates. Together, we will monitor the expressions of hate and fight for a better tomorrow.”
Germany – Dr. Josef Schuster, President, Central Council of Jews in Germany: “The internet, as a means of fast and easy communication, increasingly blurs national borders. Similarly, antisemitic networks, tactics and developments don’t stop at national borders either. We endorse this additional opportunity for exchange in the J7 format, which will facilitate interaction between representatives of Jewish communities at this level. Together we will approach globally operating institutions or companies and unite our efforts in combatting antisemitism.”
UK – Marie van der Zyl OBE, President, Board of Deputies of British Jews: “Antisemitism knows no geographic boundaries. The Board of Deputies looks forward to being part of this international coalition of leading Jewish organisations, each at the forefront of the fight against the challenges posed by the rise of this global hatred. By working together, we strengthen our ability to tackle antisemitism wherever it emerges.”
U.S. – William C. Daroff, CEO, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations: “Antisemitism, which is the world’s oldest hatred, no longer looks or spreads the way it did in the past. The vitriol once felt for individual Jews or Jewish practice, has metastasized into blaming the Jewish people and the Jewish state for the ills of the world. Social media enables antisemitic hate to cross borders, where it spreads faster than ever before. It is therefore imperative for the largest diaspora Jewish communities to engage in regular conversation to develop strategies to combat the pernicious spread of antisemitism. Including our Conference of Presidents member organizations that are engaged in combatting antisemitism will bring great synergies to this effort. What impacts one community, impacts us all. ”
U.S. — Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO: “Antisemitism is rising around the world, especially in countries where there are large Jewish populations. And threats to our communities are not contained by continents and borders. We needed to meet these challenges through coordinated action. This new coalition of major organizations representing seven large Jewish Diaspora communities in liberal democracies will provide a formal framework for coordination, consultation and formulating global responses to antisemitic threats against the Jewish people.”
