FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 2, 2021

CONTACT: Yonah Lieberman, press@ifnotnowmovement.org

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This morning, young Jews affiliated with IfNotNow Movement gathered in a protest against antisemitism in front of the Capitol Building, where less than two months ago white nationalists and neo-nazis rioted. During a short protest with signs like “Fight Nazis, Not Student Activists” and “New Path to Jewish Safety,” they made it clear that Biden administration must use a new strategy to fight antisemitism. They made specific demands that Biden appoint a Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism that will focus on racist extremists, the clearest threats to Jewish safety. 

“In the last few years I’ve been seeing antisemitism get scarier and more open, from the neo-Nazi mobs at Charlottesville to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “Jewish space laser" conspiracy theories,” said IfNotNow DC spokesperson Isaac Brooks Fishman. “I want to make sure President Biden appoints an antisemitism envoy who will take antisemitism seriously, who won’t treat the office as a pulpit for going after Palestinian rights activists.”

The protesters began at the Eisenhower memorial and walked to the lawn between Madison Drive, Jefferson drive, and 3rd Street. They assembled in front of the Capitol fence and began with a Jewish ritual in memory of those who have lost their lives to white nationalism, followed by a series of speakers, including Rabbi Alana Suskin and other IfNotNow DC leaders. 

The protest around antisemitism is the latest issue that the new Biden administration has faced pressure on from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. It was part of IfNotNow Movement’s ongoing New Era campaign to pressure the Biden administration to choose a Special Envoy that will move away from the outdated approach the Trump administration took towards antisemitism — which focused on limiting criticism of Israel, and targeted student activists but did little to prevent the rising violent antisemitism in the country.

The Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism is a Senate-approved position located in the State Department. It was created in 2004 and is part of the Office of Religion and Global Affairs. The issues the Special Envoy chooses to prioritize have significant policy implications — particularly for defining the line between antisemitism and criticism of Israel both in the United States and in Europe.

So far, IfNotNow’s #NewEraNewEnvoy campaign has consisted of a virtual panel where Congressman Andy Levin called for an envoy who will work to build bridges between the Jewish community and other communities targeted by white supremacy and a video that IfNotNow Movement released that called out Abe Foxman, former ADL National Director, as a rumored envoy candidate who embodies the failed approach to fighting antisemitism.

“We don’t want the Special Envoy to be someone like Abe Foxman who will conflate criticism of Israeli policies with antisemitism. We want someone who is committed to prioritizing the fight against racist extremists to keep all of our communities safe and has a proven track record of working with the community to get things done,” said IfNotNow DC Spokesperson Julia Pastreich. 

The way the Biden administration fights antisemitism will have real impacts for the American  Jewish community and all Americans, and young Jews plan on continuing to make their voices are heard.

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This message has been authorized and paid for by IfNotNow Movement. This message has not been expressly authorized, requested, or approved by any federal, state, or local candidate, candidate’s committee or their agents, or by any ballot issue committee.

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IfNotNow is a 501(c)3 nonprofit to cultivate, support, and train a volunteer-led movement to shift the American Jewish community to end our community’s support for the occupation and stand for freedom and dignity for Israelis and Palestinians. Find out more at www.ifnotnowmovement.org.