July 16, 2010 - AJC Houston Regional Office

July 16, 2010

Welcome to AJC's Houston e Newsletter

AJC Mideast Briefing: No Good Choices for Gilad Shalit

Even as last week's Netanyahu-Obama meeting drew international attention, the top story in Israel was the newfound fighting spirit of the family of Gilad Shalit, the soldier who has been held in captivity by Hamas since his kidnapping in 2006.

READ BRIEFING

Wanted for Genocide: Omar Hasan al-Bashir

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has issued an arrest warrant for the Sudanese dictator, Omar Hasan al-Bashir, who is charged with genocide on three counts. AJC ACTION: Sign the Save Darfur Coalition Letter to President Obama

Coming up

_______________

Thurs., July 22

at 12 noon

Presbyterian-Jewish

Dialogue

Sun., Aug. 8

AJC Farewell reception for

Asher Yarden,

Consul General of Israel

Mexican-American Emerging Leaders Seminar August 28-29

Latin American Jewish Task Force with

Dina Siegel Vann

Sunday, Aug. 29

AJC outreach briefing

"Jewish communities in Latin America"

Monday, Aug. 30

_____________
FIRST TUESDAY

SERIES

Tues., Oct. 5

11:45 am

with

Norberto Terrazas Arreola

Acting Consul General of Mexico

Tues., Nov. 2

8 am

with

Paul Lynch,

Consul General of the United Kingdom

_______________

Tuesday, October 19

LUNCHEON
Presentation of the Max H. Nathan Award to

Ellen and Stephen Susman

European Emerging Leaders Houston visit

Nov. 12-14

Friday, Nov. 19

America's Table Thanksgiving program

Sunday evening, Dec. 5 Consular Corps Chanukah Party

AJC's Institute of Human Relations Award dinner honoring

Mike Ballases

JPMorgan Chase

and featuring

Daniel Cardinal DiNardo

Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011

Omni Houston Hotel

AJC Radio Message: Justice for Darfur
LISTEN

Turkey leads way in fostering the changing Mideast dynamics

Before a standing room only crowd of 500 at Houston's Junior League earlier this week, AJC's Yehudit Barsky said Turkey's ruling AKP party is helping to change the dynamics in the Middle East. Barsky, who directs AJC's Division on Middle East and International Terrorism, spoke to a World Affairs Council Houston/AJC forum Tuesday night. Noting that the AKP ran a campaign last time based on a modern secular Islamist, she said next year's election has the AKP running more as an Islamist group. She said Turkey has projected itself as a regional player with his recent involvement in trying to broker a deal with Iran and its role in the Gaza Flotilla. Barsky also discussed the unique alliance between Arab gulf states, the Saudis, Egypt and Israel to tackle Iran's continued pursuit of nuclear weapons. During her Houston visit, she also spoke to the AJC Houston board and their guests on the tense situation facing Turkey's Jewish community.

AJC Disappointed By Surprise Renewal of Rotem Conversion Bill

AJC expressed disappointment at the unexpected renewal of the so-called "Rotem Bill" on conversions in Israel.

READ

AJC Executive Director Op-Ed in International Herald Tribune: End a Cold War Relic

A trip to Moscow this month was another reminder of a needless thorn in Russian-American relations. The Jackson-Vanik Amendment, a relic of the Cold War, continues to apply to Russia. This makes no sense.

READ

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Foreign Ministers, the President of the European Union, America's Secretary of State, Israel's Defense Minister -- all on one stage together -- no other Jewish organization brings together such officials to discuss global concerns. Sign up today for AJC's 2011 Global Summit, April 27-29. Fully refundable before April 2011.
Don't miss the AJC 2011 Global Summit

OUTREACH

AJC is actively engaged in the domestic and international scene as a GLOBAL JEWISH ADVOCACY organization.

Stephen Klineberg, Randy Czarlinsky and Barbara Shepard met to discuss AJC Houston's Bridging America Project initiative to reach out to law enforcement, business, education and health professionals to assess the socio-economic impact on the City if immigration reform is not completed.

Project Interchange and the AJC Houston Region were topics of discussion with Jack Lascar, Carol Nelkin and Randy Czarlinsky.

A number of community issues were part of a conversation, when Nelson Block met with Randy Czarlinsky to discuss Jewish identity and advocacy.

Steve Friedman, Nat Levy, Jack Lascar and Barbara Shepard met with Indo-Pac representatives to discuss AJC's Indo-Jewish dialogue.

Syma Levy, Deisi Blankfeld and Jack Lascar discussed reaching out to the Latin American Houston Jewish community for a evening with AJC's Dina Siegel Vann in late August.

Yehudit Barsky met with Dr. Hamid Kantara, of the National Lebanese American Association, during her Houston visit.

Houston leaders of ACT! for America, Saul Garfield and Susan Watts, visited AJC Houston this week to meet with Randy Czarlinsky.

AJC Houston's Domestic/Jewish Communal Affairs Commission met this week to discuss Jewish communal advocacy efforts, immigration and energy. Participants included; Richard Shaw, Martin Siegel, David Ronn, Jack Lascar, Helene Zadok and staff.

During her two day Houston visit Yehudit Barsky also meet with agency and synagogue leaders to discuss increased risks to Jewish institutions. Representatives from Beth Israel, Beth Yeshurun, Brith Shalom, Emanu El, UOS, HCRJ and ADL participated.