AJC 100th Annual Meeting - May 2006 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are confirmed to address the AJC Annual Dinner in Washington, D.C. Be there to join in celebrating AJC's century of leadership. Watch your mailbox for the Annual Meeting program. Online registration is available at http://www.ajc.org/annualmeeting . The Annual Meeting will be held from May 2 - 5. On May 1, AJC will host a major conference, "At a Century's End, At a Century's Beginning: The prospects for Judaism and the Jews." And, following the Annual Meeting, May 5 -7, will be the International Leadership Conference, bringing together Jewish leaders from dozens of countries around the world. Give a gift to yourselves and the future. Bring your adult children and grandchildren.
 UN Security Council Must Act on Iran The AJC has sent letters to all countries on the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency, urging them to press for UN Security Council action against Iran's nuclear program. "Iran's proximity to nuclear autonomy and the resumption of its nuclear program - coupled with the rise of the bellicose and reckless Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - elevates the Iranian danger to a level that demands immediate and decisive international action," wrote AJC President E. Robert Goodkind and Executive Director David A. Harris. The IAEA has since announced that it will convene an emergency meeting in early February. Read letter.
AJC Praises President Bush In a letter to President Bush, AJC praised his commitment to confronting Iran and its potential of acquiring nuclear technology. The letter came after the President's joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. AJC also praised Bush for firmly rejecting statements made by Iran's president against Israel.
New Orleans Relief Trip A hands-on community service mission to New Orleans will be one of the first major projects of ACCESS: AJC's National New Generation Program. The trip will take place over President's Weekend. It is anticipated that 40 people, ages 22-35, will travel to help in a rebuilding project, as well as to meet with federal officials, business owners and residents from the hurricane-ravaged city. The newly launched ACCESS program is designed to engage young leaders in AJC's advocacy work. For more information contact Jeni Bauser at rsvp@ajc.org.
Moscow Synagogue Attack Concern and outrage over the attack upon Jewish worshipers at a Moscow synagogue was expressed in an AJC letter to Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov. AJC urged the Russian government to take "all necessary steps to bring the perpetrator of this shocking crime to justice, and to prevent such incidents from occurring again in the future." Eight people were stabbed in the attack, which authorities have described as a "hate crime." Read letter.
America's Table Encore The New York Times Knowledge Network has reissued America's Table, AJC's Thanksgiving booklet celebrating diversity and shared values. The Times ran a quarter-page ad thanking AJC and inviting teachers in the New York area to sign up for the educational program. Participants receive copies of America's Table for all students as well as a related curriculum developed by the Knowledge Network. In a separate full-page ad, the Times thanked AJC and other sponsors, including The Pfizer Foundation and Ford Motor Company Fund, of the "newspapers in education" program.
Marking Nostra Aetate More than 100 Catholic and Jewish leaders in the Washington, D.C., area attended an AJC-sponsored event marking the 40th anniversary of Nostra Aetate. The event was held at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, in conjunction with a special exhibit honoring Pope John Paul II's relationship with the Jewish people.
Visa Waivers for Visitors to the U.S. AJC received letters of appreciation from the Croatian Foreign Minister and from the ambassadors of Hungary and Lithuania to the U.S., expressing gratitude for AJC's efforts to seek congressional approval for adding these countries to the visa waiver program. AJC supports lifting the visa requirements for travelers entering the U.S. who are citizens of Central and Eastern European nations, as those countries, good friends of the U.S., have ended such requirements for American visitors.
New Website for UN Watch UN Watch, AJC's Geneva affiliate, has launched a new website dedicated to monitoring the UN and safeguarding its founding Charter principles. The site offers the latest information and analysis on UN affairs, with a focus on human rights and anti-Semitism, and features a new blog entitled "View from Geneva." Once informed, visitors to the site can take action on urgent UN issues by using its campaign advocacy tools. Visit www.unwatch.org.
In the Media Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's international director of interreligous affairs, was quoted in Agence France Presse and Rabbi James Rudin, AJC's senior interreligious affairs advisor, was quoted in Newsday, on Pat Robertson's comments on Prime Minister Sharon. The New York Times quoted David Singer, AJC's director of research, in a prominent obituary of Milton Himmelfarb, former editor of the American Jewish Year Book and director of research and information services, who was on the AJC staff for more than 40 years. The Sun-Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale and the Boca Raton News ran features on AJC's Centennial, extensively quoting David Harris. The Boca Raton News also printed a special four-page insert on AJC's 100th anniversary. The Boston Globe published a letter-to-the-editor from Larry Lowenthal, director of AJC's Boston Chapter, who reacted to an op-ed piece on Prime Minister Sharon. Religion News Service quoted Sam Kliger, AJC's director of Russian Community Affairs, in article on the Moscow synagogue attack. The Forward quoted Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJC's Institute on Latino and Latin American Affairs, in an article on controversial statements by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez regarding Israel and Jews. The New Jersey Jewish News quoted Rebecca Neuwirth, AJC's director of special projects, in a feature on a pilot AJC leadership development program at Princeton University. The newsletter of the United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) published an essay on terrorism written by Felice Gaer, director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights.
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