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Not to be confused with American Jewish Committee. The American Jewish Committee ( AJC) was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world

The American Jewish Congress describes itself as an association of Jewish Americans organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts[1].

Like the American Jewish Congress, another institution prominent in American Jewish life is the American Jewish Committee. The American Jewish Committee ( AJC) was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world It often goes by the initials AJC. For ease of identification, the two organizations are often referred to as the AJCongress or the AJCommittee.

Contents

History

In 1918, leaders within the American Jewish community, consisting of Jewish, Zionist, and immigrant community organizations, convened the first American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) in Philadelphia's historic Independence Hall. Year 1918 ( MCMXVIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common History of Zionism|Timeline of Zionism|World Zionist Organization|Zionist political violence Zionism is an international political movement that originally supported the Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Independence Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Felix Frankfurter, U. For the American legal scholar please see Steven M Wise. ATTENTION! PLEASE READ BEFORE EDITING Felix Frankfurter ( November 15, 1882 – February 22, 1965) was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court S. Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, and others joined to lay the groundwork for a national democratic organization of Jewish leaders from all over the country, to rally for equal rights for all Americans regardless of race, religion or national ancestry[2]. Louis Dembitz Brandeis ( November 13, 1856 – October 5, 1941) was an American litigator, Supreme Court Justice, advocate

In addition to its stated goals of equal rights for all, it was founded to broaden Jewish leadership and to present a unified American Jewish position at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. It became effective as a pressure group in 1928 under the leadership of Rabbi Wise, who remained the president and chief spokesperson of the AJCongress until his death in 1949.

Through its emphasis on human rights for all Americans; on protection by government of the weakest among us; and on a just society based on civil law and the Jewish concept of Tzedek—righteousness—the American Jewish Congress has made its mark to a remarkable degree on American society in general and Jewish well-being in particular.


The 1930s

Throughout the 1930s, Rabbi Wise, was vocal in his warnings about the dangers of Nazism. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German When Adolf Hitler was named chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, Wise organized a mass protest rally at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG, and known colloquially as The Garden, has been the name of four Arenas in New York City. He did this despite strong opposition by the German government, the U. S. State Department, and conservative Jewish organizations such as AJCommittee and B'nai B'rith. The American Jewish Committee ( AJC) was "founded in 1906 with the aim of rallying all sections of American Jewry to defend the rights of Jews all over the world The Independent Order of B'nai B'rith ( IPA: /bəneɪ 'brɪθ/ Hebrew: בני ברית "Sons of the Covenant " is the oldest continually-operating The American Jewish Congress continued to organize protest rallies throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In August 1933 the American Jewish Congress led a general boycott of German goods[3].

In 1934, Daniel Marks was named head of the AJC. He traveled to Germany and brought 5,000 Jews to America.

In 1936 the American Jewish Congress was instrumental in establishing the World Jewish Congress (WJC). The World Jewish Congress ( WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations Maintaining his position as president of the AJCongress, Rabbi Wise was also elected president of the WJC. During World War II, the AJCongress acted as a liaison between the U. S. government and the WJC on issues relating to rescue attempts made on behalf of European Jews.

The 1940s

In August 1942, Rabbi Wise received a cable from Gerhard Riegner[4], the WJC representative in Switzerland. Riegner reported that the Nazis had planned, and were implementing a policy to exterminate all of European Jewry; the cable also referred specifically to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp. "Auschwitz" redirects here For the town see Oświęcim Auschwitz-Birkenau () was the largest of Nazi Germany After the State Department confirmed the accuracy of the information in the cable, now known as the "Riegner telegram," the AJCongress convened a Joint Emergency Committee[5]. The committee sought to coordinate the major Jewish organizations in the United States to lobby the Roosevelt administration to take increased measures rescuing European Jews.

In December 1942 the American Jewish Congress established a Planning Committee, which sought support for a variety of rescue proposals. The committee was never more than marginally successful in mobilizing American public support for rescue efforts. The most impressive of these projects was another rally at Madison Square Garden. Held on March 1, 1943, the rally drew a crowd of 70,000. Similar rallies were subsequently held in a number of cities throughout the United States.

In August 1943 Rabbi Stephen Wise met Jan Karski. Jan Karski ( 24 June, 1914 &ndash 13 July, 2000) was a Polish World War II resistance fighter and

The American Jewish Congress was pro-Zionist in its platform. Its leadership overlapped with that of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). As a result, the two organizations agreed to concentrate on different tasks during the war. The American Jewish Congress dedicated itself to rescuing European Jews, while the ZOA worked to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. This arrangement continued after the war, although its significance decreased after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

AJCongress was a pioneer in the struggle for Soviet Jewry, long before it became a popular movement. Throughout the long battle to free Soviet Jews, AJCongress' voice was heard loud and clear on their behalf.

Domestically, AJCongress became active as well. It was the first Jewish organization to use law and legislation — the tools of democracy — to protect the rights of American Jews, at a time when other Jewish organizations were using appeals to good will to achieve this objective.

The 1960s

Rabbi Joachim Prinz (1902-88) was president from 1958 to 1966. Joachim Prinz ( May 10, 1902 &ndash September 30 1988) was a German Rabbi who was outspoken against Nazism and He served as a founding chairman of the 1963 March on Washington and spoke at that event. The following is a list of protest marches on Washington DC. Pre-1900 April 30, 1894 - Coxey's Army. [6]

The 1980s and 1990s

Following its heyday during the 1960s, when many of its activities coincided with the larger American civil rights movement, a drop-off in its membership throughout the 1980s and 1990s ensued. The American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968 refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African It has since regrouped and is actively engaged in constitutional issues domestically and supporting Israel and challenging anti-Semitism abroad.

The First Amendment

The emphasis on the First Amendment separation of church and state originated at AJCongress naturally and inevitably as part of its insistence that Jews in the United States are not guests but full-fledged citizens by right. Key to accomplishing its mission is the belief, “That only through the assertion of – and defense of – human rights in general, can Jewish rights themselves be guaranteed, that only through the pursuit of social justice for all can it achieve the narrower goal of justice for Jewish Americans. ” With that, AJCongress has been involved in hundreds of Civil Rights and religious freedoms cases, before local, Federal and the United States Supreme Court. Brown v. Board of Ed. [7] gave AJCongress its public entrée into the field of Constitutional defense agencies.

The group advocates removing religious symbols from public life, and thus filed a brief against allowing public displays of the menorah during Hanukkah in County of Allegheny v. ACLU. Hanukkah Menorah ( Hebrew: מנורה menorah) (also חַנֻכִּיָּה Hanukiah, or Chanukkiyah, pl Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the In County of Allegheny v ACLU, 492 US 573 (1989 the US Supreme Court considered the constitutionality of two recurring holiday displays located on

Charitable choice

AJCongress monitors issues like "charitable choice" proposals, in which federal funds would be given to faith-based institutions to provide social services historically the responsibility of government. Charitable choice refers to direct government funding of religious organizations to provide social services

Women's issues

The American Jewish Congress was the first mainstream Jewish organization with a membership of both men and women to devote considerable time, effort and resources to women's issues. The establishment in 1984 of the Commission for Women's Equality (CWE)[8]was a direct result of these activities.

In recent years, CWE has turned its attention to the ethical, legal and medical issues arising from research revealing that Ashkenazi Jewish women have higher than expected frequencies of gene mutations predisposing them to breast and ovarian cancer. The 1996 conference, Understanding the Genetics of Breast Cancer: Implications for Treatment, Policy and Advocacy, organized by national CWE, has been duplicated by AJCongress regions nationwide. In 2000, CWE presented Cancer Genetics in the Ashkenazi Community, to explore medical breakthroughs since the first conference as well as new developments in genetic testing. This follow-up conference was distinctly more upbeat than its predecessor, both in terms of medical preventive measures and in regard to legislation to ensure privacy and eliminate discrimination based on testing.

The CWE most recently held a major women's conference in Tel Aviv, Israel in May 2006, bringing notable women of achievement like Anne F. Lewis, Lynn Sherr, anchor for ABC's 20/20, Irshad Manji, author of The Trouble with Islam, Bettina Plevan, Partner at Proskauer Rose LLP and former head of the New York Bar Association and others to a weeklong discussion on women's accomplishment and success [9] [10]. Tel Aviv-Yafo (תֵּל ־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ تل أبيب Tal ʾAbīb) (usually Tel Aviv) is the second-largest city in Israel For the Amerasian singer named Ann Lewis see Ann Lewis (musician. Irshad Manji (born 1968 is a Canadian Feminist, Author, journalist, activist and professor of leadership Carole E. Handler was the CWE's most recent Chair. Carole Enid Handler is an American Lawyer who specializes in Intellectual property litigation in the areas of Trademark, Copyright

Controversies

Israel Singer

In the fall of 2007, the AJCongress announced that it had retained the services of Rabbi Israel Singer[11], the former secretary general of the World Jewish Congress - who left the agency after claims of financial irregularities were levied following an investigation by the New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer[12] and followed up by accusations from WJC founder Edgar Bronfman[13] about alleged theft. Israel Singer ( 1943 in New York City) was from 2001 to 2007 secretary general of the World Jewish Congress (WJC Israel Singer ( 1943 in New York City) was from 2001 to 2007 secretary general of the World Jewish Congress (WJC The World Jewish Congress ( WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations The World Jewish Congress ( WJC) is an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations Eliot Laurence Spitzer (born June 10, 1959) is an American lawyer and former politician of the Democratic Party. Edgar Bronfman may refer to Edgar Bronfman Sr (born 1929 Canadian businessman and former long-time president of the World Jewish Congress Jack Rosen, AJCongress' chairman has been accused of keeping the appointment from the agency's board and breaching protocol in doing so. At a December 2007 meeting of the Board's Executive Committee, Rosen was put on the spot and challenged by fellow board members who opposed the association with Rabbi Singer. Rosen has since indicated that he let Singer go, but as of January 2008, Singer has claimed it to be untrue[14].

Ms. Magazine

On January 10, 2008, the American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) released an official statement[15] critical of Ms. Ms is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding Events 49 BC - Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, signaling the start of civil war. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common magazine's refusal to accept a full page advertisement[16] honoring three prominent Israeli women: Dorit Beinisch (president of the Supreme Court of Israel), Tzipi Livni (Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel), and Dalia Itzik (speaker of the Knesset). For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Dorit Beinisch (דורית ביניש (born 1942 is the President of the Supreme Court of Israel. The Supreme Court ( Hebrew: בית המשפט העליון Beit haMishpat ha'Elyon) is at the head of the court system in the State of Israel. Tzipora Malka "Tzipi" Livni (ציפורה מלכה "ציפי" לבני born 8 July 1958 in Tel Aviv, Israel) is Foreign Affairs Minister The Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel (שר החוץ Sar HaHutz) is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dalia Itzik (דליה איציק born 20 October 1952, is an Israeli politician affiliated with the Kadima party For Beit Knesset a Jewish Place of worship, see Synagogue. The Knesset (כנסת lit The AJC press release states: ". . . 'What other conclusion can we reach,' asked Richard Gordon, President of AJCongress, 'except that the publishers − and if the publishers are right, a significant number of Ms. Richard S Gordon is the current president of the American Jewish Congress (AJC Magazine readers − are so hostile to Israel that they do not even want to see an ad that says something positive about Israel?'. . . 'Clearly Ms. has changed a great deal from the days when AJCongress members and leaders of the AJCongress' Commission for Women’s Equality − including Betty Friedan, Bella Abzug and Ms. Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 5, 2006) was an American feminist, activist and Bella Savitsky Abzug ( July 24, 1920 &ndash March 31, 1998) was a American Congresswoman and a leader of the women’s movement co-founder Letty Pogrebin − were at the forefront of the Women's Movement that led to the creation of Ms. Letty Cottin Pogrebin (b June 9, 1939) is an American writer and journalist Magazine. '[17]

Katherine Spillar, executive editor of Ms. magazine responded to the AJCongress on Ms. magazine's website, denying an anti-Israel bias, stating that: "Ms. magazine has been criticized for not running an ad submitted by the American Jewish Congress (AJCongress) featuring the photographs of three prominent Israeli women leaders with the statement 'This is Israel. ' In its press release, AJCongress claims that Ms. therefore must be 'hostile to Israel'. This is untrue and unfair. . . Indeed Israeli writers have reported in the pages of Ms. on the continuing efforts of the Israeli feminist movement to combat discrimination and achieve a larger voice for women in the country’s political arena. ' "[18] She also levelled her own criticism: ". . . In a feature length story in the Spring 2006 issue of Ms. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. , Israeli feminist scholar/activist Alice Shalvi catalogued the ongoing struggles to rectify such inequalities, including increasing women’s representation in elected office and at the table negotiating for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Women only comprise 14% of the Israeli Knesset, placing Israel 74th in the world for women’s representation in government. For Beit Knesset a Jewish Place of worship, see Synagogue. The Knesset (כנסת lit . . "[19]

The New York, Jewish Week reported that a number of leading Jewish feminists were mostly disappointed with Ms. This article is about the weekly newspaper published in New York City Jewish feminism is a movement that seeks to improve the religious legal and social status of women within Judaism and to open up new opportunities for religious experience 's decision to reject the ad: "Ms. Magazine’s rejection of an ad celebrating three Israeli women leaders has prompted Jewish feminists here to charge that the magazine has adopted an anti-Israel posture. 'This is a feminism that has been utterly Palestinianized,' said Phyllis Chesler, one of five Jewish feminists who lashed out at the magazine this week. Phyllis Chesler (born October 1 1940) is an American writer psychotherapist, and professor emerita of Psychology and Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance founder Blu Greenberg told a press conference at the offices of the American Jewish Congress, whose ad Ms. The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA was founded in 1997 with the aim of "expand the spiritual ritual intellectual and political opportunities for women with the framework Blanche Greenberg aka Blu Greenberg (born 1936 is an American writer specializing in Modern Orthodox Judaism and women's issues Magazine rejected, that the leaders of the magazine 'have aligned themselves with those on the political far left whose agenda is to totally de-legitimate Israel on the stage of world opinion. '. . . Novelist Cynthia Ozick sent a letter to the AJCongress criticizing Ms. Cynthia Ozick (born April 17, 1928, New York City) is the daughter of William Ozick and Celia Regelson Magazine and saying it is 'now conspicuously exposed as having joined the anti-democratic anti-Israel totalitarian radical Left. A journal that once stood for free and open opportunity for all now shows itself to be among the haters: closed, narrow, insular, and above all cowardly. ' And Susannah Heschel, a professor of Jewish studies at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N. Jewish studies (or Judaic studies) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Dartmouth College ( is a private, Coeducational University located in Hanover, New Hampshire, U H. , issued a statement saying she was 'profoundly disheartened by this foolish decision' of the magazine. ". . . "[20]

Location of materials for research on the American Jewish Congress

The Western Jewish History Center, of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, in Berkeley, California has a large collection of historical records and documents from the Northern California Division of the American Jewish Congress. Berkeley is a city on the east shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California, in the United States.

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ AJCongress' Website
  2. ^ Time Magazine, June 20, 1938
  3. ^ American Jewish Historical Society
  4. ^ JVL Website
  5. ^ Joint Emergency Committee
  6. ^ Papers of Martin Luther King, pg 517
  7. ^ Brown v. Board of Ed.
  8. ^ CWE Release
  9. ^ AJCongress Release
  10. ^ CWE Article PDF
  11. ^ JTA Wire, (by way of the Baltimore Jewish Times), AJC Taps Israel Singer, December 2, 2007
  12. ^ NY Times, Spitzer Looking Into World Jewish Congress, By STEPHANIE STROM, December 31, 2004
  13. ^ Ha’aretz, World Jewish Congress fires chairman Israel Singer in surprise move , By Amiram Barkat, March 15, 2007
  14. ^ The Jewish Week, AJCongress Chair On The Hot Seat, Board members accuse Jack Rosen of running one-man show; he backs down on Singer appointment, By Gary Rosenblatt, January 18, 2008
  15. ^ American Jewish Congress (January 10, 2008). American Jewish Congress v Bost is an Establishment clause Lawsuit concerning the Separation of church and state in Brenham Texas Ms is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding Ms. Magazine Blocks Ad on Israeli Women. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
  16. ^ American Jewish Congress (January 10, 2008). This is Israel. (PDF document). Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
  17. ^ American Jewish Congress (January 10, 2008). Ms. Magazine Blocks Ad on Israeli Women. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
  18. ^ Katherine Spillar, Ms. magazine (January 14, 2008). Statement of Katherine Spillar, executive editor Ms. magazine concerning the AJCongress ad. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
  19. ^ Katherine Spillar, Ms. magazine (January 14, 2008). Statement of Katherine Spillar, executive editor Ms. magazine concerning the AJCongress ad. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
  20. ^ Stewart Ain, The Jewish Week (January 16, 2008). This article is about the weekly newspaper published in New York City ‘Feminist Moment Of Truth’ Ms. magazine’s refusal to print pro-Israel ad raises questions about the ‘Palestinianization’ of the women’s movement.. Retrieved on 2008-01-18. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Generallus Magnentius deposes Roman Emperor Constans and proclaims himself Emperor
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