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Mideast Briefing: Obama's in Cairo
Eran Lerman, director of AJC's Israel/Middle East Office, offers an Israeli perspective on President Obama's historic speech. READ BRIEFING Lerman, director of AJC's Israel/Middle East Office since 2001, has been appointed to serve as Israel's Deputy National Security Advisor for Policy. He will leave AJC on July 2. Eran's duties as Deputy National Security Advisor will include preparing position papers for the Israeli Cabinet, relations with the national security staffs of other countries, U.S.-Israel relations, and other high-level policy issues, including arms control.
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Coming up
Monday, June 22 at 5:30 pm
Executive Committee retreat
Saturday- Sunday,
August 29-30
Mexican-American Emerging Leaders Workshop
America's Table
Friday, Nov. 20
Board Meetings
Sept. 17; Jan. 21; March 18 and Apr 22. An October meeting will take place.
Annual meeting May 20
Executive Committee
Sept 3; Nov. 5; Jan. 7 and
March 4
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AJC's Wall Street Journal Ad: Obstacles to Peace In a full-page ad in Thursday's Wall Street Journal, AJC stresses that those who refuse to recognize Israel are the main obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Under the headline "Not Everyone Wants Israel to Live in Peace," the ad includes photos and quotes from leaders of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood. VIEW AJC Executive Director David Harris has a similar message in his national radio commentary this week on the CBS radio network during The Osgood File.
AJC Mourns Death of Security Guard in Attack at U.S. Holocaust Museum
AJC expressed its sorrow over the death of a security guard shot down in an assault earlier today at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, apparently by a white supremacist. "This was a horrific attack on an institution at the heart of our nation's capital that stands witness to the inhumanity of Nazism," said David Harris. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the brave security guard, who was struck down while protecting this vital institution, its visitors and its staff." READ
AJC Praises Obama's Remarks at Buchenwald
President Obama's visit to Buchenwald underscored America's commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust, said AJC. "Both in his Cairo speech and at Buchenwald, President Obama stressed that the horror of the Holocaust is emblazoned upon the history of the Jewish people and, indeed, the entire world," said AJC. In the presence of Holocaust survivors, including Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, President Obama declared that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should come to Buchenwald. "I have no patience for people who would deny history. The history of the Holocaust is not something speculative," Obama said. READ NEWS RELEASE
French President's Tough Stance on Iran
AJC applauded President Nicolas Sarkozy for vocally condemning both the Iranian president's Holocaust denial and Iran's nuclear program during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Paris. READ NEWS RELEASE
Far Right Gains in European Parliamentary Elections
AJC expressed its deep concern at the strong showing by several extreme right-wing parties in elections to the European parliament. "Europe's recent history should leave us in no doubt about the dangers posed by extremism, racism and anti-Semitism during times of economic crisis," said AJC. The elections were held in all 27 European Union member states. READ.
JBI Calls for Investigation of Libyan Activist's Death
AJC's Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights (JBI), in letters to the UN Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights Defenders and on Arbitrary, Summary and Extrajudicial Executions, and to the African Commission on Human Rights, asked them to urge Libya to conduct a full, independent and impartial investigation into the treatment of Libyan democracy and human rights advocate Fathi Eljahmi, who died May 21.
Bahraini Delegation Visits AJC
A high-level delegation from Bahrain's Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs, including two justices, came to AJC headquarters for a dialogue with AJC leaders as part of a visit to the U.S. organized by the State Department. The discussion focused on religious freedom and pluralism in the United States, and the need for mutual respect among faiths and nations in the Middle East. This was the second consecutive year that AJC, a frequent destination for State Department exchange groups from many countries, received a delegation from the ministry.
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Behind the Scenes
AJC is actively engaged in the domestic and international scene as a GLOBAL JEWISH ADVOCACY organization.
VP of Domestic Affairs Richard Shaw and Barbara Shepard met with Latino City officials to discuss AJC's immigration reform project that is being funded by the Ford Foundation.
Jack Lascar, president-elect, met with staff this week.
VP Development David Goldstein is reaching out to board members to join him on the Development Commission.
The Houston Chronicle ran a viewpoints letter from AJC on Obama's speech in Cairo.
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