Ajc Passport

This week on AJC Passport, Endy Zemenides, Executive Director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council, joins us to discuss how the cooperation among Israel, Greece, and Cyprus, with support from the U.S., has the power to project stability and democratic values throughout the Middle East and strengthen Israel’s maritime border with the Mediterranean. Then AJC’s Political Outreach Director Julie Fishman Rayman comes on to break down this week’s Democratic presidential debates.

This week on AJC Passport, Dina Siegel Vann, Director of AJC's Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs, joins us to discuss her most recent trip to Buenos Aires to mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) building and to update us on recent developments in Argentina’s approach to Hezbollah, the terrorist group that carried out the attack. Then, JTA Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas joins us to break down recent Israel-related legislation on Capitol Hill and the ongoing feud between President Trump and four Democratic congresswomen known as “The Squad.”

Earlier this week, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson addressed the U.S. Department of Justice Summit on Combating Antisemitism. He sat down with us on AJC Passport to share an inside look on this high-level conference and the U.S. administration’s increased efforts to combat resurgent antisemitism. Then, we were joined by Tyler Gregory, Executive Director of A Wider Bridge, who shared his thoughts on Israeli Education Minister Rabbi Rafi Peretz’s controversial statements on gay conversion therapy, accusations of “pinkwashing,” and Israel’s first openly gay cabinet minister.

The shooting and killing of Ethiopian Israeli Solomon Teka by an off-duty police officer last month sparked protests across Israel. Joining us is Director of Interfaces and Synergy at The Jewish Agency for Israel Pnina Agenyahu to update us on the latest developments and discuss how Israel is addressing the challenges facing its Ethiopian community. Then, Ambassador Bilahari Kausikan, former Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore and former Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations, joins us to discuss the strengthening ties between Singapore and Israel as we mark the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Last month, AJC bade farewell to our former President, John Shapiro, and welcomed our new President, Harriet Schleifer. Today Schleifer, the first woman to lead the organization, joins us to discuss her new role and share her vision for the future of AJC. Two weeks ago, we heard from one of President Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics, Bill Kristol. This week, we're bringing you another conversation recorded on the sidelines of AJC Global Forum 2019 with Michael Anton, a former deputy assistant to President Trump and one of the foremost proponents of his agenda.

Are governments across the world doing enough to combat the threat of anti-Semitism? U.S. State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Elan Carr, British Member of Parliament for the Labour Party John Mann, and European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Director Michael O’Flaherty, joined us on the AJC Global Forum stage to address this question. Listen as they share their insights on the dangers of rising anti-Semitism and the need to step up efforts to confront it.

This week on AJC Passport, Dr. Remko Leemhuis, Assistant Director for Policy and Public Affairs at AJC’s Berlin Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations, joins us to discuss Hezbollah’s nefarious activities in Germany and the urgent need to designate the Iranian proxy in its entirety as a terrorist organization. Then, we continue our behind the scenes look at this year’s AJC Global Forum in Washington, where we caught up with Bill Kristol, founder of The Weekly Standard and a leading political analyst. Kristol shares his insights into American politics and U.S. foreign policy in the Trump era. Show notes: Dr. Remko Leemhuis' Op-ed in International Politics and Society: https://www.ajc.org/news/germany-do-not-give-into-fanaticism

Last week, we brought you onto the AJC Global Forum stage with a special live episode of AJC Passport. This week, we bring you backstage where we sat down with Dr. James Carafano, Vice President at The Heritage Foundation, for an exclusive conversation on U.S. foreign policy under President Trump, including immigration reform and the Middle East peace process. Then, we’re joined by AJC Jerusalem Director Lt. Col. (Res.) Avital Leibovich to explain why Israel is heading back to the polls for an unprecedented second election in a single year. Show notes: AJC 2019 Surveys of American, French, and Israeli Jewish Opinion: www.AJC.org/survey2019

Earlier this week, nearly 2,500 leaders, activists, and guests from across the United States and more than 50 countries gathered in Washington, D.C., for AJC Global Forum 2019. There, British Members of Parliament Joan Ryan and Ian Austin sat down with us for a special episode of AJC Passport. Recorded in front of our largest-ever live audience, our conversation with Ryan and Austin centered on the rampant anti-Semitism plaguing the Labour Party and how they’re fighting back.

This week, we bring you a special Florida-themed episode of AJC Passport. We spoke to two members of Congress from Florida, Representative Ted Deutch (D-FL) and Representative Brian Mast (R-FL), and discussed the importance of pro-Israel support on both sides of the aisle and the need to confront the threat of anti-Semitism in America.

Last week, former U.S. State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Hannah Rosenthal joined us for a special AJC Passport live show in Atlanta to celebrate 75 years since the creation of AJC's Atlanta office. Rosenthal discussed her time in government and her work fighting hatred of the Jewish people around the world.

The recent flare-up between Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza and Israel over saw more than 650 rockets slam into Israel’s south, killing four Israeli civilians and paralyzing much of the country. The assault drew over 300 retaliatory strikes against terrorist infrastructure in Gaza by the Israel Defense Forces. Joining us today is AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich to fill us in on the latest round of violence and its aftermath. Then we’ll hear a conversation with Congressman Eliot Engel, Chairman on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, recorded last week during a special AJC Passport live show in New York.

Imam Mohamed Magid is the spiritual leader and executive director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society Center, which serves 5,000 Muslim families in Northern Virginia, making him one the most important imams in America. He is also a member of the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, convened by AJC and the Islamic Society of North America. Imam Magid joins us this week to discuss Islam in America and the state of Muslim-Jewish relations. Also joining us this week is AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal to analyze what went wrong at The New York Times when its international edition published an anti-Semitic cartoon last week.

With AJC Global Forum 2019 rapidly approaching, we’re throwing it back to last year’s Global Forum in Jerusalem. There, we recorded the first-ever AJC Passport live show in a room filled with hundreds of college students. Journalist Matti Friedman joined us to discuss one of the least reported-on angles of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: the press that covers the struggle. Drawing on his years of experience as an AP reporter and editor, Friedman talked with us about how the editorial process shapes coverage of the conflict.

September 11 was a traumatic and defining moment for Americans, so it comes as little surprise that questionable comments about the attack by a controversial member of Congress would generate a firestorm. JTA Washington Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas joins us to explain the war of words between Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and President Trump. Also joining us this week is Stephanie Guiloff, Deputy Director of AJC’s Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs, to discuss a new AJC campaign to urge the European Union to designate the entirety of Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Israelis went to the polls earlier this week to elect the members of the 21st Knesset and choose a prime minister. Days after the polls closed, the final results have been announced. On this special post-election episode of AJC Passport, we are joined by David Makovsky, former senior advisor to the Secretary of State’s Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations and Ziegler Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich to break down the results of the election and what impact it will have on the future of Israel.

In recent years, Europe has been rocked by reports of increasing anti-Semitism. But what is happening within our own borders? Brian Levin, Director of California State University’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism, joins us to share his latest findings, analyze the trends in hate crimes in the United States, and explore effective responses. Then, with the national election in Israel less than a week away, Haaretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer joins us on "The Battle for Balfour” to discuss the social media bots scandal and share her prediction of who will be Israel’s next prime minister.

The African American and American Jewish communities have a long and storied history of cooperation. But is there still a shared Black-Jewish agenda today? Joining us is Dr. Lonnie Bunch III, Founding Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, to discuss the past, present, and future of Black-Jewish relations in America. Then, on "The Battle for Balfour,” we are joined by Jerusalem Post Senior Contributing Editor Lahav Harkov for an update on the latest flare-up in Gaza and what impact it might have on the upcoming Israeli election.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known by his initials as AMLO, swept into office as president of Mexico with great fanfare and big promises. Will he be able to live up to them? Joining us today to discuss what we can expect from López Obrador’s presidency is Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJC’s Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs, who accompanied a high-level AJC delegation that met with him in Mexico City last week. Then on "The Battle for Balfour,” we are joined by Arik Rudnitsky, a scholar on Israeli Arab society at the Israel Democracy Institute and the Moshe Dayan Center of Tel Aviv University, for a discussion on voter turnout among Arab citizens of Israel in the upcoming national election and how it might help determine who becomes prime minister.

On February 18, seven members of the British Parliament resigned from the Labour Party, citing what they called “institutional anti-Semitism.” Two more followed just days later. Though dramatic, the split came as little surprise: the Labour Party has been rocked by charges of anti-Semitism since Jeremy Corbyn became party leader in 2015. Ella Rose, former National Director of the Jewish Labour Movement, joins us to discuss the political fallout of the split and what it means for the future of the Labour Party. Then, on "The Battle for Balfour," Walla! News Political Correspondent Tal Shalev joins us to discuss the latest political developments in Israel ahead of the April 9 national election.