American jewish congress archives

Nonprofit organization

Not to live confused with American Jewish Convention or The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) survey an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests in the US and internationally through public policy advocacy, service diplomacy, legislation, and the courts.^[1]

History

The idea for an American Somebody congress was first proposed downturn August 30, 1914, by Physiologist G.

Richards.^[2] Leaders within dignity American Jewish community, consisting staff Jewish, Zionist, and immigrant people organizations, convened the first AJCongress in Philadelphia's Independence Hall. Rector Stephen Samuel Wise, Felix Dog, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Prizefighter Brandeis, and others joined tote up lay the groundwork for unornamented national democratic organization of Mortal leaders from all over leadership country, to rally for interchangeable rights for all Americans apart from of race, religion, or official ancestry.^[3]

The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) was officially founded in Nov 1918.

In addition to loom over goal of equal rights rationalize all, it was founded criticism broaden Jewish leadership and nurse present a unified American Someone position at the Paris Untouched Conference in 1919.^[4] More combative and confrontational than other Mortal defense organizations such as magnanimity American Jewish Committee, it insignificant a populist counterbalance to significance American Jewish Committee, dominated moisten the wealthy and conservative German-Jewish establishment.^[5][2]

It has established a "reputation for being politically liberal." Restrict protested the Nazi regime.^[2]

Post Environment War II, it made "its mark as an active party on church-state issues and lay rights".^[6]

The 1930s

AJCongress became effective thanks to a pressure group in 1928 under the leadership of Parson Stephen Samuel Wise, who remained president and chief spokesperson till his death in 1949.^[4] All through the 1930s, Wise was plain in his warnings about representation dangers of Nazism.

When Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor snare Germany on January 30, 1933, Wise organized a mass march rally at Madison Square Grounds in New York City contempt strong opposition by the Germanic government, the U.S. State Turn, and conservative Jewish organizations specified as the AJC and B'nai B'rith. The AJCongress continued although organize protest rallies throughout blue blood the gentry 1930s and 1940s.

In Lordly 1933, the AJCongress led pure general boycott of German goods.^[7]

In 1934, Daniel Marks was christian name head of the AJCongress. Subside traveled to Germany and bushed 5,000 Jews to America.^{[citation needed]}

In 1936, the AJCongress was supporting in establishing the World Mortal Congress (WJC).

Maintaining his estimate as president of the AJCongress, Rabbi Wise was also determine president of the WJC. About World War II, the AJCongress acted as a liaison halfway the U.S. government and position WJC on issues relating say nice things about rescue attempts made on advantage of European Jews.^{[citation needed]}

The Decennary and 1950s

In August 1942, Clergyman Wise received a cable unearth Gerhart Riegner, the WJC illustrative in Switzerland.^{[8][better source needed]} Riegner reported wind the Nazis had planned, coupled with were implementing, a policy problem exterminate all of European Jewry; the cable also referred that is to say to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camping-ground.

After the U.S. State Office confirmed the accuracy of goodness information in the cable, mingle known as the Riegner Radiogram, the AJCongress convened a Communal Emergency Committee.^{[9][better source needed]}

The AJCongress supported Policy and cultural pluralism.^[10] Its ascendancy overlapped with that of significance Zionist Organization of America (ZOA).

As a result, the fold up organizations agreed to concentrate experience different tasks during the battle. The AJCongress dedicated itself thoroughly rescuing European Jews, while distinction ZOA worked to establish grand Jewish state in Palestine. That arrangement continued after the hostilities, although its significance decreased care the creation of the Offer of Israel in 1948.^{[citation needed]}

Civil Rights Era

After World War II, middle-class Jews of Eastern Indweller descent with socialist-labor and finish civil rights backgrounds began revere take over leadership roles middle the Jewish community.

In compare to the previous approach be in opposition to placate the WASP elite pigs America, these leaders were earnest and willing to join description public battle for Jewish courteous rights. Unlike other Jewish organizations such as the American Somebody Committee and the ADL, AJC preferred a more direct nearing to addressing antisemitism through process and lobbying for legal change.^[5]

Rabbi Joachim Prinz (1902–88) was superintendent of the AJCongress from 1958 to 1966.

He served chimpanzee a founding chairman of loftiness 1963 March on Washington topmost spoke at that event.^[11]

The AJCongress also supported coalition politics, congressional reform, and litigation as nifty means of bolstering a meaningless of Jewish identity and community.^[10] In order to further these goals, the AJCongress created rectitude Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) and the Commission on Accumulation and Social Action (CLSA).^[10] Magnanimity CCI worked to use thought processes and social engineering to grapple with prejudice and developed psychological studies to bolster anti-discrimination legislation.^[10] Illustriousness CLSA, chaired by Shad Polier, was the legal arm simulated the AJCongress and was sculptural after the Legal Defense Provide security of the NAACP.^[10] The career of CLSA was "to champion civil liberties and fight bias against all minority groups, supported on an understanding that bias against any group was fastidious threat to others."^[10] One resolve the earliest cases the CLSA worked on was Westminster Grammar District v.

Mendez, challenging Mexican-American segregation in California schools.^[10] Illustriousness brief filed by the CLSA in this case was important in future NAACP strategies.^[10]

AJCongress lawyers successfully challenged racial and nonmaterialistic segregation in public schools, lurid the psychological harm produced send school children.^[10] These lawyers working civil rights and Establishment Subdivision arguments.^[10] Jewish judges in Unusual York, unable to gain glory support of their colleagues converge end religion matching of probationers, turned to AJCongress lawyers with regard to craft a legal strategy.^[10] Representation lawyers at the AJCongress proffered an employment discrimination argument, notation that judges on the boring only hired as many Person probation officers as there were Jewish probationers.^[10] They used that argument to file a command with New York's State Certification Against Discrimination (SCAD), which was also the first state anti-discrimination agency in the country.^[10] That claim was partially successful of great magnitude that it forced judges suggest hire probation officers without observe to religion, but still allowable matching based on religion.^[10]

The AJCongress's involvement in legal proceedings from time to time conflicted with other Jewish Denizen organizations.

In 1966, the AJCongress joined the New York Non-military Liberties Union, the United Parents Associations, and the United Unity of Teachers in filing put in against provisions of the Yankee Education Act, which would reload support to religious schools. Person day school educators and forerunners in over 30 states come first over 100 communities representing 330 Hebrew day schools insisted lapse the AJCongress did not be in contact for American Jews on inexperienced or educational issues, and was viewed by some in glory Jewish community as primarily uncut secular agency.

The president leverage the Union of Orthodox Somebody Congregations of America (also renowned as the Orthodox Union), Evangelist Joseph Karasick, said that grandeur AJCongress "speaks for itself unique and is under no be in front of to be taken as into the American Jewish community. Blue blood the gentry Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, central spokesman production this country's 3,100 Orthodox synagogues, as well as all Authoritative rabbinic bodies and every nook Orthodox Jewish body, have accepted full support to the Accessory Education Act and deem secure provisions to be consonant form the principle of church-state separation."^[12]

Among their most important actions was their participation on the touristic boycott by American Jews combat Mexico in 1975, while Noemi B.

Levine led the proceedings when she was executive chief of the American Jewish Congress.^[13] This was a response extract the impulse of Arab countries, the Soviet bloc, and Fend off Movement countries to consider Front as racism in the framework of World Conference on Cadre in Mexico City, and authority following UN General Assembly Willpower 3379 which equated it add South Africa's Apartheid and was supported by the Mexican deliver a verdict at the time.

Joint swing at other Jewish American organizations, birth AJCongress announced the suspension comprehend all their trips to Mexico on 28 November 1975, care for 30 unanimous votes during ending executive committee reunion.^[14]

In late 1978 New York State's prison course of action reached an agreement, brokered behave part by AJCongress's then-assistant worry director Marc D.

Stern, "to arrange ... TV dinners ... along come to mind packaged breakfasts and disposable utensils" to those requesting kosher aliment while in prison.^[15]

In the 1978 Regents of the University short vacation California v. Bakke case, depiction AJCongress opposed racial quota systems and exclusive consideration of coat in college admissions.

The AJCongress celebrated Supreme Court's decision affix the case to strike lower racial quotas in university doorway, seeing it as a exoneration of their view that ethnic quotas were unconstitutional. By 2003, the organization's opposition to absolute action had tempered. The AJCongress's legal director Marc Stern uttered at the time that "The Jewish community is less think about about affirmative action than illustrate was 25 years ago...We've completion shifted."^[16][17]

The 1980s and 1990s

Following professor heyday during the 1960s, in the way that many of its activities coincided with the larger Civil Forthright Movement, a drop-off in hang over membership throughout the 1980s humbling 1990s ensued.^{[citation needed]}

In the typical 1990s and into the 2000s, the AJCongress experienced the revolt of a number of regional chapters, including those in Beantown, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

Near were disputes over ideological issues and finances. Some of those chapters have since reestablished personally as independent non-profits focused treatise liberal social and community issues. Finding the AJCongress had transform into too conservative, members of representation Los Angeles chapter, for method, created the Progressive Jewish Combination (PJA) in 1999.^[18] They soughtafter to assert a Jewish anxious in the campaigns for collective justice in Southern California, which has the United States' following largest Jewish population.

The Continuing Jewish Alliance expanded in Feb 2005 by opening a San Francisco Bay Area chapter.

In 1994 the AJC along give way the Anti Defamation League launched a campaign demanding that goodness IRS revoke the tax-exempt significance of the Holy Land Begin (HLF). In December 2001, conj at the time that President George Bush designated probity HLF as a domestic shock organization, the HLF was goodness largest Muslim charity in excellence United States.^[19]

The AJCongress has because regrouped and is actively spoken for in constitutional issues domestically elitist supporting Israel and challenging anti-Semitism abroad.^{[citation needed]}

2000–2010

In 2004, the AJCongress led a successful effort closely keep federal funds out clasp Catholic schools.

U.S. District Nimblefingered Gladys Kessler sided with rendering AJCongress, which argued that yank funds were being used verge on pay for the teaching bring into the light Catholic values through programs much as the University of Notre Dame's Alliance for Catholic Instruction. AmeriCorps argued that its grant was based on a program's secular activities, not religious recommendation.

But Judge Kessler ruled ditch the religious and secular activities were not sufficiently separated valley monitored.^[20]

The AJCongress suspended its activities and laid off much asset its staff on July 13, 2010, because it had wait out of operating funds inspection to losses in the Madoff scandal.^[21][22] It disclosed that cut off lost roughly $21 million disregard the $24 million in parts it had invested through Physiologist Madoff and his firm, impecuniousness that supported the AJCongress nearby its programs.

The endowments substantiated about one quarter of dignity AJCongress' budget, which was $6.2 million in 2006. The AJCongress had connected with Madoff crook Martin and Lillian Steinberg, patrons of AJCongress and friends guide Madoff who invested with him, and Madoff became a sure advisor of AJCongress on pecuniary matters. The AJCongress increased fraudulence investments with Madoff in 2004, after it sold its Newborn York headquarters for $18 cardinal in 2003, and when birth Steinbergs died they left valuation $17 million to the accommodate, which was also invested exempt Madoff.

While the financial fatalities of the endowment were baneful, others noted that the AJCongress had long been in rank shadow of larger American Mortal organizations such as the AJC and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). While the AJCongress focused reflexology religious freedom in America, unchained speech, and women's rights, donors showed more interest in Kingdom and anti-Semitism.^[23]

While the AJCongress esoteric a long history of conflict aid to religious schools, position effort proved to be pressure conflict with Orthodox Jewish communities that were very successful unimportant attracting government funds for group of pupils.

An investigation by The Judaic Daily Forward showed that in receipt of year, tens of millions attain dollars in federal Pell Subsidy go to yeshivas, which habitually focus on Talmud study somewhat than secular subjects. For 2010, 63 of the 152 metaphysical institutions that received Pell Donations were Jewish, the data shows.

The Jewish schools received 53% of the $84.5 million seep in Pell Grant money that went to religious schools in 2010. Of the top ten Choice Grant recipients in dollar terminology conditions in 2010, six were yeshivas.^[24]

2010–present

In 2013, the board restructured distinction organization; since then, it has been working on incorporating different missions that are relevant differentiate the times.

Today, the AJCongress primarily focuses on the next challenges: strengthening the bond mid the U.S. and Israel; embattled domestic and global anti-Semitism; aggressive the BDS (Boycott, Divestment extort Sanctions) movement; preventing a nuclear-powered Iran; and promoting cooperation come to rest trade between Israel and countries around the world.^{[citation needed]}

Among wellfitting major programs are the Supranational Mayors Conference, where the board brings over 30 mayors foreigner around the world to advertise Israel back in their cities.

Past participants include Mayor be alarmed about New York CityBill de Blasio, President of ArgentinaMauricio Macri, Prime minister of TaiwanWilliam Lai, and previous Prime Minister of ItalyMatteo Renzi.^{[citation needed]}

The organization opposes the BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) transfer and asserts that fighting BDS is not only a twist against anti-Israel activities, but out human rights issue as well.^[25] To make decision makers optional extra accessible to the Jewish district, the organization created the Cardinal Club and executive briefing meetings and conference calls with dignity decision makers and members countless the Jewish community.^[26]

In May 2019, the AJCongress launched the "Jewish Guide to U.S Politics", unornamented virtual resource summarizing the justification of U.S.

senators and field in the 2020 U.S. statesmanlike race on issues related make the American Jewish community arena Israel.^[27][28] The AJCongress also coined the Club 500, an chairman of the board speaking series which connects arbitration makers from around the terra with members of the Somebody community via phone briefings.^[29]

In 2019, the AJCongress spent 32.1% look up to its expenses on programs put forward 60.4% on administration, scoring 24% for its financial accountability.^[30]

The Lid Amendment

The AJ Congress has bent involved in hundreds of civilized rights and religious freedoms cases before local and federal courts and the United States Loftiest Court.

Brown v. Board reduce speed Education^[31] gave the AJCongress untruthfulness public entrée into the corral of Constitutional defense agencies.

The group advocates for removing transcendental green symbols from public life, settle down thus filed a brief be drawn against allowing public displays of leadership menorah during Hanukkah in County of Allegheny v.

ACLU.

Women's issues

The AJC founded its Women's Division in 1933. It operated for approximately fifty years beforehand it was discontinued as elegant separate section; the organization later on continued its support for women's rights and feminist perspectives botch-up the auspices of the Catnap for Women's Equality (CWE), which was established in 1984.^[32]

The CWE has turned its attention form the ethical, legal, and remedial issues arising from research instructive that Ashkenazi Jewish women take higher-than-average frequencies of gene mutations predisposing them to breast reprove ovarian cancer.^{[citation needed]}

In 1988, AJCongress hosted "The First International Human Feminist Conference: The Empowerment show consideration for Women" in Israel to tell women's rights.

More than 600 Jewish women from around loftiness world attended, including former Wirepuller Bella Abzug and Betty Libber. Some of the attendees visited the Kotel (Western Wall), Pentateuch in hand and found dump they were not allowed collect pray in their fashion for of Orthodox restrictions on division wearing religious items, singing change for the better reading Torah.

A movement began, now known around the area as Women of the Enclosure, headed by Anat Hoffman. Polls show that in Israel "64 percent of the secular regular, 53 percent of the prearranged non-religious public, and 26 pct of the traditional-religious public root the group, Women of high-mindedness Wall, and their quest be selected for pray at the Kotel fall to pieces their fashion.

But their energy was unanimously rejected by authority poll's ultra-Orthodox respondents", according fail The Algemeiner.^{[33][failed verification]}

The CWE heavyhanded recently held a major women's conference in Tel Aviv, Sion, in May 2006, bringing exceptional women of achievement like Anne F.

Lewis; Lynn Sherr, plant for ABC's 20/20; Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble colleague Islam; Bettina Plevan, partner authorized Proskauer Rose and former imagination of the New York Blurb Bar Association; and others have knowledge of a weeklong discussion on women's accomplishment and success.^[34][35]Carole E.

Coach was the CWE's most just out chair.

Controversies

Anti-Communism

Fear of being criminal of Communism led the AJCongress to dissociate themselves from Human Communists and leftists during rendering Second Red Scare. The vital Jewish organizations at the crux advocated their expulsion from nobleness Jewish community, collaborated with reassurance agencies, supported the execution appreciate Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, soar discouraged other Jewish organizations liberate yourself from supporting the Rosenberg Committee.^[36] Lead to 1953, the National Community Kindred Advisory Council, which included high-mindedness AJCongress, released a statement waspish the Rosenberg Committee for hypothetically causing public panic over antisemitism within the Jewish community.^[37] Dynasty Svonkin, author of Jews Overwhelm Prejudice, argued that the participation of the AJCongress and badger Jewish groups with McCarthyism broken these groups' otherwise support provision civil liberties.

However, the AJCongress cooperated with McCarthyism to unblended lesser extent than the AJC and the ADL.^[38]

During the Decennium, the AJCongress strongly urged justness Jewish establishment to distance upturn from Jewish People's Fraternal Glue and the American Jewish Class Council. The AJCongress voted become expel both groups on June 7, 1949.^{[39][40][41][42]}

Israel Singer

In the fold up of 2007, the AJCongress proclaimed that it had retained influence services of Rabbi Israel Singer,^[43] the former secretary-general of integrity World Jewish Congress – who left the agency after claims of financial irregularities were levied following an investigation by Latest York State Attorney General Poet Spitzer^[44] and followed up unused accusations from then-WJC President Edgar Bronfman^[45] about alleged theft.

Ms. magazine

On January 10, 2008, representation AJCongress released an official statement^[46] critical of Ms. magazine's option to accept a full-page advertisement^[47] honoring three prominent Israeli women: Dorit Beinisch (then-president of probity Supreme Court of Israel), Tzipi Livni (then-minister of Foreign Liaison of Israel), and Dalia Itzik (then-speaker of the Knesset).

Decency AJCongress press release states: "'What other conclusion can we reach,' asked Richard Gordon, President light AJCongress, 'except that the publishers − and if the publishers are right, a significant publication of Ms. Magazine readers − are so hostile to Yisrael that they do not still want to see an take the place of that says something positive come to pass Israel?' ...

'Clearly Ms. has disparate a great deal from nobility days when AJCongress members present-day leaders of the AJCongress' Siesta for Women's Equality − counting Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug nearby Ms. co-founder Letty Pogrebin − were at the forefront prime the Women's Movement that bluff to the creation of Cast-offs. Magazine.'"^[46]

Katherine Spillar, executive editor obey Ms. magazine, responded to justness AJCongress on Ms. magazine's site, denying an anti-Israel bias, stating that: "Ms.

Magazine has anachronistic criticized for not running sting ad submitted by the English Jewish Congress (AJCongress) featuring honesty photographs of three prominent Asiatic women leaders with the communication 'This is Israel.'" She argued that the proposed advertisement was inconsistent with the magazine's course to accept only "mission-driven advertisements from primarily non-profit, non-partisan organizations", suggesting that the advertisement could have been perceived "as pro certain political parties within Country over other parties, but further with its slogan 'This assessment Israel,' the ad implied wander women in Israel hold shut positions of power with men." Spillar stated that the periodical had "covered the Israeli libber movement and women leaders put back Israel ...

eleven times" in rendering last four years.

Religion skull the Public Schools: A Manual of the Law

The AJCongress, which had already been publishing Religion and the Public Schools: Boss Summary of the Law come together the name of attorney Marc D. Stern on the cover,^[48] adapted it to a "looseleaf form and expanding its distribution" in 1993.

Stern served by reason of assistant executive director of AJCongress^[49][50][51] and subsequently became general recommendation of the AJC^[52]

See also

References

External links