The EAJC welcomes the actions of the President of the United States to combat antisemitism

Photo: Gage Skidmore/Flickr

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order withdrawing the country from the UN Human Rights Council and banning funding for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA). Additionally, another executive order signed by Trump directs the Department of Justice to establish an interagency task force combating antisemitism, with the primary objective of countering hate speech in schools and universities. 

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress welcomes the actions of the US presidential administration in combating antisemitism both domestically and globally. Various Israeli agencies have provided substantial evidence confirming the involvement of UNRWA personnel in terrorist activities, including the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. Furthermore, a UN Human Rights Council presided over by Iran—a state that oppresses its own population and acts as the chief state sponsor of global terrorism—constitutes nothing less than a travesty of the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms. 

EAJC President Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili: 

“The issue of combating antisemitic rhetoric in the public arena is, in our view, entirely clear. Freedom of speech must end where hatred and incitement to violence begin. It is manifest that any manifestations of hatred and violence against Jews, as against any other group of people, must be outlawed. Calls for the destruction of Israel and the denial of the Jewish people's right to self-determination are impermissible. Just as such calls are unacceptable towards any other nation or state. We express our gratitude to the 47th US President Donald Trump and the American authorities for their significant attention to this matter, appropriate oversight, and the measures implemented. In turn, the leadership of the organized Jewish world must move from words to action and urgently address the situation within higher education regarding Middle Eastern studies. Departments and faculty funded by terror-sponsoring states and organizations present a highly biased and distorted view of reality—we are witnessing the direct consequences of this, and it cannot be allowed to continue.”

EAJC Director General Dr. Chaim Ben Yakov:

“Undoubtedly, under the current circumstances of the ongoing war in the Middle East, we continue to observe a surge in antisemitic incidents that must be confronted and countered. A recent study by the Claims Conference underscored that public opinion identifies a lack of knowledge regarding Jewish history as one of the primary, if not the most critical, drivers of rising antisemitism. Consequently, there is an urgent need to engage diverse educational programs and informational resources. In this regard, the administration of the newly elected US President is taking precisely the correct approach. Educational programs, including those initiated by numerous Jewish organizations and ourselves, at the direction of EAJC President Dr. Mikhail Mirilashvili, demonstrate that antisemitism is often not a Jewish problem at all. The history of the Jewish people regularly bears witness to fabrications and outright deception promulgated by various public figures and political entities across historical eras.”