| APRIL 2, 2009 |
| AJC pays tribute to
Fred Zeidman
National Institute of Human Relations Award
dinner co-chairs
Ambassador
Arthur Schechter Ambassador
Ned L. Siegel
and Roger Sofer
_______
for information please call
713 439 1202
________
|
AJC Mideast Briefing: Israel, Egypt Must Revitalize Peace
On March 26, 1979, Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin, and Jimmy Carter clasped hands in affirmation that life can be very different in a region seared by war, writes Eran Lerman. "Yet much of what has happened since has been bitterly disappointing, and we now face the need to reexamine and revitalize this cornerstone of the regional architecture, give it new meaning, and offer once again the promise of real peace to a generation that may have forgotten just how dramatic and breathtaking this achievement was at the time." Read Briefing
|
|
Past President's Council
meetings
May 14
"Anti-Semitism in Europe Today"
with
Deidre Berger
AJC's director in Berlin
Friday, May 8 at 6 p.m. at Congregation Beth Yeshurun
Saturday, May 9 at 9:45 am at Congregation Beth Israel and at 6:45 p.m. at United Orthodox Synagogues
April 23
AJC ANNUAL MEETING
May 6-8, 2009
Washington, DC
|
|
|
|
|
Rare opportunity to salute Fred Zeidman
Next Thursday night, April 2, the Chapter will present the National Institute of Human Relations Award to Fred Zeidman. The award is the agency's highest honor of distinction. It is presented to outstanding professionals who advance the common good through their support of worthwhile civic, social and philanthropic causes and organizations. During the Chapter's nearly 70 years in Houston, it is has only been presented three times. Co-chairs Ambassador Arthur Schechter and Roger Sofer, along with Israeli Ambassador Sallai Meridor will salute Fred's commitment and leadership along with other officials. So often, prominent leaders are recognized on a national stage without their home community able to participate in the recognition. On April 2, Houstonians are able to join the salute of a fellow Houstonian.
Chapter meets locally with Omani official
Leadership Delegation Visits Egypt, Gulf States
AJC President Richard Sideman led a delegation to Cairo, meeting with senior Egyptian officials and the Jewish community. In Cairo, they met with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Intelligence Services chief Lt. Gen. Omar Suleiman, and Dr. Abdel Monem Said Aly, director of the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. Israeli-Palestinian peace, Iran's footprint across the Middle East, Egyptian-Israel, relations on the 30th anniversary of the peace treaty, and the U.S. role in regional affairs were discussed. A meeting with the president of the Egyptian Jewish community focused on the Egyptian government's ongoing renovation work on Cairo synagogues, and challenges confronting the remaining members of the once-sizable Egyptian Jewish community. The delegation also visited Gulf States, including Oman, meeting with Secretrary General of the Foreign Ministry, Sayyid Badr.
Through the national leadership delegation briefing in Muscat, Oman nearly two weeks ago, the Secretary General offered to meet with a small Houston Chapter delegation visit this week in our City. Secretary General Badr meet with AJC Houston,led by Tracy Stein, and discussed the need for a two state solution and increasing joint research efforts with Israel. The group thanked the Secretary General for Oman's refusal to break ties with Egypt 30 years ago after Camp David when the rest of the Arab League cut all ties.
Testifying on U.S. Failure to Save European Jewry
David Harris, testifying on Capitol Hill, reminded members of Congress of the failure of the U.S. government to respond adequately before and during World War II to the increasingly desperate situation of European Jews. "This was not our country's finest hour," Harris told the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security and International Law. The Subcommittee held a hearing on the experience of Jewish refugees from 1933 to 1945.
Urging Justice Department to Reconsider AIPAC Case
"Based upon the facts that the Government has divulged thus far, we hope the Department of Justice will take a close look at this case and reconsider whether it should be pursued further," said AJC. Both the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal have editorialized that the prosecution of private citizens in this case for doing the ordinary business of political advocacy "offends the First Amendment rights Americans hold dear." Read News Release.
|
|
Behind the Scenes
AJC is actively engaged in the domestic and international scene as an advocacy organization.
|
|
|
|
