U.S. Mayors Call on European Counterparts to Condemn Anti-Semitism
Image by getty images
Mayors from several major U.S. cities have signed on to an initiative calling on American mayors to ask their European counterparts to condemn anti-Semitism.
The Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism initiative, which was launched by the American Jewish Committee in May at its conference in Brussels, also urges the mayors to work to stop the recent increase in anti-Semitic acts.
Among those who have signed on are the mayors from New York, Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and Boston.
The initiative’s statement calls for the condemnation of all anti-Jewish hatred and states that anti-Semitism is not justified by the actions or existence of Israel.
“Anti-Semitism is not only an attack on Jews but an assault on the core values of any democratic and pluralistic society,” the statement says. “In a world of global communications where anti-Semitic ideas can and do spread rapidly, the impact of the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe does not stop at Europe’s borders. When the fundamental values of democracy are challenged, a concerted and principled response is required.”
The AJC’s executive director, David Harris, said, “Anti-Semitism is a cancer that, left unchecked, will metastasize and threaten to destroy the democratic and pluralistic nature of Europe.”
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio in an address last month to the annual meeting of the AJC’s New York Region called for an “unmistakable and consistent” response to acts of anti-Semitism in Europe.
Anti-Semitism “is the cancer that never went away,” de Blasio said. “That cancer was not eradicated at the end of World War II.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
