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AJC Mideast Briefing: "Loyalty Legislation" and Israel's Arab Minority
"On the one hand, there are real and serious questions that arise as to the basic loyalty of Israeli Arabs-or rather, of their political leaders, who often invest most of their efforts in supporting the cause of Hezbollah or Hamas rather than in obtaining better terms for their fellow citizens," writes Eran Lerman, director of AJC's Israel/Middle East Office. "On the other hand, there is an alarming aspect to the very fact that some Israeli political figures are willing to play for popular sentiment and, in the process, seem to lose sight of basic international-and Jewish-norms of civic conduct." READ BRIEFING
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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 Applauds Obama Cairo Speech
AJC warmly welcomed President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo Thursday, which aimed at forging a new understanding between the United States and the Muslim world. While addressing a range of issues, President Obama underlined that the rejection of anti-Semitism and the legitimacy of Israel were not negotiable. READ RELEASE
Condemning Renewed Academic Boycott Call
AJC strongly condemned the University and College Union (UCU) of the United Kingdom for promoting a series of measures in support of boycotting Israel. Delegates to the UCU Annual Congress characterized the Hamas regime in Gaza as "democratically elected," depicted Israel as practicing "apartheid," and urged academic and "institutional" boycotts targeting Israel. "In what has become an annual UCU ritual, activists in the British academic union again have selected Israel for uniquely discriminatory treatment," said AJC. "Shame on the UCU for allowing hatred of Israel to trump concerns about academic freedom and human rights." READ STATEMENT
AJC Op-ed, Letter, Film Challenge Iran's Nuclear Program
In a Christian Science Monitor op-ed, David Harris urged that Iran not be permitted to cross the nuclear threshold. "Should the current US diplomatic approach come up short, the policy choices will not be easy," Harris wrote. "But worst of all would be the conclusion that we must accept Iran into the nuclear club, since the price of any next step would be too high. Rather, the United States should make clear to Iran's key partners - including Russia, China, the European Union, India, and the United Arab Emirates - that it counts on their support for sanctions with real teeth." READ OP-ED.
In a letter published by the New York Times, Doug Lieb, AJC's Executive Assistant to the Executive Director, responded to an earlier op-ed by Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett entitled "Have We Already Lost Iran?" Lieb wrote: "Why is rapprochement strategically desirable - or even morally permissible - if it means accepting Iran as a quasi-nuclear power with active ties to terrorist organizations? Why is it in America's interest, or good for America's credibility with our regional allies, to sign off on Iran's ambitions to dominate the Middle East?" READ LETTER
For more AJC analysis on the Iranian threat, including our short film Point of No Return? Iran's Drive for Nuclear Weapons, visit AJC's Iran Resources page.
Project Interchange Sends Diplomats, Experts, to Israel
AJC's Project Interchange sent two key delegations to Israel. One group was made up of nine diplomats who focus upon Middle East issues, all drawn from former communist countries in Europe: Croatia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Slovenia. The group was also joined by the Deputy Prime Minister of Bulgaria. A second PI group was composed of ten journalists and policy experts from seven Mediterranean countries: Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Turkey.
AJC Radio Address: Vigilance is the Eternal Price of Freedom
"President Obama will make two important stops in Europe," says AJC Executive Director David Harris in his weekly national radio address. "The first will be Buchenwald, the Nazi concentration camp in Germany. Then he will travel to Normandy, to mark the 65th anniversary of D-Day. Vigilance, it is said, is the eternal price of freedom. And gratitude should be eternal as well - for the immense sacrifices of freedom's defenders."
German, NATO Officers Visit AJC
NATO officers participating in the International Higher Command and Staff Course of the German Armed Forces Command College visited AJC for a breakfast discussion about AJC's longstanding engagement with Germany, global challenges facing the transatlantic partnership, and German-Israeli relations. This was the tenth year of this particular program, part of a unique partnership between AJC and the German military that spans 15 years. Joining the delegation of 50 German Staff Officers were 10 officers from Canada, France, Greece, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and the U.S. Many of the participants will go on to become generals or admirals in their respective branches of the military after completing the two-year program.
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Behind the Scenes
AJC is actively engaged in the domestic and international scene as a GLOBAL JEWISH ADVOCACY organization.
Tracy Stein, David Goldstein, VP of Development, and staff continued conversations this week to create a develop committee and goals for the coming year.
Richard Shaw, VP of Domestic and Jewish Affairs and Barbara Shepard, met to strategize key contacts for the immigration reform advocacy endeavor that is being funded by the Ford Foundation.
Alumni members of the 2008 Mexican-American Emerging Leaders workshop met at AJC this week with the Consul General of Mexico and AJC's Mark Friedman, Nat Levy, Tracy Stein and staff to discuss this year's emerging leaders workshop plans and to hear about the immigration reform advoacy endeavor.
Nat Levy, Dena Palermo, Helene Zadok and Randy Czarlinsky participated in the Italian government's anniversary celebration this week at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Dena Palermo, VP International Affairs, and Iris Mushin, International Affairs chair, are looking to create a new format for reaching out to Houston's consular corps, America's third largest delegation, that will engage more AJC leaders.
Following President Obama's address in Cairo, Randy Czarlinsky was in communication with the editors of the Houston Chronicle and local media.
Best regards,
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