No. 31: Deborah Lipstadt and David Friedman: US antisemitism czar and ex-ambassador

 US President Joe Biden appointed Dr. Deborah Lipstadt as the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, and the US Senate confirmed her appointment in March 2022. In July 2024, Lipstadt’s office issued the landmark Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism.

“This is the first time ever there is an international framework for how to respond to antisemitism,” Lipstadt told The Jerusalem Post.

Before her current position as an ambassador for the US State Department, she founded Emory University’s Tam Institute for Jewish Studies, where Lipstadt served as the Dorot professor of modern Jewish history and Holocaust studies. She has written and won awards for three books, most recently, Antisemitism: Here and Now.

Speaking with the Jerusalem Post

The Post listed Lipstadt among the 50 most influential Jews in 2024 for the second consecutive year. When asked how she felt about being awarded a spot on the list, she said she was “delighted.”

“More than I’m happy, it makes my family happy,” she added.

“The fact that I have a voice” is important, she continued. “There are so many Jews – especially since October 7, but even before October 7 – who wake up every morning worrying about antisemitism, who truly in their heart of hearts, and especially since October 7, are frightened, fearful, and concerned. The fact that I get up every morning” for six, sometimes even seven days a week “and my job is to do something about it, and I have a chance to do something about it, is a privilege of immeasurable proportion.”

Advancing policy to counter antisemitism 

Her role as special envoy is to lead efforts to advance US foreign policy to counter antisemitism around the world. She told the Post that she meets with Jewish stakeholders, organizations, and US Senate members on a daily basis, holds staff meetings to “figure out priorities,” and meets with senior members of the State Department mainly to discuss how to get more countries and institutions to sign on to the guidelines she put forth in relation to antisemitism.

Regarding what these guidelines can do for Jewish communities around the world, she said, “If you live in a country that has adopted this and has embraced this and then your country engages in or doesn’t speak out against antisemitism, you can go to them... and say, ‘You adopted this, you embraced this, you endorsed this. How come you are being silent and not addressing this? How come you’re not offering protection? How come you are not enforcing laws?’”

As of September 2024, 42 countries have signed the Global Guidelines for Countering Antisemitism, and Lipstadt’s office continuously works to get more signatories. Receiving each signatory is a process that involves conducting negotiations and meetings. Since April, she has traveled to 12 countries, and in each one, she discussed the guidelines. “There is a concept of walking the precincts. Before elections, the head of the committees of the parties would walk the precincts so people would get out and vote. We walked the precincts,” she told the Post.

Lipstadt has a long history of combating antisemitism. She became renowned after being sued for libel in the UK by David Irving, one of the world’s leading Holocaust deniers, who is well respected by neo-Nazis around the world. The case lasted six years and was heard in court in a 12-week trial. As a result, the court declared Irving a “right wing polemicist” who engages in antisemitism, racism, and misogyny.

“I’ve been lucky... now I can look back on it, in having good enemies. I was sued by a world-leading holocaust denier, but I fought and won,” Lipstadt recalled to the Post.

She said that the best actions to take for those who wanted to follow in her footsteps were to “learn, study, [and] speak up.”

When asked which Jew influenced her the most, she responded, “I don’t have one person.” However, she appreciated that her parents chose synagogues with rabbis skilled at influencing and educating their communities, including Emanuel Rackman, who later became the president of Bar-Ilan University. She told the Post that these rabbis taught her to think critically and analytically.

“My parents loved their tradition. [They] loved and reveled at being part of this tradition. And I don’t just mean religiously; I mean culturally, in all its manifestations,” she clarified.

Lipstadt has friends who care about fighting hatred and antisemitism while promoting fairness and equity. “They are a light in the dark for me,” she said, quoting a saying from Pirkei Avot (loosely translated, the ethics of our fathers): “Find yourself a teacher, a friend, a community.”

Lipstadt concluded, “I’ve been very lucky to be surrounded by groups of Jews who care very deeply, who think analytically, and who revel in being Jews... I’ve been very lucky – I’ve never been a Jew alone.”

David Friedman’s ascent as a key figure on The Jerusalem Post’s list of the most influential Jews of 2024 marks a turning point in the Israeli-Palestinian debate.

With his new book, One Jewish State: The Last, Best Hope to Resolve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Friedman has become a leading advocate for a one-state solution, filling the void for those who reject the two-state model but lack a clear version of an alternative. After October 7, his vision resonates more than ever as the Knesset’s recent vote against a two-state solution reflects growing support for his ideas.

Friedman’s influence stems from his time as the US ambassador to Israel, where he was instrumental in historic decisions like relocating the US embassy to Jerusalem and securing American recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Most notably, his involvement in the Abraham Accords reshaped the Middle East, bringing Israel closer to its Arab neighbors in ways once thought impossible.

The future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Now, Friedman is not just echoing conservative viewpoints; he’s redefining them. In his book, he argues that Israel’s future lies in complete sovereignty over Judea and Samaria while granting local autonomy to Palestinians – comparable to Puerto Rico’s status in the US. His approach challenges old paradigms and provides a narrative that appeals to those who see the two-state solution as a failed relic.

As support for his ideas grew, Friedman’s role evolved from diplomat to key architect of Israel’s future, reshaping not just policy but the dialogue on Israel’s most pressing challenges.