Press Releases and Statements

American Jewish Committee (AJC) honored today Christian Stückl, director of the Oberammergau Passion Play, with its prestigious Isaiah Award for Exemplary Interreligious Leadership. The AJC award, honoring extraordinary achievement in interfaith endeavors, was presented to Stückl by Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. “Throughout his illustrious career as Oberammergau Passion Play director, Christian Stückl has demonstrated the power of one individual to make a tremendous difference," said Marans.

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) leadership mission completed a week of consultations and public programs in Indonesia, a country with which the leading global Jewish advocacy organization has been engaged for two decades. The 17-member delegation included AJC CEO David Harris and professional and lay leadership of AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute (API) and Interreligious Affairs Department. “AJC knows the central importance of Indonesia to the Asia Pacific region and the Muslim world,” said API Director Shira Loewenberg. “We found a growing circle of friends and partners who want to engage with Jews along religious, political, cultural, and human dimensions.

A federal court ruled that an anti-BDS law that required companies doing business with the state of Arkansas to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel was constitutional.

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.

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.

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff joined the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) and other multifaith groups for an Iftar, the evening meal following the daily fast for Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, was in conversation with Rashad Hussain, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

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”).

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today honored the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians, His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with the organization’s Human Dignity Award. The AJC honor recognizes Bartholomew’s singular care for humanity and the environment, exceptional commitment to interreligious coexistence, and indispensable advancement of Orthodox-Jewish relations.

American Jewish Committee praised New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli’s decision to pull pension fund investments out of Unilever, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s. The ice cream maker announced in July that it would cease selling its products in the West Bank. “Comptroller DiNapoli has demonstrated that boycotting Israel has consequences,” said Marc Stern, AJC Chief Legal Officer. “Unilever’s failure to undo Ben & Jerry’s misguided decision to stop selling its ice cream in the West Bank contravenes state government laws across the United States.”

American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds the preliminary determination by the New Jersey Department of Treasury’s Division of Investment that Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, have engaged in a boycott of Israel. Under New Jersey’s 2016 law on Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS), state pension funds must divest from investments in any business that engages in boycotts of Israel.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, applauds the Burlington City Council’s decision to withdraw a non-binding resolution supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel. The resolution will be sent back to the Council’s Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Committee for further discussion.

Humera Khan and Adnan Ansari partnered with AJC to launch the Tackle! Upstander Training program, designed to help leaders in American cities develop local prevention frameworks to protect their communities from threats motivated by extremism or bigotry.

Ben and Jerry’s franchisees in the United States are calling on the company to “re-examine and withdraw” its decision to stop selling its ice cream in the West Bank and its threat to discontinue operations in Israel. American Jewish Committee Chief Legal Officer Marc D. Stern praised the franchisees for their honesty and passion in directly communicating their concerns.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised the Biden Administration for nominating today Rashad Hussain as United States Ambassador at-Large for International Religious Freedom. He will be the first Muslim to serve in this position. “Rashad Hussain is an impressive advocate of freedom of religion or belief in challenging diplomatic contexts,” said AJC CEO David Harris.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) condemns the United Church of Christ (UCC) General Synod resolution entitled, “Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel,” adopted today by a vote of 462 to 78. The measure demonizes Israel, fails to offer a credible path to Israeli-Palestinian peace, and undermines advances in Christian-Jewish relations.

Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims, the highly acclaimed book by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Firestone of Hebrew Union College, first published by American Jewish Committee (AJC) in 2001, will be updated and distributed in multiple languages prevalent in Muslim-majority countries around the world. "We see a growing desire across the Muslim world for in-depth knowledge about Judaism and the Jewish people,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “The Children of Abraham translation project will make an authentic Jewish voice widely accessible to hundreds of millions of Muslims.”

American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauds the Cambridge City Council’s rejection tonight of a resolution supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel and Hewlett Packard (HP).

The first in a series of short videos to foster awareness of Jewish and Muslim contributions to American society was released today by the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC). The videos and other stories of Muslim-Jewish cooperation will be promoted on MJAC’s new Facebook (@MJACAdvocacy) and Twitter (@Muslim_Jewish) pages, also unveiled today.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) praises the passage of the Jabara-Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act 94-1, as an amendment to the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in the U.S. Senate.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is disappointed by today’s United States Court of Appeals for Eighth Circuit decision in Arkansas Times v. Waldrip.