 | Bonuses to Purchase Hybrid Cars AJC is offering its employees across the U.S. an incentive to purchase or lease fuel-efficient, environment-friendly vehicles. AJC’s Fuel-Efficient Vehicle Bonus is believed to be the first offer of its kind to employees of any non-profit organization in the U.S. Employees who qualify will be entitled to receive bonus payments of $2,500 or $1,500, depending on the vehicle. “Our car-buying initiative is integral to AJC’s long-term commitment to developing a serious energy policy in the U.S.,” said David Harris, who announced the program in a memo to AJC, and in his national radio message on the CBS radio network. Click for news release. Listen to radio message.
 Prime Minister Olmert Thanks AJC “The unwavering support of the AJC for the Jewish people and the State of Israel is heartwarming, and encourages me to continue on the path I have chosen,” said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in a letter to AJC. The prime minister was responding to an AJC letter congratulating him on the success of his address to a joint session of Congress last month. “I left my meetings with high-level officials in the Administration, and especially with President Bush, more determined than ever to implement my vision of an Israel safe for the threat of terrorism and a nuclear Iran. The Administration’s understanding of our fundamental beliefs proves a strong basis for advancing the diplomatic process on both the Palestinian and Iranian fronts.”
AJC Leaders to Meet Russian Foreign Minister in Moscow A senior AJC leadership delegation will travel to Russia next week to meet with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and other senior political leaders. The trip comes against a backdrop of heightened international discussions regarding Iran’s nuclear program, and a deteriorating situation with Hamas in Gaza. AJC last met with Lavrov in New York in March. During the weeklong visit to the region the AJC delegation also will meet with Latvian Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis and President Vaira Vike Freiberga, as well as Ukrainian President Viktor Yuschenko and Foreign Minister Boris Tarasyuk.
AJC’s Cornell, Princeton Societies Visit Germany Eighteen Jewish undergraduate students from Princeton and Cornell universities are visiting Germany, with the goal of bringing younger American Jews and Germans closer together. The students, all members of the year-old AJC Princeton and Cornell Societies, are spending ten days meeting with members of the German parliament and leaders of Germany’s Jewish community. The trip is co-sponsored by AJC and Bridge of Understanding, and is the culminating event in a year of programs aimed at providing the students with access to AJC’s dynamic diplomatic activities.
Methodist Leaders Visit Israel with Project Interchange African-American members of the Pan-Methodist Commission for Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns have concluded a weeklong leadership seminar in Israel hosted by AJC’s Project Interchange. The commission represents the four major Methodist bodies in the U.S. – the United Methodist Church (UMC), the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME), the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (AMEZ) and the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME). “The story of Israel is closely related to our own as African-Americans, and now I am able to see and understand the passion for freedom and love of the land,” said the Rev. Dr. W. Robert Johnson III, General Secretary of the AMEZ. David Elcott, AJC’s U.S. director of interreligious affairs, and Ari Gordon, AJC program associate in intergroup affairs, accompanied the group.
ACCESS Completes Argentina Visit A group of young Jewish professionals has returned from a five-day trip to Argentina, sponsored by ACCESS: AJC’s New Generation program. Participants had the opportunity to serve food to Buenos Aires’ elderly at the Jewish Community Center’s soup kitchen, and to meet and interact with young Argentinean Jews who are looking to the ACCESS model to engage their own young Jewish community. The group returned motivated to help the Argentinean community, and one participant described her experience as “educational, moving, and beautiful.”
Amicus Brief Supports Health Coverage for Contraceptives AJC is urging the Court of Appeals of the State of New York to uphold the constitutionality of the New York Women’s Health and Wellness Act, known as the “contraceptive equity law.” The case is Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany v. Serio. Catholic Charities does not qualify for an exemption from a New York law mandating that employers offering health insurance coverage for prescription drugs must include FDA-approved prescription contraceptives. AJC, which has long advocated for women’s equality while at the same time acting as a supporter of religious freedom, disagrees with the charity’s claim that the law violates its constitutional right to religious free exercise. Read news release.
German Military Officers Visit AJC Sixty soldiers from the German General Staff College visited AJC’s headquarters, as part of their visit to the U.S., to engage in a luncheon dialogue on American Jewry, German-Jewish relations and Israel. Addressing the gathering, David Harris expressed his belief that “the history of Germans and Jews has given special insights and special responsibility to both.” Brigadier General Jörg Sohst, leader of the German delegation, said, “These young officers are the future leaders of the German military, and we find it necessary, on our trips to the United States, to always visit with the American Jewish Committee.”
German Lawmakers Visit AJC Nine members of the German Parliament visited AJC to exchange views on current international issues, including Iran, Israel, Muslim extremism in Europe, as well as German-Jewish relations.
AJC Addresses OSCE Conference in Kazakhstan Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC’s director of International Jewish Affairs, addressed an Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s (OSCE) conference in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on promoting inter-cultural, inter-religious, and inter-ethnic understanding. He spoke about the role of political leadership in combating anti-Semitism as well as intolerance towards other minorities. “Today, the role of political leadership – the words and actions of local and national officials – is the critical one,” said Rabbi Baker. The efforts of non-governmental organizations, through interreligious and interethnic dialogue, to increase understanding and reconciliation among minorities “will only succeed if the respective governments commit themselves to provide a safe and open environment, a public square that is genuinely respectful and protective of all its citizens.” Read Rabbi Baker's speech.
AJC Opposes Sectarian Prayer in State Legislature AJC filed an amicus brief with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals arguing that sectarian prayers have no place in state legislatures. The case, Hinrichs v. Bosma, is an appeal brought by the Speaker of the Indiana House of Representatives of a lower court decision prohibiting the opening of legislative sessions with Christian prayers. Read news release.
Centennial Campaign Receives Additional Gift We are delighted to announce that the AJC Centennial Campaign has received a new gift of $1 million. The Centennial Campaign: A Fund for the Future was a five-year campaign which sought to raise $100 million by May 2006. At our Annual Meeting last month, it was announced that the fund exceeded its original goal, and now with the new gift the total has reached $106 million.
Anti-Boycott Fund Ends British Teachers’ Campaign AJC's anti-boycott fund made a significant contribution to the recent fight against the short-lived National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) boycott of Israel. NATFHE, which passed a boycott resolution last month, ceased to exist on June 1, when it merged with the Association of University Teachers (AUT) to create the University and College Union (UCU). The Jerusalem Post reported that one of the key factors leading to the UCU affirming that the boycott died with NATFHE was "the threat of legal proceedings by union members who claimed the boycott would hurt their ability to do research." AJC’s anti-boycott fund paid for the legal research which resulted in the members' attorney's correspondence with the NATFHE, AUT and the UCU about the clear violation of rights which would occur from such a boycott.
Obituary AJC mourns the passing of John Simon, a gifted and visionary leader of AJC. He served as president of AJC’s Central New Jersey Chapter. As a member of the national International Relations Commission, he pioneered the AJC's outreach to India, leading in 1994 the first of what became annual visits by AJC delegations for consultations with the Indian government, policy experts, and the country's small but vibrant Jewish community. John's mission established the foundation of a relationship that today counts as one of AJC's most important international ventures, with ongoing exchange programs, an AJC representative in Mumbai, humanitarian projects, and a flowering partnership in our own country between Indian Americans and American Jews. We extend our deepest sympathies to John’s family.
In the Media Deidre Berger, director of AJC’s Berlin Office, appeared on the CBS Evening News discussing concerns about violence by extremists in Germany during the World Cup.
The Philadelphia Jewish Exponent praised AJC on its 100th anniversary in an editorial and also ran a feature story on AJC.
The Chicago Jewish News honored Emily Soloff, director of AJC’s Chicago Chapter, as one of the Jewish Chicagoans of the Year. An interview and photo ran in the paper’s annual Guide to Jewish Chicago.
The Sun-Sentinel (Ft. Lauderdale) published an op-ed by Bill Gralnick on anti-Semitism and the need for law enforcement and courts to treat as hate crimes and apply appropriate punishment for offenders. Click to read. | |
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