SARA E. BROWN, PHD
San Diego AJC Regional Director
AJC’ s second year in San Diego has been framed by growth and impact, but also grief and loss. In the aftermath of October 7, 2023, our office has brought AJC’ s unique blend of global advocacy expertise and local focus to benefit our community, confronting unprecedented levels of hatred against Jews and Israel. I am proud of what we have achieved together. ignorance is power in the hands of antisemites. We launched AJC San Diego’ s first Leaders for Tomorrow cohort, offering necessary skills training for empowering young leaders.
We have forged relationships. We lobbied local elected officials and community stakeholders on critical pieces of legislation, measures, resolutions, and proclamations. We worked with our community to ensure we celebrate and build up Jewish pride and Jewish agency.
We have combatted antisemitism. We partnered with Jewish Federation and led a first-of-its-kind symposium,“ Standing Together: A Community Response to Antisemitism”. The Symposium offered key insights, tools, and guidance to combat Jew-hatred throughout the San Diego region. We’ re expanding next year’ s symposium to include intergroup and teen tracks. Save the date for February 2, 2025.
We have built connections. Amid a massive anti-Israel disinformation campaign, we prioritized intergroup ties to generate further dialogue and engage with allies. Our Latino Jewish Coalition continues to bolster the strategic alliance between Jewish Latinos and the greater Latino and Jewish communities of San Diego.
We have served as resources and advocates. We continue to work on behalf of the next generation sitting in our classrooms. Education may not be a panacea, but
The close of 2024 will mark a bittersweet transition as Mitch Siegler, our founding Board President, hands over the reins to another incredible leader, Alan Viterbi. I feel very fortunate to work with such impactful and inspirational leaders. When I joined AJC, I knew Mitch and I were partnering to build something special. This past year further proved that Mitch and the lay leaders who worked to bring AJC to San Diego were correct – we needed AJC. Thank you, Mitch, for being my partner in advocacy.
The challenges facing our community since 10 / 7 have been a uniquely awful stress test of our work, our areas of focus, and our why. But our community gives me hope and reminds me of what Ofir Libstein, of blessed memory, used to say: h’ or v’ ha’ tov yinatzeach. The light and the good will triumph.
ALAN VITERBI
Incoming Board President January 2025
This past year has been a challenging one for Jews around the world – and San Diego has been no exception. We have seen protests on college campuses, hateful lesson plans promoted for use by public school teachers, bias in the local media, and uses of dangerous tropes by public figures. In these acts of antisemitism, sometimes masked in a false distinction of antizionism, we recognize the historical echoes of intentional efforts to demonize Jews, as they seek to smear Israel and its supporters, and in particular to undermine the overwhelming consensus of the American Jewish community in its vocal support of Israel.
Internationally and nationally, AJC has played a major role since its inception in fighting organized antisemitism, directly, unapologetically, and with a deep commitment to strengthening the voices of the local Jewish community. We are so fortunate that AJC joined local leaders to reopen a San Diego office in 2023, and to bring this important combination of thoughtful democratic empowerment and strong advocacy to our local community. Few could have imagined the Hamas brutality on 10 / 7, but certainly none of us could have anticipated the cheering which would take place here, and often by those with the most educational credentials.
At the same time, in San Diego we have been strengthened by allies who stand up and speak out against antisemitism, and specifically against antizionism, from Mayor Todd Gloria to County Board of Supervisors Chair Nora Vargas to State Senate President Pro Tempore Toni Atkins, all alumni of AJC Project Interchange educational trips to Israel. AJC’ s investments in fighting antisemitism, while empowering our friends and allies is critical to the work we do.
San Diego and our Jewish community have been fortunate to have Mitch Siegler at the helm as we have navigated a challenging year, building and strengthening this important voice for our San Diego Jewish community. AJC San Diego today consists of an engaged board, committees and professional staff working tirelessly to promote positive Jewish messages, while combatting those attempting to separate us from the fabric of our larger society. In the coming year, AJC San Diego will build on these efforts, especially in public education and local government, measuring our progress and strengthening our voice in allyship with those who share our commitment to fighting hatred, supporting Israel, and defending democratic values here at home. Thank you for being a part of this important work. Am Yisrael Chai!