The historic commitment was made at the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM)’s 2023 North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, called as Jew-hatred is rising across the continent to record levels, in order to address best practices and action steps for how cities can lead the fight against Antisemitism.
Some of the steps mayors committed to include appointing a coordinator responsible for liaising with the local Jewish community, adopting and implementing the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for Antisemitism, devising an education plan to train municipal employees on how to respond to modern-day Antisemitism and to work with educational institutions to protect Jewish students and faculty.
“Combatting antisemitism is deeply personal work that requires proximity,” said Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin, Assistant to the President, Senior Advisor to the President, and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement. “Mayors know their communities and who they are, they have a convening authority that allows them to put certain structures in place such as local listening and educational sessions and to use data to drive policy changes.” READ MORE