Transcript [00:00] Thank you very much. Uh, good afternoon [00:02] everyone. I am um, as as you heard, I'm [00:05] the CEO of AJC. I'm very proud of that. [00:08] But, um, we're known for a lot of [00:10] things, but what I'm most excited about [00:12] right at this very moment is to be a [00:15] friend and partner of Laura Mirage. That [00:19] was amazing. Laura, thank you for your [00:22] passion and leadership. [00:24] Um, thanks to you and David, the entire [00:26] Mirage family and the foundation's [00:28] professional staff for organizing this [00:31] congress. I remember speaking with Laura [00:34] when everything you see here was just an [00:36] idea. It was born out of determination [00:40] to stand up to the corrosive and [00:42] evolving threat of anti-semitism [00:45] and to help shape our country for the [00:47] better. [00:49] I also would like to thank uh my friend [00:52] Governor Pus, Mayor Johnston, Farah [00:55] Pandith, Daphna, all of you for your [00:58] incredible commitment to this work. [01:01] It's especially exciting for me to be [01:04] here with leaders from across sectors [01:07] and across backgrounds, [01:10] excuse me, along with nearly 30 of my [01:13] AJC colleagues and dozens of colleagues [01:16] from other Jewish organizations around [01:18] the country. All of you made the effort [01:21] to come to Denver to dedicate your time [01:24] to this challenge. That is tremendously [01:27] meaningful. and the Jewish community [01:30] thanks you. [01:32] But your presence here is more than an [01:35] act of solidarity. It sends a clear [01:36] message that combating anti-semitism is [01:39] not solely a Jewish responsibility. It [01:42] is the responsibility of everyone who [01:46] cares about the kind of country that we [01:48] are and more importantly the kind of [01:50] country that we want to be. [01:54] I served for more than a decade in [01:56] Congress and one thing I learned is that [01:58] no serious challenge can ever be solved [02:02] in isolation. [02:03] As leaders from government, education, [02:06] business, faith communities, and civil [02:08] society, [02:10] you know that firsthand. The fight [02:13] against anti-semitism is no different. [02:15] Anti-semitism [02:17] is spreading through our screens, [02:19] through social media algorithms, and [02:21] through public figures across the [02:24] political spectrum. [02:26] And we know that violent rhetoric often, [02:31] too often leads to violent results. We [02:34] saw it in Washington where Sarah Mgram [02:37] and Yuron Lashinsky were murdered after [02:39] attending an AJC event focused on [02:42] peaceful bridge building between [02:45] Israelis and Palestinians. [02:47] We saw it here in Colorado where Karen [02:50] Diamond lost her life after an attack on [02:52] those marching calling for the release [02:55] of hostages. [02:58] These weren't statistics. [03:00] They were people. people with families [03:03] and friends and dreams and futures [03:06] that were stolen from them because [03:10] somebody decided that they were the [03:13] enemy. [03:15] Last month, my family and Jewish [03:17] families across the United States [03:19] attended high holiday services. [03:22] In our case, for so many of us, we were [03:25] greeted by armed guards, metal [03:27] detectors, police cruisers. It's not [03:31] hard to understand why AJC's research [03:34] has found that more than half of [03:36] American Jews changed their behavior [03:37] last year. Some chose not to wear a Star [03:40] of David in public. Others avoided [03:43] identifying themselves as Jewish because [03:46] they feared that the next headline could [03:50] be about them. And remember, the Jewish [03:53] community, the Jewish community is not [03:56] one thing. It includes people of [03:58] different races and backgrounds and [04:00] political political beliefs and life [04:03] experiences. [04:05] In many ways, the Jewish community looks [04:08] like America. [04:10] These fortresses [04:12] that we've built around Jewish [04:14] institutions [04:16] actually represent a sign of the cracks [04:18] forming in the foundation of our [04:21] society. And unchecked hate rarely stops [04:24] with one target. We saw it at the Tree [04:27] of Life in Pittsburgh where worshippers [04:29] were murdered by a gunman who viewed the [04:31] Jewish community's support for [04:33] immigrants and refugees as a threat. [04:37] We saw at Mother Emanuel in Charleston, [04:40] at the Islamic Center in San Diego, in [04:42] threats against threats and attacks [04:44] against Sikhs and Hindus and other faith [04:47] communities across our country. But the [04:50] underlying message is always the same. [04:53] Some people do not belong [04:57] and once a society accept that for [04:59] accepts that for one group no group is [05:02] truly secure. And let me be clear [05:06] in a democracy [05:08] debate and disagreement are not only [05:11] healthy, they're vital. [05:14] In our case, criticism of Israeli policy [05:17] or Israeli leadership is not inherently [05:20] anti-semitic. [05:23] But when criticism of Israel becomes a [05:25] test for belonging, when Jews are held [05:27] collectively responsible for the actions [05:30] of another government, or when ancient [05:33] conspiracies are repackaged for a new [05:36] generation, then a line has been [05:38] crossed. This is far far more than a [05:42] Jewish problem. This is an American [05:44] problem. And that that's why we are [05:48] gathered here at this crossroads. [05:51] We can allow suspicion and division and [05:54] polarization to push us further apart. [05:58] Or we could choose a different path, one [06:01] that strengthens trust and deepens [06:03] relationships and reaffirms our [06:07] responsibility to one another. Because [06:10] the question is not simply whether Jews [06:12] will be safe. The question again is what [06:15] kind of society do we want to be? [06:19] A society where people can live openly [06:20] and proudly as who they are, where [06:24] disagreement doesn't become [06:25] demonization, [06:26] where differences do not become [06:28] divisions, and where no one is targeted [06:32] because of their faith, their [06:33] background, or their identity. So, where [06:37] do we look for optimism? Well, I would [06:40] suggest we look around this room. We're [06:43] gathered with leaders who want something [06:45] better. Leaders who have the influence [06:48] and the conviction to make a difference. [06:51] Leaders who refuse to seed the [06:53] conversation to those who shout the [06:55] loudest or traffic in the most fear. The [06:59] fact that this room exists is evidence [07:03] that Americans from every background [07:05] still believe that we are responsible [07:07] for one another. [07:09] And at a time when our politics and our [07:11] media and even our communities so often [07:14] reward outrage over understanding, [07:17] simply bringing people together across [07:20] differences has become an act of [07:22] leadership. Toxic polarization doesn't [07:26] just divide us. It makes it easier to [07:29] dismiss people that we disagree with, [07:31] harder to see one another's humanity, [07:34] and harder to stand together when any [07:36] community is targeted. If we're going to [07:39] succeed, as we must in the fight against [07:43] anti-semitism, [07:44] we must recommit ourselves as well to [07:47] the hard work of listening and engaging [07:50] and building relationships across lines [07:53] of difference. But concerns and words of [07:56] sympathy alone don't reverse these [07:58] trends. If anti-semitism threatens the [08:00] whole of society, then confronting it [08:01] demands a whole of society approach. [08:05] That means government, schools and [08:07] universities, businesses, faith [08:08] communities, civic institutions. Every [08:11] one of us has a role to play. That's why [08:14] HAC developed our combating [08:16] anti-semitism playbook. [08:18] The playbook offers practical strategies [08:20] that leaders across sectors can use to [08:23] prevent hate from taking root and from [08:25] res and so to respond effectively when [08:28] it does. You'll find it throughout the [08:30] Congress. I hope you'll read it, share [08:32] it, think about what you can take from [08:33] it, and bring it home to your own [08:35] community. [08:37] We've spent more than a century building [08:39] relationships across political and [08:42] religious and racial and national lines. [08:44] We know that none of us can solve this [08:46] on our own, but we also know that each [08:49] of us has a role to play. So, here's my [08:52] challenge to each of you. Don't leave [08:57] these ideas here in Denver. Take them [09:00] home. Turn them into action. Maintain [09:04] the relationships that you're building [09:06] here and use them to create change. [09:10] Think concretely over what you we can [09:12] accomplish over the next year. What will [09:16] be different in your community because [09:19] of what you learned here? What action [09:22] will you take when you get home? Be [09:25] courageous. Challenge bias, including [09:28] when it comes from your own community, [09:30] especially when it comes from your own [09:32] community. Advance policies that don't [09:35] simply respond to an anti-Semitic [09:36] incident, but help prevent hate from [09:39] taking root in the first place. And [09:41] above all, above all, make clear that [09:45] this cannot be treated as someone else's [09:48] problem. It belongs to all of us. [09:52] Success will not be measured by the [09:54] commitments we make here. Success will [09:57] be measured when the next generation [09:59] grows up wondering why their [10:01] grandparents needed armed guards outside [10:04] of synagogues in the first place. When [10:09] when those fortresses become [10:11] unnecessary. [10:13] When Jewish Americans can live openly, [10:16] visibly, proudly, and safely. [10:20] And when people of every faith and every [10:24] background can do the same that that's [10:27] the country that we are trying to build [10:29] and that work my friends that belongs to [10:33] all of us. Thank you very much. [10:39] >> Have a seat over in the end of the
