Jewish advocate David Harris will speak to the Kansas City community for the first time since 2024 in a series of events this coming March. The Jewish community will have four opportunities to hear from him between March 4 and 6.

Harris is the current executive vice chair for the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) and former CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), which he led from 1990 to 2022. Harris was described by late Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres as “the foreign minister of the Jewish people.” He is the most decorated Jewish organizational leader in U.S. history.

This visit comes on the heels of the publication of his recent book, “Antisemitism: What Everyone Needs to Know.”

“Tragically, [my book] is needed now more than ever in recent history. The book is both descriptive and prescriptive,” Harris told The Chronicle. “...My many meetings in the Kansas City area will use the book as a starting point for discussion. At the end of the day, though, in every session my goal is the same — to mobilize good people to take a stand, speak up, act. This is sure as heck no time for bystanders, business as usual or complacency.”

Harris last visited Kansas City in November 2024, speaking in front of approximately 300 people at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

For security purposes, The Chronicle is not publishing locations and times; those interested in hearing Harris speak can contact admin@kcrabbi.org for details. 

The Chronicle asked Harris for his perspective on the state of global antisemitism since his last visit to Kansas City.

“The situation has gotten worse,” he said. “Every day brings new reports of antisemitic acts, including the fatal attack in Sydney, Australia… targeting of synagogues, assaults on Jews, boycotts of Jewish-owned businesses, blood libels against Israel… Plus, the 2025 election of an anti-Israel radical, Zohran Mamdani, as mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel and an urban center with countless links to Israel [New York City], underscores the radical shift in American politics.”

“Further, the rise of antisemitism in a wing of the Republican Party triggers concerns about what lies ahead for the post-Trump GOP,” he continued. “Antisemitism used to be taboo in postwar, mainstream democratic societies. No longer.”

When asked if there are historical precedents for governmental responses to recent antisemitic incidents (such as the burning of Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi and the shooting on Bondi Beach in Australia), Harris answered that for too long, antisemitism has been “underestimated, rationalized or neglected.” He said that the “avowedly pro-Palestinian stance” of Australia, as well as Britain, Canada, France, Ireland and Spain, causes “collateral damage to the Jewish community [through] relentless criticism of Israel and, essentially, embrace of the Palestinian narrative.”

The anti-Zionist narrative, Harris said, is embedded among journalists and editors at mainstream news agencies such as the BBC, The Guardian and The New York Times.

“But the biggest question,” he said, “is how to overcome the impact of social media lies and distortions repeated daily and reaching millions, if not billions, of people worldwide — and especially young people who are often ill-equipped to distinguish fact from fiction.”

Harris’ call to action for Jews in Kansas City and around the world remains the same as in 2024: to intensify Jewish identity with “no fear. No apology. No trembling knees… educating young Jews to feel proud, knowledgeable, and confident, including, centrally, forming a deep connection to Zionism and Israel.”

He also underlined the importance of advocacy organizations such as ISGAP, which Harris joined in 2022, to grasp “the seismic changes at hand in a post-Oct. 7 world,” as well as finding allies who understand the threats of antisemitism.

More information about Harris is available at isgap.org/david-harris-executive-vice-chair-isgap.