AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding works to strengthen ties between Israel and Arab nations, build relations among Arabs and Jews, and celebrate and enrich Jewish life across the Middle East. Under the umbrella of AJC’s Center for a New Middle East, AJC Abu Dhabi is a trusted entity in the Gulf that cultivates connections and deepens diplomatic, economic, and civil society engagement across the region. Our permanent presence in the region follows decades of quiet engagement between AJC and Arab leaders across the Gulf, the Levant, and North Africa.
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More than 25 years ago, American Jewish Committee (AJC) had a bold vision of a Middle East in which Israel was at peace with its Arab neighbors. For decades, AJC has worked to realize that vision.
Since 1994, AJC has made countless visits to the region, sharing information, gaining and imparting perspectives, and building trust that could propel our vision for regional peace. AJC traveled from capital to capital for intensive consultations with government officials, security authorities, business executives, interfaith leaders, policy analysts, educators, and the media—opening doors, breaking down misunderstandings, and encouraging greater contact with Israel and the Jewish world.
Today, six countries in the region have peace agreements or normalization deals with Israel, four established in 2020 alone. AJC believes more opportunities lie just around the corner.
Against that backdrop, we opened AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding in 2021. Through our on-the-ground presence, AJC is building upon these decades of work.
In a post-October 7 world, it has never been more important to invest in on-the-ground efforts in the Middle East. Working in concert with colleagues around the world as part of AJC’s Center for a New Middle East, AJC Abu Dhabi shapes critical policies and instills the hope needed to truly create a new Middle East. Operating from a key hub of dynamic life in the Gulf region, AJC Abu Dhabi supports further development of the Abraham Accords and the strengthening of relations between Israel and Arab nations; advances Arab-Jewish and Muslim-Jewish dialogue; undertakes efforts to combat regional antisemitism and extremism; and partners with Jewish communities in the Middle East to preserve, celebrate, and invigorate Jewish life
