BJC welcomes first national strategy to counter antisemitism
“No American truly has religious freedom until we all do.”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Karlee Marshall | [email protected]
WASHINGTON – Today, the White House released the first national strategy to counter antisemitism. The strategy includes more than 100 new actions the Biden administration will take to raise awareness of antisemitism and its threat to American democracy
BJC Executive Director Amanda Tyler participated in a listening session that contributed to the development of the national strategy. She shared how Christian nationalism is a major driver of antisemitism, and combating it is a focus of BJC’s Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign. Tyler issued the following statement in response to the release of the national strategy:
“No American truly has religious freedom until we all do. Antisemitism denies the promise of faith freedom for all and is used by extremists to divide us against each other. Those who advance antisemitism want our Jewish neighbors to feel alone. As Baptists, we refuse to be divided from our Jewish neighbors, and we condemn antisemitism in all its forms. We must come together across lines of religious difference as allies to form a united front for religious freedom, democracy and pluralism.
The first national strategy to counter antisemitism is a helpful step forward in the ongoing work of fulfilling our country’s promise of religious freedom for all. The federal government has an important role to play in efforts to address antisemitism, as well as other forms of religious bigotry. We also recognize that a national strategy to combat antisemitism involves all Americans – regardless of our religious traditions – working in our own communities, houses of worship, workplaces, schools and other spaces to express solidarity with Jewish people and combat antisemitism. I hope our neighbors take this announcement to heart and that each one of us does our part.
Combating antisemitism is a professional cause for me as I lead our work at BJC defending faith freedom for all, but it also is a personal cause. My husband is Jewish, and we’re raising our son in an interfaith family. I know the fear and threats to safety posed by hateful extremists who use antisemitism to gain political power. Every effort we can take to rid our country and world of antisemitism will be felt in the daily lives of our Jewish families, friends and neighbors.
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BJC (Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty) is an 87-year-old religiously based organization working to defend faith freedom for all and protect the institutional separation of church and state in the historic Baptist tradition. BJC is the home of the Christians Against Christian Nationalism campaign.
