Press Releases and Statements

On this Juneteenth, AJC stands in solidarity with the Black community and rededicates itself to the pursuit of racial equality. We call on all Jews to do likewise.

Reasserting its longstanding commitment to the struggle for racial justice, pluralism, and social harmony, American Jewish Committee (AJC) today announced the opening of new regional offices in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, and Louisville, Kentucky. “We share the promise of America for all,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “We can help restore the breath of America, even if we cannot help restore the breath of George Floyd.”

U.S. Senator Cory Booker, addressing the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Virtual Global Forum, declared that “silence is complicity” when fighting for racial equality in the United States and combatting assaults on Blacks and Jews. In the conversation with Julie Rayman, AJC’s Washington-based Managing Director, Policy and Political Affairs, Senator Booker discussed longstanding issues that have come to the forefront in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is receiving a Genesis Prize Foundation (GPF) "Speak Out for Israel" grant. The award is part of a global campaign to promote an accurate narrative of Israel and counteract efforts to delegitimize the Jewish state.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a wide-ranging, 30-minute conversation with American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris at the AJC Virtual Global Forum, expressed his enduring commitment to the Greek-Israel link and spoke out strongly against antisemitism.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama addressed the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum. AJC delegations have regularly met with the prime minister, twice in Tirana and several times at the global Jewish organization’s New York headquarters and office in Jerusalem.

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.

The remarkable story of American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) pioneering relations with Germany is told in a new publication, “AJC and Germany: History in the Making 1945 – 2020.” Authored by Deidre Berger, director of AJC Berlin from 2000-2019, with a foreword by AJC CEO David Harris, the publication is available at http://ajc.org/AJCGermanyeBook.

Benjamin Gantz, Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister in Israel’s new national unity government, addressed the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum today. In a conversation with Avital Leibovich, Director of AJC Jerusalem, Gantz discussed threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies, U.S.-Israel relations, EU-Israel ties, and his vision for Israel and relations with the Diaspora.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas today addressed more than 6,500 people attending the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Virtual Global Forum.

“Remko Leemhuis has the unique experience, passion, and vision to lead AJC Berlin into a new era that will deepen relations across Germany — a country that could not be more important to the prosperity and health of a democratic Europe, to transatlantic relations, to Israel, and to the Jewish people,” said Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, Director of AJC Europe.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, addressing the opening plenary of the 2020 AJC Global Forum, reaffirmed the strong U.S.-Israel relationship, condemned rising worldwide antisemitism, and cautioned Iran against threatening Israel and pursing a nuclear weapons program.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, addressing the opening plenary of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Virtual Global Forum, praised the leading global Jewish advocacy organization as a “strong partner” of Germany over many decades.

Muslim World League Secretary General Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, addressing the opening plenary of the 2020 American Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, reaffirmed his commitment to preserving Holocaust memory and advancing Muslim-Jewish cooperation.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) honored Dr. Felix Klein, the Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Antisemitism, with the inaugural AJC Project Interchange Alumnus of the Year Award. Klein visited Israel with AJC Project Interchange in 2016, as a member of an official German delegation.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) President Harriet Schleifer and Jason Isaacson, AJC’s Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, presented today to members of Congress a six-point action plan addressing the pernicious legacy of racism in the United States. They addressed a roundtable hosted by the Black-Jewish Congressional Caucus entitled: “Where do we go from here? How the Black and Jewish Communities Can Collectively Dismantle Racism.”

The 2020 American Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum will take place as scheduled, June 14-18, with a change of venue from gathering in Berlin to convening online. It will be the first time in AJC history that the leading global Jewish advocacy organization’s signature annual event is held virtually.

Worldwide viewership of AJC Advocacy Anywhere online sessions has passed 2.7 million since the program was launched in March.
“Advocacy Anywhere is AJC distance advocacy and learning at its best,” said AJC CEO David Harris.

AJC continues to mourn the tragic death of George Floyd, whose life was crushed out of him May 25 under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer, while three other officers stood by and watched, if not abetted, this harrowing act of murder. He was the latest victim of a chronic and insidious affliction.

We condemn the wanton acts of vandalism and violence committed by a small minority of those taking to the streets in protest across America – acts that dishonor the memory of George Floyd, whose death in police custody brought a country besieged by contagion and economic misery to yet another rendezvous with its history of racial injustice. Those who disrupt and subvert peaceful protest set back, not advance, the cause of racial justice.

Ten weeks after American Jewish Committee launched its pioneering online series AJC Advocacy Anywhere, more than 2.5 million people have logged on to view the almost daily offerings. “AJC has not missed a beat during the pandemic in our educational and advocacy work in the U.S and around the world,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “AJC Advocacy Anywhere is delivering probing, thoughtful conversations on the most topical issues of the day.”