The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs honored American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO David Harris with its prestigious Foreign Minister Commendation, one of Japan's highest honors presented to foreign citizens.
“Steadfast defense of democratic values and unwavering commitment to friendship with the United States and Israel are hallmarks of your leadership, and models for other nations to emulate,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who presented the award to the Prime Minister in Tokyo. “Japan is a democratic powerhouse in Asia, an essential ally and partner of the United States, a close friend of Israel, and an anchor of stability in a vital part of the world.”
There are many reasons for caution in dealing with the status of Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, to which the Palestinians also lay claims. However, there are also reasons that the U.S. government took a logical step stating the obvious, recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
AJC and Germany Close Up (GCU) co-sponsored a two-day seminar in Wittenberg, Germany for young American Jews and German Christians to study and reflect upon Martin Luther’s anti-Jewish legacy and productive Christian denominational efforts to grapple with his anti-Judaism during the recent decades of Christian-Jewish dialogue.