American Jewish Committee
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The American Jewish Committee is the oldest Jewish advocacy organization in the United States.[1]
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[edit] History
The AJC was established in 1906 by a small group of American Jews concerned about pogroms aimed at the Jewish population of Russia. "According to the official statement of the committee...it is to prevent infringement of the civil and religious rights of Jews and to alleviate the consequences of persecution." (New York Times, Nov. 11, 1907, pg 16). The committee has since headed advocacy campaigns on issues such as Holocaust denial, church-state relations, and American dependence on foreign oil. Today, the organization has local chapters in 33 American cities, as well as in 18 countries around the globe.
The President elected in 1907 was Judge Mayer Sulzberger of Philadelphia. He served as President until at least 1912. By 1914 the President was Louis Marshall.
In 1908 the Executive Committee consisted of: Dr. Cyrus Adler of Philadelphia, head of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington; Joseph Cohen of New York, Henry Cutler of Providence, Rev. Dr. Emil G. Hirsch of Chicago, the Rev. Dr. J.L. Magnes of New York, Louis Marshall of New York; Jacob H. Schiff, New York; Isador Sobel, Erie, Penn., and Cyrus L. Sulzberger, New York." (New York Times, Nov. 9, 1908, pg. 3)
In January 1941, Sol M. Stroock (d. Sep 1941) became President. He had been a member of the Jewish Theological Seminary since 1906. He had also served on the Executive Committee of the AJC since 1930, and since 1934 as its Chairman. The Sep 12 column of the New York Times has quite a lengthy series of eulogies about Mr. Stroock.
AJC's American offices include the Belfer Center for American Pluralism, the Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, Contemporary Jewish Life, Domestic Policy and Legal Affairs, Interreligious Affairs, Latin American Affairs, Middle East and International Terrorism, the Office of Government and International Affairs, Russian Affairs, and Special Projects. The organization is also affiliated with many other human interest groups and projects in numerous other countries.
The organization's mission statement is “to safeguard the welfare and security of Jews in the United States, in Israel, and throughout the world; to strengthen the basic principles of pluralism around the world, as the best defense against anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry; to enhance the quality of American Jewish life by helping to ensure Jewish continuity and deepen the ties between American and Israeli Jews.”
AJC publishes Commentary (magazine) and the American Jewish Yearbook.
[edit] Leadership
- E. Robert Goodkind, President
- David A. Harris, Executive Director
- Shula Bahat, Associate Executive Director
- Ann Shaffer, Director of the Belfer Center for American Pluralism
- Felice D. Gaer, Director of the Baustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights
- Steven Bayme, Director of the Center for Contemporary Jewish Life
- Jeffrey Sinesky, Director of the Center for Domestic Policy
- David Rosen, Director of Interreligious Affairs
- Dina Siegel Vann, Director of Latin American Affairs
- Yehudit Barsky, Director of the Department of Middle East and International Terrorism
- Jason Isaacson, Director of the Office of Government and International Affairs
- Sam Kliger, Director of Russian Affairs
- Rebecca Neuwirth, Director of Special Projects
- Eran Lerman, Director of AJC's Jerusalem office
- David Singer, Director of Research
[edit] Contact
- The American Jewish Committee
- P.O. Box 705
- New York, NY 10150
- (212) 751-4000
- Fax (212) 838-2120
- Public Relations: (212)751-4000 or email PR@ajc.org
[edit] See also
- Martin Luther King, Jr. (Awarded American Liberties Medallion)
- Louis B. Marshall, one of the AJC's German-Jewish founders in 1906, President from 1912 until his death in 1929
- Norman Podhoretz (Retired Editor-in-Chief (1960-1995) of Commentary)
- Midge Decter (Podhoretz's wife)
