We love ourselves too often and need reach out much more often. It is a social responsibility and it effects the environment also.
View in browser Stand with Israel August 7, 2025 Here are American Jewish Committee’s top stories and resources of the day to help you stay informed, share the facts, and rally your networks to take action in support of Israel and against rising antisemitism. You can expect to receive the next AJC Update on Monday, August 11. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, and TikTok for daily news and updates. Forward this to your friends and networks. They can sign up at AJC.org/Update. 1. AJC Runs Full-Page New York Times Ad to Expose Israeli Hostage Suffering AJC ran a full-page advertisement in The New York Times Wednesday, exposing the brutal conditions faced by Israeli hostage Evyatar David. These harrowing images, showing the 24-year-old starved by Hamas, should have been front-page news everywhere. Instead, they were largely ignored by major media outlets. See the ad, which is also slated to run in the Sunday edition of The Times, and learn more. What AJC CEO Ted Deutch is Saying | “For 670 days, Evyatar David has been starved and brutalized by Hamas terrorists. But the world’s biggest media outlets look the other way, so AJC took out a full-page ad in The New York Times. The world must bear witness to the plight of the hostages and demand: #BringThemHomeNOW!” Share the ad on X. Help Bring Them Home | Urge your representatives in Congress to demand Hamas release every hostage immediately. Send your email here. 2. War and Additional Israel Updates: Future of IDF Operations in Gaza | As of this writing, Israel’s Security Cabinet is meeting to decide the future of the Gaza war, including a possible expansion into areas where the IDF hasn’t operated and where the hostages are believed to be held. In light of Hamas’ refusal to reach a hostage and ceasefire agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds that Israel cannot maintain the current operations in the Strip while the hostages are being starved to death. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir prefers to encircle Gaza City instead of a full incursion, believing it could endanger the hostages and lead to greater IDF casualties. One of the options being discussed in the cabinet meeting is to give Hamas an ultimatum: agree to a deal and release all of the hostages or Israel will enter or surround Gaza City. UN Acknowledges Looting of Aid | The United Nations reported that nearly 90% of aid trucks it collected in Gaza between May and August were intercepted before reaching their intended destinations by armed groups or hungry Gazans. Out of 2,604 trucks that entered Gaza, only about 295 successfully delivered their aid without being intercepted. Israel plans to open additional humanitarian aid distribution centers in Gaza to combat the looting and get aid to those most in need. IDF Strikes Hezbollah Targets | The IDF conducted airstrikes on Hezbollah weapons facilities, missile equipment, and infrastructure in southern Lebanon Wednesday night, as part of recent operations against the Iran-backed terror group. The strikes followed Tuesday’s elimination of senior Hezbollah commander Hassam Qassem Ghrab, who was reportedly coordinating terrorist cells in Syria that were preparing to launch rocket attacks on the Golan Heights. On Wednesday, the French battalion of UNIFIL discovered a significant cache of weapons in an underground facility in south Lebanon. What AJC is Saying | “AJC welcomes the Lebanese Cabinet’s approval for disarming Hezbollah by the end of the year. The defeat of extremist ideologies, both militarily and ideologically, is critical in the pursuit of a more prosperous and peaceful Middle East.” Share on X. 3. Day 671 Hostages Update: Address to UN Security Council | Ilay David, Evyatar David’s brother, and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar addressed the UN Security Council in New York on Tuesday about the plight of the hostages. Ilay appeared via live video feed, stating: “To the leaders of the world, to every member of this council and to the global community, your silence in the face of this monstrous cruelty is complicity.” Sa'ar described Hamas’ treatment of hostages as part of a “deliberate and well-planned, sadistic propaganda campaign.” 4. AJC Statement on the Indictment of the Capital Jewish Museum Shooter AJC today issued a statement in response to the U.S. Department of Justice’s procurement of the indictment of Elias Rodriguez, the individual charged in the May 21, 2025, murders outside the Capital Jewish Museum. AJC’s statement in response to the indictment read in part, “Sarah Milgrim (z”l) and Yaron Lischinsky’s (z”l) young lives and full potential were horrifically stolen on May 21 outside the Capital Jewish Museum after they left an AJC event. This deliberate and heinous act was a deeply personal tragedy for their families and for the entire AJC community. It was an assault on the values we hold as Americans, as Jews, and as members of a shared society. Their families deserve justice and healing.” Read the full statement. 5. Campus Update: AJC Provides the Tools to Combat Antisemitism in Schools This Fall This week, AJC’s Center for Education Advocacy (CEA) launched its Back to School toolkit, which includes comprehensive resources to help K-12 and university leaders, Jewish students, and their parents create safe learning environments where Jewish students can thrive. These updated action plans, customized toolkits, and thoughtful guidance are designed to address antisemitism and make lasting, positive change in classrooms and on campuses throughout the coming academic year. Access the tools here—and make sure to share them widely! 6. FBI Hate Crimes Report: Antisemitism Part of American Jews’ Daily Life AJC is deeply concerned by the findings published Tuesday in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Reported Crimes in the Nation 2024 – Hate Crime Statistics report. The data show that religiously motivated hate crime incidents have increased year-over-year, with incidents targeting Jews rising at a faster pace than the national average. Anti-Jewish hate crime incidents continue to reach record highs, with this year’s data reflecting the highest number of such incidents since the FBI began reporting this information. Read AJC’s press release. In Line with AJC Findings | The FBI report supports what AJC has long known and widely shared: AJC’s State of Antisemitism in America 2024 Report found that a majority of American Jews—56%—report changing their behavior out of fear of antisemitism. Hate Crime in Missouri | On the same day the FBI’s report was released, a Jewish family was targeted in a violent hate crime near St. Louis, with their cars torched and threatening language spray-painted outside their home. In response, AJC and other national and local Jewish organizations condemned the antisemitic act. What AJC is Saying | “... Law enforcement, community leaders, and elected officials must work together to combat antisemitism at the local, state, and federal levels.” Share on X. AJC Advocacy Anywhere: Evolving British Middle East Policy AJC Advocacy Anywhere: Evolving British Middle East Policy On July 29, United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the intention to recognize Palestinian statehood in September. With this signal of a shift in policy, what are the implications for British foreign policy, UK-Israel relations, and the British Jewish Community? AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson and Board of Deputies of British Jews President Phil Rosenberg unpack these urgent questions. Watch here. BEAT THE HATE: Don’t Miss AJC’s $50,000 Summer Match Standing up for Israel and the Jewish people cannot wait until tomorrow. Antisemitism is hitting record levels worldwide right now. But we can BEAT THE HATE with action. Join AJC in the global fight to defend Israel and counter antisemitism. Now through August 21, any gift you make to AJC will be matched, dollar-for-dollar. Don’t wait. Donate today
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