Stephen Bressler, Chapter President
Rabbi Maynard Bell, Executive Director
Elizabeth Tregor-Dokken, Associate Director
 

For over four decades, the Arizona Chapter has been the American Jewish Committee's voice in Metropolitan Phoenix and the State of Arizona. We seek to be domestic and international diplomats, nurturing relationships with other ethnic and religious communities, reinforcing the international agenda of the AJC though dialogue with regional consular officials, facilitating public education, cultivating media relations, and conducting legislative advocacy. We are a proactive force in the local Jewish Community, fostering an intelligent and rational approach to the issues that challenge the Jewish people and America's democratic institutions.

Chapter Committees and Programs

1. Advocacy and Domestic Policy: The Arizona Chapter has joined forces with the entire American Jewish Committee in a forward-thinking Energy Initiative. Our Chapter's Energy Task Force will be developing strategies and programs aimed at educating the public about the urgent need to reduce America's dependence on foreign oil. We continue our local efforts to promote the reform of our country's broken immigration system, in partnership with organizations like the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and to restore civility and respect to the immigration debate. In the areas like energy policy and immigration reform, our legislative advocacy focuses on state-level as well as federal legislation.
   
   
2. Intergroup Relations: Our local AJC programs, like the Latino-Jewish Seder and "America's Table: a Thanksgiving Reader", bring Jews together with members of other key religious and ethnic communities for shared celebration and cross-cultural learning. This year we will again partner with the Scottsdale School District in their cultural diversity programming, by conducting events at the Thanksgiving season that reinforce the message that people of all faiths and ethnicities deserve a place at “America's Table.” We continue to be leaders in the Jewish community in fostering a positive relationship with America's and Arizona's most demographically significant minority, the Latino Community. We have recently established a special Task Force on Latino-Jewish Relations and will be doing joint programming with the Arizona State University College of Public Programs. We have further expanded our intergroup work with an outreach to Arizona's large and politically powerful Mormon community.
   
   
3. International Relations: Our Chapter's concerns reach beyond our local concerns, embracing the mission of the AJC internationally. We encourage our members to gain a sophisticated understanding of political issues impacting the Jewish people worldwide. AJC provides members with opportunities to travel to Europe, Israel, Latin America and Africa to meet with top level representatives of foreign governments and international think tanks. In recent months, Chapter Lay leaders have traveled to Israel, Poland, Germany, the Arab Gulf States, South America, China, and Southeast Asia on high-level AJC missions. Our Diplomatic/Consular Luncheon Series brings the Arizona Chapter Leadership together with senior consular officials of foreign states, to learn about the political perspectives of other nations on issues that concern the Jewish people and to advocate for the security of overseas Jewish communities and the State of Israel.
   
   
4. Judge Learned Hand Awards: Each spring an independent Selection Committee recruited by our AJC chapter from across the community presents awards to lawyers and judges whose practice of law meets the high standards set by Second Circuit Judge Learned Hand. This event involves hundreds of associates of the most prestigious law firms in Arizona, Justices of the State Supreme Court, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, the Phoenix International Law Schools, and elected officials. Arizona’s Attorney general recently described our Judge Learned Hand Luncheon as the “gold standard” for legal community events.
   
   
5. National Human Relations Award Dinner: Annually, the Arizona Chapter recognizes a local Civic and Corporate Leader who exemplifies the AJC's core values of protecting democracy and advancing pluralism with the National Human Relations Award. This year, Gene D’Adamo, Director of Community Relations of The Arizona Republic, will receive this honor.
   

We invite you to become a member of the Arizona Chapter. You can join as:

• Regular Member for $100
• Under 35 Member for $35

• Opportunities for International Conferences and Seminars
• Invitations to exclusive leadership receptions
• Tickets to VIP receptions at chapter events
• Tickets, at cost, to chapter events

Contact us today for more information at (602) 955-3600 or arizona@ajc.org.