Leading Silicon Valley figures write letter condemning antisemitism in United States
Leading Silicon Valley figures have signed a letter condemning the recent surge of antisemitism in the United States.
The letter’s signatories include former Twitter CEO, Dick Costolo, Co-founder of HuffPost, Arianna Huffington, as well as several Google and YouTube executives.
The letter begins: “If we’re going to stand against hate in all its forms, we need to stand against antisemitism. Too few Americans acknowledge that antisemitism — prejudice against Jewish people — exists. It is an insidious and long-standing hatred.”
Commenting on the recent spate of antisemitic attacks across the United States, the letter says: “The pain and the fear around these violent attacks reverberates against the unshakable memory of the Holocaust. This horrific mass murder of Jews showed us how deep antisemitism runs, and what can happen when we allow hate against people because of their religion, race, sexuality, or any other aspect of their identity.
“As business leaders, we have a collective responsibility to stand up for the society we want. Today, we stand against antisemitism and violence against Jews. This is true regardless of your views on Israel; this is about protecting people from the injustice of antisemitism and hatred.”
However, while the letter is a welcome step in the right direction, many of these companies still have a long way to go in tackling antisemitism. Recently, for example, Campaign Against Antisemitism reported that Google’s Head of Diversity Strategy wrote that Jews have an “insatiable appetite for war and killing” and an “insensitivity to the suffering [of] others.” He was not fired from Google but merely moved to another post.
Last week, we published findings that YouTube has allowed the creators of virulently antisemitic videos that refer to the “Jewish lobby” and describe Hitler as “an angel” to continue to use platform.
Campaign Against Antisemitism has expanded our coverage of antisemitism worldwide. Please contact us if you would like to share feedback or volunteer to assist with this project.
