November 1, 2017
A delegation of U.S. Muslim Leaders traveled in Israel with AJC Project Interchange, in cooperation with AJC’s Muslim-Jewish Relations department. This was the third delegation of U.S. Muslim leaders hosted by Project Interchange since 2015.
The delegation consisted of AJC partners in communities around the country, including elected officials and leaders in the business, interfaith, and non-profit communities, and two members of AJC’s Muslim Jewish Advisory Council.
This delegation was designed to build and strengthen relationships between the U.S. Jewish and Muslim communities, and aimed to provide the participants the opportunity to hear from Jewish Israeli, Arab-Israeli, and Palestinian community leaders, academics, and religious officials.
The itinerary highlighted topics important to the U.S. Muslim leaders, including religious diversity and interfaith cooperation, human rights, Arab-Israeli society, and co-existence, and featured the richness within Israel’s politically- and ethnically-diverse society.
The delegation had the opportunity to participate in Friday Jumma Prayers in Jerusalem and traveled to Israel's Northern border to learn about Israeli humanitarian aid for victims of the Syrian civil war at Ziv Medical Center.
AJC has a long and successful history of building strong relationships with other religious groups. Locally, nationally, and internationally, AJC partners with Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and Jain communities to combat antisemitism and religious extremism.
Media coverage of the delegation included an in-depth interview with Suhail Khan, Project Interchange delegation participant and member of AJC Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council which ran in Hebrew in the Israel HaYom Weekend Magazine interview and a radio interview on Reshet Bet Israel National Radio with Bob Silverman, AJC Director of Muslim-Jewish Relations, and on Marhabet, the Arab World affairs program, hosted by Eran Singer, head of the Arab World Affairs desk.