Press Releases and Statements

A group of Jewish and Muslim young professionals from Morocco, Israel, and the United States concluded ten days of consultations with senior government, civil society, and diplomatic officials in seven cities throughout Morocco and Israel. It was the capstone program of the Michael Sachs Fellowship for Emerging Leaders organized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Mimouna Association.

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation has returned from Japan, where they met with top government leaders and diplomats to reinforce strong ties among Japan and the U.S., Israel, and the American Jewish community.

A historic gathering of faith leaders from across religious traditions took place this week in Saudi Arabia, and included 12 rabbis, among them Rabbi David Rosen, American Jewish Committee’s Director of International Interreligious Relations.

American Jewish Committee (AJC ) officially opened its first office in an Arab country, AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding, on March 2, with a reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony in the UAE capital. “AJC played an essential role over the years in laying the foundation for the Abraham Accords. I cannot overstate the significance of its contribution, which makes its new office here so natural and also so necessary, as we work together to expand regional peace and understanding,” said Dr. Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defense, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee of the UAE Federal National Council. He joined with AJC CEO David Harris, AJC Abu Dhabi Director Ambassador Marc Sievers, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson to cut the ribbon at the entrance to the new office.

American Jewish Committee has released an Arabic-language video about the American Jewish community, the seventh episode of the organization’s popular Arabic video series, ‘An al-Yahud (“About the Jews”).

“Our longstanding friendship with the Philippines, and our Jewish values to assist those in need, summon us to respond with empathy and generosity. We are pleased to join with IsraAID, as we have done in previous crises in the Philippines, in delivering urgent humanitarian assistance,” said Shira Loewenberg, Director of AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute. AJC supported IsraAID’s relief efforts in the Philippines after Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018, Typhoon Hagupit in 2014, and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) leadership delegation concluded a week of consultations and institutional events in three Arab Gulf capitals, continuing AJC’s 25-year-plus engagement with regional governments and building on the breakthrough 2020 Abraham Accords normalization agreements between Israel and two Gulf states, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

An American Jewish Committee leadership delegation concluded a week of consultations with senior Moroccan officials, civil society organizations, U.S. and Israeli diplomats, and Jewish community partners – the latest round of talks on issues of mutual concern in more than 30 years of high-level contact between AJC and the Kingdom of Morocco. The delegation, led by AJC President Harriet Schleifer and Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson, praised His Majesty King Mohammed VI for his historic December 2020 decision to re-establish and expand formal relations with the State of Israel, which had been frozen since October 2000, and reiterated AJC’s support for the territorial integrity of Morocco, a U.S. strategic partner.

His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, addressed a worldwide audience of thousands participating in the 2021 American Jewish Committee Virtual Global Forum. In a conversation with Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, the foreign minister discussed the historic Abraham Accords, Bahrain-U.S. relations, and the Iranian threat.

His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, United Arab Emirates Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, addressed today a worldwide audience participating in the 2021 American Jewish Committee Virtual Global Forum. The Global Forum is the leading global Jewish advocacy organization’s premier annual event. In a conversation with Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, the foreign minister discussed the historic Abraham Accords, UAE-U.S. relations, prospects for advancing Arab-Israeli peace, and the threat of extremism.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) has opened an office in the United Arab Emirates and named Ambassador Marc Sievers as the office’s inaugural director. AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding is the leading global Jewish advocacy organization’s first office in an Arab country, and its 13th overseas post. “AJC Abu Dhabi is truly historic,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “It will enable AJC to expand on our decades of bridge-building in the region and create a wider network of stakeholders in the new relationships made possible by the Abraham Accords.”

To expand American Jewish Committee’s (AJC’s) reach to audiences in the Middle East, the global advocacy organization launched AJC Farsi today, with Persian-language social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. “The intersection of my Iranian, American, and Jewish identities makes me particularly proud to make this exciting announcement,” Saba Soomekh, Associate Director of AJC Los Angeles, told the 2021 Virtual AJC Global Forum’s worldwide audience. “AJC Farsi will bolster our efforts to reach Iranians in Iran and diaspora communities in the United States and around the world.”

An additional American Jewish Committee (AJC) donation to IsraAID will bring vital Israeli medical supplies to India to deal with the rapid spread of the coronavirus. “The images from India are heartbreaking, and compel us, as longtime friends of India, to do whatever we can to provide relief to the millions of Indians suffering from this deadly COVID-19 surge,” said AJC CEO David Harris.

American Jewish Committee’s groundbreaking outreach to the Arab world through social media has reached new heights, having engaged millions of Arabic speakers across its platforms, the global Jewish advocacy organization announced today.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, is partnering with IsraAID, the Israeli humanitarian relief organization, to provide urgent coronavirus relief in India.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, saluted today’s signing at the White House of the Abraham Accords, formalizing the normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel, and between Bahrain and Israel. AJC CEO David Harris and Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson attended the signing ceremony on the White House South Lawn. Isaacson has led AJC engagement with Bahrain, the UAE and other Arab countries in the region for more than 25 years.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised the Kingdom of Bahrain for its momentous decision to establish full diplomatic relations with Israel – capping years of increasingly public contacts and affirmations of shared interest between the countries’ leaders.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), which for more than 25 years has advanced understanding and fostered cooperation between Arab states and the Jewish people, today announced its plans to open an office in the United Arab Emirates.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes today’s historic announcement of a peace deal between United Arab Emirates and Israel, made possible with the active engagement of the United States.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Mohammed Gargash, in a historic public appearance by a senior Arab government official before a global Jewish organization, today addressed the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Virtual Global Forum. Gargash and other senior UAE officials have welcomed AJC delegations on regular visits to the Gulf state for more than 20 years. “AJC has been a quite remarkable bridge for the region. The fruit of AJC work has been impressive and substantive,” he said.