American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a prominent advocacy group founded in 1906 by American Jews in response to anti-Jewish riots in Russia. Its primary mission is to defend and promote the civil and religious rights of Jews globally. Throughout its history, the AJC has focused on various issues, including aiding refugees during and after World War I, combating anti-Semitism in the United States, and advocating for civil rights and social justice. In contemporary times, the AJC functions as a not-for-profit organization with international offices and partnerships, engaging in legislative advocacy and legal action at local, state, and national levels. The organization also emphasizes the importance of Israel’s security and supports democratic movements worldwide, linking the welfare of Jews to the health of democracy. Additionally, the AJC conducts research on Jewish family life, intermarriage, and education, and offers resources for activism and international relations affecting the Jewish community. Its website serves as a platform for education and engagement on various issues pertinent to Jewish life and rights.
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American Jewish Committee
The American Jewish Committee was founded in 1906 by a group of prominent American Jews in response to a series of anti-Jewish riots (pogroms) in Russia. It was to be a defense and advocacy group dedicated to the prevention of any “infraction of the civil and religious rights of Jews, in any part of the world.” During and after World War I, its efforts were concentrated on aiding refugees and combating anti-immigrant and anti-Semitic sentiments in the United States. In the late 1990s, the committee’s work consisted mostly of analysis, advocacy, and legal action relating to issues such as immigration, civil rights, church-state relations, and social justice. In addition, it sponsors research in such areas as Jewish family life, intermarriage, and Jewish education, and the significance of Judaism in an age of modernity.
The American Jewish Committee of the twenty-first century is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization with seventy-five offices, institutes, and international partnerships worldwide. Local chapters are encouraged to participate in legislative advocacy activities and involvement as amici curiae in litigation at the local and state levels. On the international scene, the committee has articulated a special commitment to Israel’s security and to the support of democratic movements across the globe on the theory that the fate of Jews is inextricably bound to the fate of democracy. The organization's website provides information on international relations affecting the Jewish community along with education resources and opportunities for activism.
Bibliography
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Cohen, Haley. “American Jewish Committee, Jewish on Campus Launch New Initiative to Support High Schoolers, Recent College Grads.” eJewish Philanthropy, 9 Sept. 2024, ejewishphilanthropy.com/american-jewish-committee-jewish-on-campus-launch-new-initiative-to-support-high-schoolers-recent-college-grads/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
Dinnerstein, Leonard. Uneasy at Home: Antisemitism and the American Jewish Experience. Columbia UP, 2013.
Herf, Jeffrey. Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism in Historical Perspective: Convergence and Divergence. Routledge, 2014.
Kosmin, Barry A., and Ariela Keysar. "American Jewish Secularism: Jewish Life Beyond the Synagogue." American Jewish Year Book 2012. Springer Netherlands, 2013. 3–54.
Praz˙ Mowska, A. J. "Anti-Jewish Violence. Rethinking the Pogrom in East European History." Journal of Modern Jewish Studies 12.2 (2013): 376–77.
Sterling, Paige. “AJC, U.S. Conference of Mayors Hosts Sixth Annual Delegation to Israel.” United States Conference of Mayors, 16 Apr. 2024, www.usmayors.org/2024/04/16/ajc-u-s-conference-of-mayors-hosts-sixth-annual-delegation-to-israel/. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.
“Who We Are.” American Jewish Committee, www.ajc.org/whoweare. Accessed 1 Nov. 2024.