World Jewish Congress

Every four years, the world's top athletes come together for a celebration of sportmanship. With tensions rising globally, the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are a much-needed reminder about the things that unite us, not divide us. Let's use sport as a platform to celebrate unity and reject hate.

Tech companies cannot sit by as terrorist organizations use their platform to harm Jewish communities and spread violence. More change is needed. The World Jewish Congress released a report titled “From Virtual Vortex to Real Life Violence: The Links Between Online Antisemitism & Offline Terrorism,” highlighting how terrorist organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Islamic State are using tech platforms to promote hate and violence. While many tech platforms have updated their policies following the October 7 attack, these terrorist organizations are able to bypass these policies through various loopholes. Read the full report here: shorturl.at/eS785

291 days in hell. The deaths of Alex Dancyg, 75, and Yagev Buchshtav, 35, two additional hostages in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, have been confirmed by the Israel Defense Forces. May their memory be a blessing. The IDF has also confirmed the deaths of 44 of the remaining 116 hostages held by Hamas since October 7. #BringThemHomeNow

This Shabbat and every Shabbat, we have a message to share: Bring the hostages home now. They deserve to spend Shabbat with their families. #BringThemHomeNow

Buenos Aires, 9:53am. In memory for the victims of the AMIA bombing. 30 years later, we will not forget the AMIA victims and continue to demand justice.

30 years ago, on July 18, 1994, terrorists bombed the AMIA Jewish community building in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people. 30 years later, we will not forget the AMIA victims and continue to demand justice.

“Antisemitism at its most basic is a threat to Jews, Jewish institutions, and those associated with Jews. But its more than solely that. Antisemitism is also a threat to democracy.” A powerful public lecture by U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, in Buenos Aires this evening, as part of a WJC program with the Latin American Jewish Congress to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center. Ambassador Listadt was unapologetic in her call to confront antisemitism, and remarked that especially since October 7, antisemites are using the geopolitical conflict between Israel and Hamas to justify the vilification of Jews. “There is not ‘but’ after antisemitism. Similarly, there is no ‘but’ after the gender-based violence, the sexual attacks of October 7. There is no ‘but.’ If you put a ‘but’ after it, you are justifying it and engaging in antisemitism,” Ambassador Lipstadt said. The WJC gathering in Argentina this week is co-sponsored by the Latin American Jewish Congress, in partnership with AMIA and DAIA (Delegación de Asociaciones Israelitas Argentinas), the umbrella organization of Argentina’s Jewish community. It is the first summit of its kind since the October 7 attacks and recent conflict in Gaza and intended to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to combating terrorism and antisemitism. Photos © Federico Romero / Latin American Jewish Congress

Jewish communities are converging on Buenos Aires this week to join Argentina’s Jews in commemorating the 30th anniversary of the July 1994 terrorist attack on the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. WJC and the Latin American Jewish Congress, in partnership with AMIA and DAIA, are bringing together presidents, parliamentarians, special envoys for combatting antisemitism, and Jewish communities to stand together. It is the first summit of its kind since the October 7 attacks and recent conflict in Gaza, and is intended to demonstrate an unwavering commitment to combating terrorism and antisemitism. Here's what's going on: 1️⃣ July 18 will be the 30th anniversary of the AMIA bombing, when Hezbollah terrorists blew up the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina Jewish (AMIA) community center in Buenos Aires. 85 people lost their lives. Hundreds of families today are still seeking justice for their loved ones. We're bringing together hundreds of Jewish community leaders, politicians, and diplomats to stand in solidarity. 2️⃣ President of Argentina Javier Milei will address the WJC gathering. Milei will be joined by Paraguayan President Santiago Peña and Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou, at a joint session by the WJC and the LAJC in tribute to the victims the 1994 bombing. Also in attendance will be a sizeable delegation of members of US Congress. 3️⃣ Special Envoys & Coordinators Combating Antisemitism will hold a major meeting: The SECCA Forum, convened by WJC, will gather in Buenos Aires to discuss what their governments can do to counter racism and antisemitism. The meeting is taking place as Jewish communities across the globe are experiencing unprecedented levels of antisemitism and violence. 4️⃣ Parliamentarians from Latin America are holding a major conference on terrorism. In light of the events of October 7, issues of security and terrorism are high on the international agenda. The AMIA commemoration - which was a major act of international terrorism - will convene key role-players from various parliaments and international institutions to discuss the current situation. 5️⃣ WJC will present an important report on how Islamist terror groups use online channels to spread hate messages. Traditional online platforms have become more restrictive since the October 7 attack on Israel. Islamist terror groups now use platforms such as Telegram to publish content explicitly calling for violence against Israeli civilians, Jews in the Diaspora and others, the report found.

Last week, I was part of a law professor mission to Israel to gather facts about what happened on October 7, what has happened in the ensuing multi-front war (Gaza, Hezbollah, Iran, etc.), and what have been the legal issues under international law in the cases filed at the ICC and ICJ. The mission was organized by the World Jewish Congress with assistance by me and Seth Oranburg. The WJC did an incredible job setting up meetings with former officials, such as ambassadors and attorney generals, lawyers, NGOs, and the IDF, and we were given guided tours last Wednesday (July 10) of the sites of the October 7 atrocities: Kibbutz Nir Oz, the Nova festival grounds, the car cemetery at Tekuma, and the IDF base Nahal Oz. It is impossible to convey fully in words or pictures the full sense of destruction of homes and cars—the burned-out husks of homes, the bullet holes, the utterly destroyed vehicles. The stories of sadism committed by the Hamas soldiers and even civilian Palestinians who killed Jews with nihilistic glee – babies, children, adults of every age from 18 years old to the elderly. It was psychologically devastating and emotionally draining to see and hear of pure, unadulterated evil. The only thing worse was the 45-minute film of GoPro videos by the Hamas soldiers we watched the following morning. Still, I want to try to convey some of what I saw and learned last week about what happened on October 7 when a group of U.S. law professors traveled to the Gaza Envelope – the area of Israel that is within 4.3 miles (7 km) of the border of Gaza – and I experienced one of the most difficult 12-hour days I have ever had in my life. My report ended up being very lengthy, as I wanted to memorialize as much as possible so that I wouldn't forget the trip recedes into a memory. We must #NeverForget so that the worst single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust will #NeverAgain happen. My report, unfortunately, is too long to post to LinkedIn given the character limits, and so I posted it to Facebook, which doesn't limit post length. I normally restrict my Facebook postings to my friends and family, as I use Facebook only for communicating personal things with friends and family, as opposed to the work and professional announcements I post to LinkedIn. But I have made an exception for this specific Facebook post, making it open to the public. There are also pictures I took. If you are interested, you can check it out here: Am Yisrael Chai. https://lnkd.in/ethctDgY

In France, during the last quarter of 2023, the number of antisemitic hate incidents increased by 1000% compared with the same period in 2022, according to data collected by France's Ministry of Interior. Antisemitic hate increased further by 300% during the first quarter of 2024. When Jewish people hide their identity, France forfeits its fraternity. WATCH: Video: Arthur Essebag, Maurice Lévy, Publicis Group, directed by Katia Lewkowicz