Press Releases and Statements

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people, announced today donations to a range of organizations, including IsraAID, to deliver urgent aid to the people of Morocco following Friday’s devastating earthquake. AJC also saluted Israel for its offers to send a humanitarian relief delegation, a move that symbolizes the strong and growing ties between the two nations that in 2020 reestablished and upgraded relations.

I am encouraged by the news that five Americans whose lives, and whose families’ lives, have been upended by Iran’s longstanding callous practice of political hostage-taking and wrongfully detaining foreign nationals for use as bargaining chips, are closer than ever before to coming home as a result of the agreement announced today.

American Jewish Committee issued a statement following Israel's recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.

AJC CEO Ted Deutch today issued this statement following the appointment by Secretary of State Antony Blinken of Ambassador Dan Shapiro to be Senior Advisor for Regional Integration: Ambassador Dan Shapiro is an excellent choice to lead America’s efforts to expand the circle of peace in the Middle East, from strengthening the Abraham Accords to working to normalize relations between Israel and Arab and Muslim-majority countries.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is urging NATO to give Ukraine a “clear path” to becoming a member of the alliance to deter further aggression by Russia and other “bad actors” who seek to destabilize Europe. In a letter prior to the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12, AJC CEO Ted Deutch and AJC President Michael Tichnor described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as posing a threat to democracy and the international order.

American Jewish Committee has released a video, "What Ties Jews to Israel?" (“Ma allathi yarbut al-yahud bi-Isra’il?” in Arabic), the 11th installment in the organization’s Arabic-language educational video series, ‘An al-Yahud (“About the Jews”), which has received more than 45 million views worldwide. The video released today emphasizes that the unique connection between Jews and the land of Israel does not negate those shared by other religions and peoples. The video is also available in English.

American Jewish Committee will work with the European Jewish Congress to help European Jewish communities tackle rising antisemitism and bring more attention to looming threats and foster a more vibrant Jewish life on the Continent.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita today said the Abraham Accords have created “incredible momentum” for peace and prosperity in the Middle East and helped create unprecedented growth in his country’s trade with Israel. In a video address to more than 1,500 attendees at AJC Global Forum in Tel Aviv, Bourita also said the Kingdom of Morocco took deep pride in its Jewish heritage and support for its Jewish community and institutions.

Today at AJC Global Forum 2023, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said her nation stands with Israel in stemming the threat posed by Iran’s growing nuclear capability and promised her country would do its part to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions in check.

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) leadership delegation today conducted high-level consultations and events in the United Arab Emirates, continuing AJC’s 25-year-plus engagement with the UAE leadership and building on the 2020 Abraham Accords normalization agreement.

The Transatlantic Friends of Israel (TFI)—the interparliamentary, cross-party network spearheaded by the American Jewish Committee (AJC)—launched its Italian chapter to strengthen the ties between Europe, and specifically Italy, the United States, Canada, and Israel. TFI Italy Chair Senator Marco Scurria announced the launch in the Italian Senate with the support of 16 bicameral lawmakers from Fratelli d'Italia, Lega, Forza Italia, Noi Moderati, and Partito Democratico.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and other Polish leaders at a time when Poland has moved to strengthen its ties with Israel. Deutch and Morawiecki discussed Poland’s leading role in providing ongoing military and economic aid to Ukraine from where an estimated 10 million people fled to Poland following the Russian invasion last year.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) President Michael Tichnor and CEO Ted Deutch led a leadership delegation to the Vatican. “We are so grateful for the transformation in Catholic-Jewish relations and for the privilege AJC has enjoyed and continues to enjoy as a central actor in this ongoing historic reconciliation, which Pope Francis has taken to even greater heights,” said Deutch. “Pope Francis’s love and care for the Jewish People is universally known. We are grateful for his strong voice condemning antisemitism.”

American Jewish Committee (AJC) expressed deep concern regarding renewed attempts to hold the far-right Lukov March in the Bulgarian capital Sofia on February 25.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to continue supporting the Ukrainian people as they endure the brutal Russian invasion of their country. “Russia’s unjust and illegal invasion of Ukraine poses a threat not only to Ukraine, but also global security and the rules-based international order. Like-minded countries must stand together in support of Ukraine, and there must be accountability and justice for Russia’s war crimes,” said Deutch. AJC has stood in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and staunchly supported a free and democratic Ukraine for more than 30 years.

On the anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, American Jewish Committee (AJC) is urging Congress to pass legislation designating the Wagner Group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). A private military company with ties to Russian white supremacist and neo-Nazi far-right extremists, the Wagner Group has a long record of committing atrocities against civilians in Ukraine and in African countries.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) joined in the celebration of the Abrahamic Family House opening in Abu Dhabi. With a mosque, church, and synagogue, along with exhibition space and conference facilities, the new interfaith center drives home the message of interfaith respect and cooperation that has long been a feature of Emirati culture and life. Ambassador (ret.) Marc Sievers, Director of AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding; Rabbi David Rosen, Director, AJC International Interreligious Affairs; and Reva Gorelick, Program Director, AJC Abu Dhabi, attended the opening ceremony yesterday.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) is partnering with the Israeli relief agency IsraAID and the Turkish Jewish community to provide emergency humanitarian assistance to victims and survivors of the devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Turkey.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomed the latest French government plan to combat antisemitism. The plan, updated by the Interministerial Delegation for the Fight Against Racism and Antisemitism (DILCRAH) every three years, included several policies recommended by AJC and was presented yesterday by Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne to an audience that included AJC leaders in Paris. “DILCRAH has long recognized that antisemitism endangers all of French society, not only Jews. It is essential for the government to have a robust strategy dedicated to confronting antisemitism in all its forms,” said Anne Sophie-Sebban, Director of AJC Paris,

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch today met with Israel President Isaac Herzog, after Herzog told the European Parliament that Israel’s right to exist is not subject to debate. Deutch was in Brussels with an AJC delegation to meet with members of the European Parliament and Herzog, who spoke to the parliament, one of the legislative bodies of the European Union, on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.