 | AJC 100th Annual Meeting — May 2006  UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are confirmed keynote speakers for AJC's Annual Dinner. Houston Mayor Bill White will be honored for his leadership role in Katrina relief. And there is much, much more. Celebrate AJC's century of leadership at the Annual Meeting, May 2 - 5, in Washington, D.C. On May 1 and 2, AJC will host a major conference, "At a Century's End, At a Century's Beginning: The prospects for Judaism and the Jews." Following the Annual Meeting, May 5 -7, will be the 13th 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. Click here for the conference programs and to register online.
State of the Union AJC sent a letter to President Bush expressing appreciation for a number of themes in his State of the Union address. Among the issues that resonated particularly strongly for AJC were the President's determination to defeat the forces of radical Islam, to prevent the Iranian regime from acquiring nuclear weapons, to support American troops in Iraq, and to press Hamas to recognize Israel, to disarm, to reject terrorism and work for lasting peace. AJC also praised Mr. Bush for bringing to the fore the discussion of needed steps to reduce our country's dangerous dependence on foreign oil. AJC Mourns Passing of Coretta Scott King "The civil rights movement has lost a devoted activist, the country has lost a champion for justice and the Jewish community has lost a loyal friend," said AJC in a statement on the death of Coretta Scott King. AJC will long remember Mrs. King's selfless solidarity with the Jewish community, especially in joining in the fight for the freedom of Soviet Jews, and in supporting the State of Israel in her quest for peace and security. AJC joins with countless people who were touched by Mrs. King's kindness and inspired by her determination to continue the struggle for a better America. We all feel a deep sense of pain and irretrievable loss. Click for news release.
Hamas in Its Own Words - A Setback for Peace AJC has launched a new web feature, "Hamas Watch ," a collection of quotes from leaders of the terrorist organization that captured a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislature. AJC called the results of last week's elections "a setback for peace." "The Palestinian people, in a democratic election, have made their decision, and their choice of a terrorist organization will have consequences," said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris. "Unless Hamas completely reinvents itself, renouncing violence, recognizing Israel's right to exist and endorsing a two-state solution, Hamas cannot be viewed as a partner for peace." Read news release.
President Bush Praised for Firm Stance on Hamas AJC praised President Bush for his comments supporting Israel's security and insisting that the U.S. will not deal with Hamas after the Palestinian elections. He made the remarks during his nationally televised news conference on January 26. "Your words could not have been clearer. They were yet another reassuring signal, in a time of heightened tension and dangerous extremism, of the American alliance with Israel, and of your personal devotion to the attainment of peace and security for all the people of that troubled region," wrote AJC President E. Robert Goodkind and Executive Director David A. Harris.
AJC Advocacy Center: Stop Iran Now Take a few minutes now to send letters to world leaders urging them to take concrete action to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. Visit the AJC Advocacy Center and join in the developing AJC campaign on Iran. AJC also ran ads last Friday in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune on Iran's nuclear program and the continuing threats by Iran's president to destroy Israel.
Lobbying Europeans on Iran Jason Isaacson, director of AJC's Office of Government and International Affairs, held an intensive round of meetings with European officials regarding Iran. The Palestinian elections and European attitudes towards Hamas also were discussed. AJC met separately in Brussels with the foreign ministers of Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia; deputy foreign ministers of the Czech Republic and Portugal; senior U.S., Israeli and German diplomats; and several members of the European Parliament. The meetings were part of AJC's international advocacy campaign to focus attention on Iran's quest to acquire nuclear weapons.
UN Holocaust Remembrance Day More than 100 representatives of AJC attended the first UN International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. While recognizing the significance of the UN event, AJC also expressed concern about the lack of basic knowledge about the Holocaust, as revealed in a recent AJC international public opinion survey. "Less knowledge about the Holocaust leads to less support for remembrance and teaching about it," concludes Tom Smith, in The Holocaust and its Implications: A Seven-Nation Comparative Study, published by AJC. Click for news release, to read the Smith report , and an op-ed on the UN Holocaust Remembrance Day by Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC's director of international Jewish affairs.
Holocaust Commemoration at UN in Geneva UN Watch, AJC's Geneva affiliate, played a key role in the commemoration of the first annual UN Holocaust Remembrance Day event at the European Headquarters of the UN in Geneva. UN Watch organized the UN's NGO memorial session. The audience, filling one of the historic conference rooms of the Palais des Nations, included UN Ambassadors, NGO representatives and members of Geneva's Jewish community.
Apology from Davos AJC welcomed the statement of regret by Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, who apologized for the publication in the WEF official magazine of an article advocating an international boycott of Israel. "We appreciate Mr. Schwab's quick action in investigating how that article got into print, in expressing his regret publicly, and in assuring that appropriate steps have been instituted to ensure that this will never happen again," AJC said. AJC had sent a strong letter of protest to Schwab after learning about the article, and Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's international director of interreligious affairs, who was attending the WEF, met with Schwab. Schwab has agreed to speak at AJC's Annual Meeting in May.
Tragedy in Poland AJC sent a letter to Polish President Lech Kaczynski, extending heartfelt condolences for the tragic event in Katowice where a roof collapse left more than 65 dead. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost loved ones, with the injured, and with the entire Polish nation in this most trying of times," AJC wrote.
AJC Mourns Former German President AJC expressed deep sorrow over the death of Johannes Rau, former President of Germany. A great friend of the Jewish people and Israel, Rau served as president from 1999-2004, regularly met with AJC leaders, both in Berlin and the U.S., and addressed the AJC Annual Dinner in 2000 in Washington, D.C. Click for news release.
AJC Guests at Diplomatic Dinner AJC President E. Robert Goodkind and Executive Director David A. Harris were the only American Jewish representatives invited to a private diplomatic dinner in New York hosted at the residence of the Greek Ambassador to the UN in honor of his American counterpart, Ambassador John Bolton. Other guests included the ambassadors of Cyprus, Israel, Japan, Jordan and Turkey, as well as senior officials of the UN Secretariat and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Human Rights Work in Russia Key international human rights experts gathered in New York as AJC co-sponsored a meeting to discuss the impact of a new law in Russia which governs how human rights groups can operate within the country. Felice Gaer, director of AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute, moderated the discussion, which included speakers from Amnesty International, the International League for Human Rights, and the Open Society Institute.
Victory for Tenafly Eruv Local officials in Tenafly, New Jersey, ended a long battle over construction of an eruv, voting to allow it to remain in place, marking a victory for AJC and those who supported its constitutionality in the courts. An eruv uses utility poles and wires to define an area, allowing Orthodox Jews to carry items, and push strollers, or wheelchairs on Shabbat. "This was always simply a matter of religious accommodation, not an issue of the government endorsing a particular religion in any way," said AJC General Counsel Jeffrey Sinensky. Click to read news release.
Historical Accuracy on Poland The director of the New York Jewish Film Festival wrote to AJC to apologize for using the term "Polish death camp" in promotional materials describing the film A Treasure in Auschwitz. In her response to a letter from David Harris, Aviva Weintraub said the printed and online Festival materials have been changed to state "death camp in Poland," in order to be historically accurate. Last week, the San Francisco Chronicle published a letter by chapter director Ernest Weiner criticizing the use of the term "gas chambers of Poland" in a news article. He noted that the extermination camps were built and operated by Nazi Germany.
In the Media The New York Sun published an op-ed by Yehudit Barsky, AJC's director of Mideast and International Terrorism, on Iran's growing influence within Hamas and other Palestinian terror organizations. Several AJC experts went on the air in a series of radio interviews regarding the Palestinian elections. Eran Lerman, director of AJC's Jerusalem Office, discussed the Hamas victory on the nationally syndicated Jim Bohannon Show on Westwood One Radio Network. Jason Isaacson, AJC's director of the Office of Government and International Affairs, was on USA Radio, CNN radio, ABC Radio, FOX News Radio, KMOX-AM (St. Louis); KNX-AM (Los Angeles); and WWJ-AM (Detroit). Kenneth Bandler, AJC's director of communications, was interviewed on KOGO-AM (San Diego) and the nationally syndicated Bev Smith Show on American Urban Network. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution published a letter by Sherry Frank, director of AJC's Atlanta Chapter, about Coretta Scott King. The Associated Press quoted Kenneth Bandler, AJC's communications director, in an article about "Paradise Now," a film about Palestinian suicide bombers nominated for an Oscar. The Forward and the Atlanta Jewish Times quoted Felice Gaer, director of the AJC Jacob Blaustein Institute for Human Rights, about Darfur. Harper's Magazine quoted Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, in an article examining potential candidates to replace UN Secretary General Kofi Annan when he completes his term later this year. The Palm Beach Post quoted Bill Gralnick, director of AJC's Palm Beach County Chapter, in an article about the weeklong visit of local police officers to Israel, a trip sponsored by AJC's Project Interchange program. In a separate story on the Hamas electoral success, the Post quoted Chapter President Stephen Beiner. The JTA quoted Richard Foltin in an article about the implications of proposals for lobby reform for privately funded travel by Members of Congress and staff. The New York Jewish Week quoted New York Chapter Director Diane Steinman in a story about the race for New York lieutenant governor. The Oakland Tribune (California) published a letter by San Francisco Chapter President Steven Kornetsky on UN Holocaust Remembrance Day. Ecumenical Trends published an article, "A Tale of Two Sisters: Nostra Aetate at 40," by Rabbi Anson Laytner, executive director of AJC's Seattle Chapter.
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