Members of the Westchester-Fairfield delegation at the AJC Global Forum, June 2-4
STEPHNE BEHREND
So many highlights and
takeaways from another fascinating and inspiring AJC Global Forum
2019
- I
was both impressed and moved by the Community of Conscience event that
took us back to the times and speeches of President Lincoln, Martin Luther
King Jr and President Truman and challenged us to reach out to and embrace
the other, regardless of religion or race. The follow up was a historic
announcement that members of the congressional house are setting up a
bipartisan Black / Jewish caucus to stand together now as our leaders have
historically stood together.
- I
loved the series "Faces of the Diaspora" which featured
participants' stories from both large and small Jewish Diaspora
communities and the challenges they face. Countries represented were
France , UK, Venezuela, South Africa, Bahrain, Myanmar, and Iraq. Some
were inspiring; others reflected the frightening rise of
anti-semitism or country specific turmoil.
- To
balance the unending negative media reporting on Israel, I
found the interviews by AJC CEO David Harris of Israeli Ambassador
Ron Dermer and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so encouraging.
- Where
else can you hear all the democratic presidential hopefuls address the
issues of importance to our Jewish people.
- Finally
on important issue after issue, we heard insightful voices that presented
all sides, from Muslim and Jewish worlds, from Conservative to
Liberal views and from different country perspectives. AJC is a centrist,
nuanced organization and we listen carefully before forming an
opinion.
I return each year from AJC
Global Forum more educated, inspired and challenged to speak out and get
involved.
Stephne is being installed as president of the Westchester-Fairfield region on AJC here at Beth El next Wednesday evening.
BARBARA FRIEDMAN
For me, there were many conference elements that stood
out.
Sunday evening - Community of Conscience.
• Dr. Kurt Graham’s recollections of the big role that
President Harry Truman had in fighting for civil rights. I personally was not
aware of this.
• reading of the statements contained in the Community of
Conscience declaration - by representatives of so many faiths - indicating
agreement by all.
• David Harris’ amazing speech - summarizing the
statements and imploring the attendees to remember the golden rule as they
approach the world’s problems and seek solutions.
(The whole program was beautiful - and it would have been
amazing if we had been able to stand together at the Lincoln Memorial.) Also -
• the announcement by members of the House of Representatives of the
establishment of a Jewish/Black caucus.
• the presentation by former mayor of New Orleans Mitch
Landrieu - sharing his pathway to deciding to take down statues in New Orleans.
********If I have to pick one thing - it is definitely
David Harris’ speech. It set the tone for the rest of the conference. He definitely has a way with words!!
It would be great if his speech could be shared with
everyone.
KERRIN BEHREND
I attended a luncheon involving a discussion between David
Harris and Ron Dermer, Israel's Ambassador to the USA, where Ron gave an impassioned presentation about Israel's
rise to be considered as a global power, particularly in the areas of technology and cybersecurity. He showed how
this has led to significantly enhanced relations with the community of nations, and predicted that one would begin to see a
shift in the voting patterns on Israel-related resolutions in the UN.
Considering the Israeli-Palestinian situation, at one point
he asked the audience of about 400 how many supported a two state solution. Almost everyone raised their hands. Then he
asked ....
1. Who would allow the Palestinians to develop a military
capability - No hands were raised.
2. Who would allow the Palestinians to control their
airspace - Again no hands were raised.
3. Who would allow the Palestinians to control entry to
their eastern border - Again no hands were raised !
He then explained that while Israel would support a
self-governing territory for the Palestinians, there was no way that this would translate to a sovereign state in the
accepted sense.
STAN FRIEDMAN
If AJC's objective at its 2019 Global Forum was to
underscore the essential role it plays in advocating on issues facing world
Jewry and Israel, and in promoting democratic values for all, it could not have
done any better. The speakers and discussions were simply outstanding. But it
was when seven Jews representing "Faces of the Diaspora," each walked
on stage during the 2½-day program and related their individual stories in
TED-like talks, that your pride as a Jew and your desire to fight against
bigotry and anti-Semitism knew no bounds.
SARI JAFFE
The AJC Global Forum was a very impressive
gathering. The breadth of speakers was
remarkable. The audio-visual
presentations were extremely well done.
My favorite session was the Max Fischer Annual Memorial
Lecture given by Dr. Steven Bayme, the AJC Director of Jewish Life. He gave us a succinct history of
anti-Semitism in the United States dating back to Peter Stuyvesant in 1654. I
learned about anti-Semitic incidents in this country that I had never heard
about, such as Jewish involvement in the white slave trade in the late 1800's
which unleashed a tremendous amount of anti-Semitism and limitations on the
amount of immigrants from Eastern Europe and Russia.
The most interesting parts
of his lecture for me were: 1. His explanation
of FDR's hesitation to get the United States involved in WW II. While he praised his leadership in bringing
the country out of its isolationist position, he also criticized FDR for his
failure to order the bombing of the concentration camps. 2. He explained how
Jews entered a different era of acceptance in American society in the aftermath
of WW II. Around 600,000 Jewish soldiers fought in WW II. There were no specifically anti-Semitic
reactions relating to the Rosenbergs' conviction and execution as Soviet spies,
the killing spree of Son of Sam (Berkowitz), and other such Jewish related
incidents in the post-war era. 3. His view of the current state of
anti-Semitism in the USA. We are now in
different times as Jews. I wish I had taken notes!
Dr. Bayme spoke in our synagogue on the 100th anniversary
of the signing of the Balfour Declaration and he will be speaking at Temple
Beth El again on June 12, the evening of Stephne's installation as Chairman of
the AJC Weschester/Fairfield section.
SUZANNE STONE
Below are some of my bullet points:
Key to AJC's success is building
relationships. It's leadership and membership spend the majority of their time
meeting with leaders and ambassadors of countries throughout the world. During
these meetings they educate and advocate for Israel and Diaspora Jews.
Joan Ryan Member of GB's Parliament
said "not only know what you are against but know what you are for".
(Yale President Peter Salovey also said it, taking the words from the Commencement address by Kingman Brewster Jr. in 1978.).
In the past "Might makes
Right" was rejected but today's youth think that "Might makes
Wrong". One reason that American youth support Palestinians.
Reform and Conservative Judaism in
Israel referred to as Rising Streams
Secular Israeli's care about
security and the economy not whether women can pray at the Kotel etc.
Palestinians will not be given
unlimited sovereignty. They can decide issues that effect them but only
Israeli's can decide their issues of security etc.
US is Israel's most important ally.
Israel is a leader in security and
technology.
Come to Israel and raise your voice.
Don't raise your voice from a distance.
Israel should lead and help secure
the safety of all Jews and address antisemitism.
Ancient antisemitism = hate the
Jews. Today's antisemitism = hate Israel
Make peace with former enemies not
current enemies.
Iran brought Israel and its Arab
neighbors together. It is a new Middle East today.
A young Jewish boy (I don't remember
his name) growing up in Burma (Myanmar) complained to his father that there
were hundreds of Muslims and thousands of Buddhists but only a few Jews (20).
His father responded that it is not our numbers but our commitment that
matters. After living and studying in the US he says that he feels more Jewish
in Burma than NYC. If he doesn't attend Shabbat services no one knows but in
Burma who will unlock the doors and open the gates etc. if he is not there.
Perhaps #1- Very special being
surrounded by 2500 caring committed Jews.
ALAN JAFFE
I enjoyed the Forum, especially the session
"Anti-Semitism in America Historically Considered, which was presented by
Dr. Steven Bayme. While I was somewhat
familiar with each of the incidents of Anti-Semitism that Dr. Bayme discussed,
I found that he gave details regarding each of them that I was not previously
aware of, which made his presentation very insightful. He was an excellent speaker with respect to
both content and style.
JERRY SILBER
Some highlights are:
- Arab countries don't want a
democratic Israel because it threatens their dictatorship.
- There are some positive
signs of among some Arab countries in regard to Israel such as two
Moroccan radio stations beginning to broadcast information about their
country's Jewish heritage and 2000 Jordanians work in Eilat with a
waiting list of 200,000. This, however, is tempered by the
fact that in Morocco, social media is strongly anti-Israel and in
Jordanian textbooks Israel does not exist.
- Some quotable quotes:
- "A Korean woman rabbi was not invited to attend the American Woman's March because she is
viewed as a man."
- A reason for Israel
and Jews to participate in forums where we may not be in total
agreement is because: "If you are not at the table you
are on the menu"
SUSAN FRIEDEN
I really enjoyed
the conference . I would recommend this to anybody who wants to learn
what is happening in the US and globally regarding Israel and antisemitism . It
is hard to pick just one thing to write about- I learned so much! ( it could be that I live under
a rock). I did walk away with a renewed feeling that it is up to all of us to
continue to work together to combat antisemitism as well as other racial
biases.
I really enjoyed
Ambassador Nicholos Burns, Professor at Harvard Kennedy School who discussed our transatlantic
relationships.,though it was quite depressing
as he confirmed my fears of weakened relationships with our allies .In
addition I have now become a committed fan of Rep. Hakeem Jeffries and wish he
was in my congressional district!
BETH LEVICK
As an AJC staff member and member of TBE I felt like I
was wearing three hats at Global Forum - third being that of a participant. I
enjoyed seeing the conference through these three lenses - hearing people’s
reactions to speakers they agreed with and those they didn’t, learning even
more about the current state - good and bad - of the world, and meeting new
people from all over the world, including TBE members. One highlight for me was
listening to Bernice King, MLK’s daughter, during our Community of Conscience
event. The weather kept us from gathering at the Lincoln memorial - the
intended venue. However, with the image of the memorial behind her Dr King
spoke passionately and echoed the words of her father. She stated “Love is the
only answer to mankind’s problems.” I
can only imagine how much more powerful it would have been if we were at the
memorial.
NORMAN STONE
In
a world where the seeds of hatred, bigotry and antisemitism have taken
root and sprouted across the world, AJC has proved to be a worthy champion in a
never-ending struggle against evil. The speakers at their annual convention
presented convincing arguments and ways of combating the poisonous
effects of BDS, physical assaults on Jews, bigotry and the hatred that
has increased in recent years. There were many highlights but a few in
particular resonated with me. David Harris, CEO, was articulate in explaining
AJC’s role and its accomplishments. Fighting for the right of Israel to exist
by forming relationships with world leaders, speaking to
congressional representatives and senators about AJC’s agenda
and attaining more visibility through its volunteers. One of the most
important activities is our programs on college campuses. Many of them are
hotbeds of antisemitism and the need to counteract their misinformation is of
paramount importance.
Individually,
as Jews, we support Israel, but when we join together with with other
like-minded organizations our voices are heard and acted upon.
