Arizona Tribune - Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation to Honor CNN's Van Jones at Annual Gala

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESS Newswire / May 22, 2025 / The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation (AJCF) will present its prestigious Fighting Hatred Award to CNN commentator, Dream Machine Founder, Emmy award winner and New York Times best-selling author Van Jones at its annual gala on June 11 at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. The award honors Jones for his commitment to promoting tolerance, bridging communities and combating hatred in all its forms.

The gala celebrates the foundation's 25years of fighting hatred and antisemitism and marks 20 years of its American Service Academies Program (ASAP). ASAP is a 16-day educational initiative in the United States and Poland for a select group of military cadets and midshipmen from the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force academies. Focusing on the Holocaust, ethical responsibility in the military, and related contemporary moral and ethical issues, this program provides a truly profound learning experience for future military officers during which they meet with Holocaust survivors, elected officials and expert historians and educators in both countries.

In January, Jones led the AJCF-Exodus Delegation to Poland, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. The powerful journey brought together a diverse group of Black leaders and changemakers, including global investor and philanthropist Robert F. Smith, singer and activist Malynda Hale, Grammy®-winning artist Victory Boyd, Pastor Carl Day, Exodus co-Founder Raymond Leon Roker, and entrepreneur John Hope Bryant and Chaitra Dalton-Bryant all of whom will also be honored this year with the AJCF Medal of Valor.

While in Poland, the group explored Jewish life and history before the Holocaust, met with Holocaust survivors and visited historic sites such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Krakow's Kazimierz Jewish Quarter, Schindler's Factory and the Krakow Ghetto Memorial. In Warsaw, the delegation toured the POLIN Museum, the Jewish Cemetery, Warsaw Ghetto memorials and other sites that honor the city's once-vibrant Jewish community. The group also met with relatives of hostages currently held in Gaza, listening to their stories and showing solidarity in the face of ongoing suffering.

"We are deeply honored to recognize Van at this year's dinner," said AJCF Chairman Simon Bergson. "As antisemitism and anti-Black hatred continue to rise, we need voices like Van's-people building bridges and championing unity. The Holocaust teaches us what happens when hate goes unchecked. Van embodies the kind of leadership we need to ensure those lessons are never forgotten."

Jones, known for his impactful work across media, public policy and social justice, has spent decades at the forefront of change. Outside of his roles as a CNN contributor, Jones has used his resources and connections to improve clean energy solutions, criminal justice reform and racial inclusion in the tech sector. In 2021, he was one of the first two recipients of Jeff Bezos' Courage & Civility Award. In 2018, he helped pass the FIRST STEP Act - which the New York Times calls the most substantial breakthrough in criminal justice in a generation. In 2009, he worked in the Obama White House as the Special Advisor for Green Jobs.

In 2007, Jones was the primary champion of the Green Jobs Act, signed into law by George W. Bush. Most recently, he launched the Dream Machine Innovation Lab, a non-profit organization that aims to equip multicultural communities with the tools to effectively harness artificial intelligence and spearhead the future of innovation through AI-focused workshops, networking events, educational programming, and more. Jones has also launched the EXODUS Leadership Forum, which aims to renew the historic Black/Jewish Alliance, reduce polarization, and strengthen democracy.

Jones has founded and led many successful social enterprises, including REFORM Alliance, Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, Green For All and the Dream.Org. He is also an Emmy Award-winning producer and a three-times New York Times best-selling author.

"Van's advocacy in the fight against antisemitism and his passionate efforts on behalf of the hostages and their families are deeply meaningful to us," said AJCF Director General Jack Simony. "The Black and Jewish communities share painful histories of persecution-and also a powerful legacy of resilience. It is critical we continue standing together to fight hate and build a better future. We are proud to have Van Jones as an ally in this mission."

The Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the lessons learned from the Holocaust to combat hatred and bigotry through educational programs and by providing direct humanitarian aid to victims of mass atrocities. It supports survivors of genocides and other tragedies, including Ukrainian refugees and those impacted by Hamas's October 7 attacks. The Foundation maintains the Auschwitz Jewish Center, the last remaining synagogue in Oświęcim (Auschwitz) and serves as the primary institution dedicated to preserving the memory of the town's Jewish community while addressing hate. To date, over a million people have visited the center and more than 100,000 individuals, including first responders, military personnel, students and educators, have taken part in its educational initiatives on tolerance and the Holocaust. For more information, visit: https://ajcfus.org/.

Contact:

Joshua Steinreich
Steinreich Communications
(212) 491-1600
[email protected]

SOURCE: Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation

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