WASHINGTON
D.C. –
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) participated in the annual Jewish Federations of North America General Assembly on Monday, where Jewish leaders from across North America came together to address the unprecedented challenges regarding Israel’s existence, antisemitic hate crimes emerging across the Diaspora, and the future of Jewish life.
At the
General Assembly, leaders, activists, and policymakers collaborated on strategies
to strengthen security and Jewish values worldwide, emphasizing solidarity in
addressing rising challenges to the Jewish community. Key topics included
enhancing the protection of Jewish communities, addressing hate speech and
online extremism, and fostering international cooperation to safeguard Jewish
heritage and institutions.
Yfat Barak-Cheney, WJC’s
Executive Director of the Institute for Technology and Human Rights (TECHRI) and
Director of International Affairs, participated in a panel addressing the
alarming rise of antisemitism across social media platforms like Telegram and
Meta. She was joined by Rick Lane, Founder and CEO of IGGY Ventures LLC;
Adam Neufeld, Chief Operating Officer of ADL; and Gretchen Barton,
Founder of Worthy Strategy Group. Moderated by Jason Wuliger, Chair of
the Domestic Policy & Government Affairs Council at the Jewish Federations
of North America, the discussion focused on the evolution of online anti-Jewish
hatred, potential legislative actions Congress can take, and the vital work of
the WJC Institute for Technology and Human Rights in combating this extreme
form of hate.
Discussing WJC’s TECHRI collaboration with internet platforms, Barak-Cheney emphasized the need for a close partnership with companies, in order to consistently strengthen their policies on antisemitic hate speech. “While it is not necessarily too little, it is many times too late, as these processes within the companies are cumbersome and slow,” she explained. She also emphasized that, “Even when policies are in place, it is the responsibility of the platforms to also ensure they are implemented and executed, or they will be just nice words on the screen of their community standards.”
On the
sidelines of the General Assembly, former Hamas hostage Aviva Siegel
powerfully drew attention to the suffering of hostages, including her husband
Keith and others still held captive. In a heartfelt plea for justice, she
called for a united global effort to defeat forces such as Hamas, declaring,
“Evil cannot win. The good has to win in the whole world.” Siegel
passionately urged, “I want all the hostages to come back to their
families… I’m begging because I want Keith home with us,” emphasizing
the urgent need for their safe return.
