The new regional director of the American Jewish Committee Long Island plans to establish strong ties with global leaders as well as local officials and diverse communities across Long Island.
Eric Post, who was appointed in February, told Blank Slate Media that AJC focuses on three main areas by “promoting Israel’s place in the world, combating anti-Semitism at home and abroad and countering radicalism and extremism and promoting pluralism.”
The organization has always focused on protecting the Jewish community, but in order to do that, it must also work to protect democratic values for all, said Post. He previously served as the associate director of AJC New York, where he concentrated on interfaith and intergroup work throughout the five boroughs.
He commented that he approaches AJC LI as a “building project.”
“New York City is much more of an established region for AJC,” he said, “whereas on Long Island there are resources that are underdeveloped and there is a more immediate need for AJC.”
By virtue of its location, AJC New York has access to United Nations ambassadors and other officials. It is more difficult for AJC Long Island to meet with diplomats, Post pointed out, since it is outside of the city.
He nevertheless plans to connect AJC Long Island with global leaders. He believes that AJC’s international reach is what really sets it apart from other organizations on Long Island.
A discussion with AJC Paris director Anne-Sophie Sebban-Bécache on anti-Semitism in France was set to take place on Long Island this Wednesday. The event will now be live-streamed in light of the coronavirus crisis.
Post stressed that in the short term, AJC Long Island plans to concentrate on meeting with elected officials at the local, state and federal level, as well as providing high-quality programs and advocacy opportunities.
“There’s really very fertile grounds for interfaith and intergroup relations that has been developing [on Long Island] and that I think has potential to do even more,” he said.
As associate director of AJC New York, Post played a significant role in establishing the NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, which brings together agencies in the city to address and prevent hate crimes by developing community-driven approaches and helping victims and communities heal. He said AJC wants to replicate this on Long Island eventually, partnering with the Latino community, the black community, the Asian community and other minority groups to build relationships and advocate on issues of mutual concern, particularly the prevention of hate crimes.
Post also led AJC New York in its successful advocacy for a bill providing funding to train police throughout the state on how to report and monitor hate crimes. He emphasized that there are many cities across New York, including cities with populations over 100,000, which do not report any hate crimes at the federal level.
Like most organizations in the state, AJC has had to move its work online since the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. AJC created a program called “Advocacy Anywhere,” Post said, through which it offers several webinars a week. These online programs have included a conversation between the Italian ambassador and AJC’s CEO about the coronavirus outbreak in Italy, sessions on how Israel is coping with COVID-19 and a talk with Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng about discrimination linked to the virus.
“Jews are often the canary in the coal mine,” Post said. “When one minority group is attacked, as we’ve seen recently, other groups are to follow, [which is why] we’ve always had this dualistic mission.”
For more information on AJC Long Island, please visit www.ajc.org/Longisland or www.facebook.com/Ajclongisland.
