Large Jewish communities worldwide work together countering antisemitism
Peter Wertheim, co-CEO of The Executive Council of Australian Jewry joined other leaders of the J7, the Large Jewish Communities’ Task Force Against Antisemitism, via Zoom for two days of consultations in Paris.
In a joint statement, the leaders communicated: “We have travelled to Paris from around the globe to examine the current state of antisemitism in the seven largest Jewish communities in the Diaspora. Each of our Jewish communities is experiencing unprecedented, sharp increases in antisemitic attitudes and incidents in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks on Israel. In every country, Jewish university students are particularly vulnerable. Each community is working to develop effective strategies to combat the growing threat of online hate. All of our communities are regularly engaged with our governments to address these manifestations of antisemitism on the ground and online.
The member communities agreed to continue to work together to develop best practices for governments, academia, the private sector and civil society to address these issues. It also was agreed that the J7 will convene under the leadership of a six-month rotating chair, choosing the United States as the first chair, Argentina as the next chair, and Germany as the following one. Finally, members agreed to meet in person for the annual summit in New York City in March 2024 at the annual Never Is Now Summit. The group will also plan to meet in Buenos Aires in July 2024, timed to mark the 30th anniversary of the AMIA bombing, and in Berlin in 2025 to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the fall of the Nazi regime.”
The J7 Task Force is comprised of the following nations and member organizations: Argentina: Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas (DAIA); Australia: Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ); Canada: Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA); France: Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF); Germany: Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland (Central Council of Jews in Germany); United Kingdom: Board of Deputies of British Jews; United States (ADL and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations).
Peter Wertheim told J-Wire: “It has never been more important for the major diaspora communities to co-operate with each other, pool resources and share best practice ideas. I have been meeting with our distinguished J7 colleagues every week, and although the circumstances of each community are unique in certain ways we share many common challenges. During the extended plenary session over two days we were able to take a deep dive into common issues we face on campus, in schools, on social media, in civil society and in other sectors. More to come in 2024.”
