AJC Impact Report 2014-2015

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IMPACT REPORT 2014-2015

A DEFINING MOMENT



A GLOBAL MOMENT


THE MOMENT FOR AJC. THE MOMENT FOR GLOBAL JEWISH ADVOCACY.

Most moments pass unnoticed, sands in time, insignificant and unremembered. But there are some moments that define us, that write for all time the story of who we were, what we believed, and what we did. AJC is convinced that this is a Defining Moment for the Jewish people. The events of 2014 and 2015—the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe, the global effort to delegitimize Israel, and the threat of a nuclear Iran—explain why. In this Impact Report, you will read about how AJC advocacy has met this Defining Moment, going into immediate overdrive—in diplomatic corridors the world over, in Washington, on the streets of Europe, and on the battlefield of public opinion. The challenges and opportunities facing the Jewish people are global in nature, and require a global response. With a unique advocacy architecture that spans six continents and unparalleled access to decision-makers around the world, AJC is that global response.


WHO WE ARE

‘‘

AJC is the most effective, most influential, and most respected of American Jewish organizations. NICOLAS SARKOZY, PRESIDENT OF FRANCE (2007-2012)

’’

AJC is the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, with unparalleled access to diplomats, government officials, and religious leaders around the world. AJC’s unique global architecture spans six continents. As a result, AJC understands the issues in depth, maintains relationships with many of the world’s key decision-makers, and seeks to have an impact on policy decisions.

WHAT WE DO

‘‘

You’ve been called the State Department of the Jewish people, a title so apt I may start giving out some assignments today.

’’

U.S. DEPUTY SECRETARY OF STATE ANTONY BLINKEN ADDRESSING THE AJC GLOBAL FORUM 2015

DIPLOMACY

Through high-level diplomacy based on established relationships, AJC gains access to decision-makers.

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

Working with the U.S. Congress, AJC supports legislation that bolsters our global agenda.

BUILDING COALITIONS

AJC builds alliances among diverse ethnic and religious groups to advance issues of common concern.

COMMUNICATIONS

Via traditional and social media, AJC generates awareness and provides expert resources to amplify our advocacy efforts.


WHERE WE WORK

‘‘

I don’t know of any other organization that pays so much attention to what’s happening outside the United States and outside Jewish life, from India to Germany to France, and many other places. SHIMON PERES, PRESIDENT OF ISRAEL (2007–2014)

22

U. S . R EG I O N A L O FFI C E S

10 OV E R S E A S P OS T S

30 I NTE R N ATI O N A L PA R TN E R S H I P S

’’

AFRICA

EUROPE

MIDDLE EAST

AJC’s Africa Institute partners with African governments, civil society, and diaspora communities to build coalitions on issues of common concern, and facilitates cooperation between African countries and Israel.

With offices in Berlin, Brussels, Paris, and Rome, AJC promotes cooperation among Europe, the U.S., and Israel, and partners with local Jewish communities.

In coordination with AJC Jerusalem, AJC Project Interchange brings two dozen highlevel delegations each year from around the world to Israel. Moreover, no Jewish organization has more extensive contacts in the Arab and Muslim world than AJC.

ASIA

AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute engages leaders in the region and their representatives in the United States, making them more aware of the Jewish people and Israel, and fostering political alliances, economic links, and dialogue on AJC’s priority issues.

LATIN AMERICA

AJC’s Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs (BILLA) develops and strengthens ties to Latin America and the U.S. Latino community. BILLA has staff in Washington, Miami, and São Paulo.

UNITED STATES

AJC’s headquarters in New York and office in Washington conduct international diplomacy and engage the Administration and Congress. The advocacy and coalition-building carried out by AJC’s 22 Regional Offices across the country reinforce these efforts.


OUR IMPACT This is the moment for AJC’s global reach, global access, and global impact. You will read in this Impact Report about how AJC has made a tangible difference around the world, including how AJC: Coordinated an unprecedented joint statement from the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Italy unequivocally condemning anti-Semitic incidents in Europe.

Actively supported eight pro-Israel initiatives in the U.S. Congress during Operation Protective Edge, including increased funding for the livesaving Iron Dome missile defense system.

Reached millions with our important advocacy messages on social media through accounts in four languages.

Built understanding for Israel by bringing influential leaders to the country on AJC Project Interchange (PI) immersive educational experiences. An Aspen Institute assessment found that 90% of PI participants took positive Israel-related actions upon their return.

Succeeded in getting 285 mayors representing over 71 million Americans to sign on to AJC’s “Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism” campaign.

‘‘

AJC and its Berlin team have had a considerable impact on the German public. I am very grateful for the trust AJC has placed in Germany. GERMAN CHANCELLOR ANGELA MERKEL

’’

‘‘

AJC’s moral clarity, your professionalism, and your determination distinguish you from others, and make you an indispensable actor and interlocutor. FRENCH PRIME MINISTER MANUEL VALLS

’’


STANDING WITH ISRAEL ‘‘

AJC’s amazing and unique global advocacy has directly contributed to strengthening Israel’s national security. I’ve seen AJC’s real impact in meeting after meeting with my counterparts around the world.

’’

RON PROSOR, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO THE UN

Israelis show support for blocking a flotilla heading to Gaza in 2010.


AJC PROJECT INTERCHANGE ALUMNI

6,000+ LEADERS

89

COUNTRIES

90%

TOOK POSITIVE ISRAEL-RELATED ACTION AFTER THEIR TRIP

T

HERE ARE 193 countries in the UN, but only one Jewish state.

Around the world—from the hallways of the UN in New York to the corridors of the European Union in Brussels and to the countries of the Pacific Rim—AJC is engaged in pro-Israel advocacy at the highest levels. AJC offices and representatives in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and beyond build greater understanding for Israel’s security challenges and dynamic possibilities. Through dialogue with elected officials, diplomats, and opinion-shapers, and by taking leaders who are force multipliers to Israel on Project Interchange seminars, AJC helps bring the real Israel to the fore. And when Israel is under assault, whether from the terrorist organizations on its doorstep or the global BDS movement, AJC mobilizes its global architecture to address the threat.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 7


Hamas fires rockets at Israel during the summer of 2014.

OPERATION PROTECTIVE EDGE

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY AJC strongly supported congressional resolutions

In the summer of 2014, Israel’s citizens came under direct attack as the terrorist organization Hamas launched barrages of missiles and rockets from Gaza. AJC mobilized to protest the Hamas onslaught and present the case for Israel’s military response to U.S. leaders, in world capitals, and through global media outlets.

8 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T

authorizing increased funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system, and bipartisan resolutions in the House and Senate reaffirming Israel’s right to self-defense. Thousands of AJC supporters across the United States took action by writing to their members of Congress via AJC’s online advocacy center, urging support for these resolutions. The lifesaving Iron Dome has been described by Israeli officials as a “game-changer,” which intercepted 80%-90% of Hamas missiles aimed at populated areas.


Lt. Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich, Director of AJC Jerusalem, appears live on CNN during Operation Protective Edge.

‘‘

Midnight, and the sirens are blaring. The kids are asleep. I have one minute to wake them up and get them to our shelter.

’’

AVITAL LEIBOVICH IN A JULY 2014 Israeli children look at the Iron Dome missile defense system,

OP-ED IN THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

designed to intercept and destroy incoming rockets, in Gush Dan near Tel Aviv.

HUMANITARIAN RELIEF

NON-STOP COMMUNICATIONS

Addressing the emergency situation facing residents

During the tense summer and fall months, 50+ op-eds,

of southern Israel, AJC made a series of humanitarian

interviews, and letters by AJC officials were featured

grants to aid Israeli civilians living in Hamas’s crosshairs.

in major publications, including The Wall Street Journal,

One such grant went to the Barzilai Medical Center

El País (Spain), Süddeutsche Zeitung (Germany), The

in Ashkelon, the main hospital in the southern region

Hill, The Boston Globe, The Chicago Sun Times, and

of the country, serving Israelis—Jews and Arabs alike—

The Miami Herald.

as well as patients from Gaza. AJC also provided funds to the towns of Ofakim and Netivot, located between

AJC experts also appeared on CNN, BBC, Fox, and

Beersheba and the border with Gaza, to build a shelter

other prominent outlets. Moreover, AJC reached millions

and purchase emergency equipment. All three grants

on Facebook and Twitter with material in four languages

were made possible through the generous support

(English, French, German, and Spanish) that dispelled

of the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Humanitarian

the slanderous lies being spread about Israel and

Relief Fund.

countered with the hard-hitting truth.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 9


AJC Project Interchange’s 2014 delegation of Scandinavian Political and Opinion Leaders, marking the 10th delegation of Scandinavian leaders since 2003, at an overlook in Israel.

CONNECTING LEADERS WORLDWIDE WITH ISRAEL

2014-15 AJC PROJECT INTERCHANGE DELEGATIONS INCLUDED*:

As we saw in the summer of 2014, Israel’s image in the media often differs markedly from the on-the-ground reality. AJC’s global presence, expertise in identifying emerging leaders, and hard-earned credibility presented many opportunities—including the ability to bring future decision-makers and influencers to Israel through Project Interchange (PI), an educational institute of AJC. Representing spheres of influence around the globe, PI delegations met with Israeli leaders across political and social spectrums, connected with their Israeli counterparts, and learned about Israel’s extensive contributions in their fields. When they returned home, their writings, actions, and public positions reflected

• University Presidents and Chancellors • European Union Officials • Latino and Latin American Journalists • Rhodes Scholars • German Opinion Leaders • South African Journalists • Scandinavian Opinion Leaders • Campus Media and Student Leaders • U.S. Law Students

their greater understanding of Israel. *This is just a small subset of PI delegations during this period.

10 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T


‘‘

The University of Michigan strongly opposes the boycott of academic institutions in Israel.

’’

STATEMENT BY AJC PROJECT INTERCHANGE

ALUMNA MARY SUE COLEMAN, THEN-PRESIDENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, REJECTING ACADEMIC BOYCOTTS OF ISRAEL.

A Palestinian woman walks by a sign calling for the boycott of Israel in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on February 11, 2015.

COUNTERING THE BDS MOVEMENT

Beyond the campus, AJC Chicago was one of the

The global campaign to demonize and isolate Israel

legislation in Illinois (the vote was unanimous).

is often known by the moniker BDS, which stands

AJC also pushed for similar measures in New York,

for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions—all tactics its

Pennsylvania, and several other states. On the national

proponents use against the Jewish state. BDS takes

scene, AJC strongly supported the inclusion, in

many forms, but there is one institution where it poses

international free-trade legislation, of language making

a particularly sinister threat—the American campus.

it a “principal trade negotiating objective” of the U.S.

That is why AJC focused on combating BDS there

to discourage our trading partners from cooperating

and protecting the values of academic freedom.

with anti-Israel boycotts.

lead organizations advocating passage of anti-BDS

By showing Israel first-hand, in all its complexity and vibrancy, PI seminars serve as an antidote to BDS attempts. After a series of votes by a few academic institutions to boycott Israel, hundreds of leading university presidents spoke out forcefully against such efforts, and among the most vocal were PI alumni.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 11


FIGHTING ANTI-SEMITISM ‘‘

Jew, Jew, cowardly pig, come on out and fight alone.

’’

CHANT BY BERLIN PROTESTERS DURING ANTI-ISRAEL DEMONSTRATIONS IN THE SUMMER OF 2014. AJC BERLIN DOCUMENTED THE CHANT AND FILED A LEGAL COMPLAINT WITH THE POLICE. AS A RESULT OF AJC BERLIN’S ACTIONS, THE CHANT WAS BANNED.

Protesters set the Star of David on fire during an anti-Israel rally in Athens in January 2009.


6 IN 10

FRENCH JEWS FEAR ATTACKS

ONE THIRD

OF EUROPEAN JEWS HAVE CONSIDERED LEAVING BECAUSE OF GROWING ANTI-SEMITISM

50%

OF JEWS IN SWEDEN AVOID WEARING OR CARRYING ITEMS THAT MIGHT IDENTIFY THEM AS JEWISH

Source: The EU’s Agency for Fundamental Rights 2013 report on Jewish experiences in eight European nations.

I

N THE spring of 2014, after four people were murdered at the

Jewish Museum in Brussels and extremist parties made shocking gains in European Parliament elections, the directors of AJC’s offices in Brussels and Paris published a piece in The Wall Street Journal asking, “Do Jews Have a Future in Europe?” The article called on European leaders to denounce anti-Semitism and show zero tolerance for such behavior, since “it is not just the well-being and future of the Jewish community in Europe that is at risk, but the very values Europe stands for.” It wasn’t long before the explosion of virulent hatred of Israel and Jews triggered by the Gaza hostilities rose to levels unprecedented since the Holocaust. At rallies in cities across Europe, Muslims, farright neo-Nazis, and far-left anti-Zionists found common ground in denunciations of Israel and—all too often—Jews. Synagogues and other Jewish buildings were attacked, and Jews were threatened on the street. What had been clear to AJC for years was now clear to the world—anti-Semitism in Europe was resurging with a vengeance.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 13


MOBILIZING WORLD LEADERS

In the summer of 2014, as European protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza turned violently antiSemitic, AJC’s offices in Berlin, Paris, and Rome wasted no time. Working together, they helped coordinate an unprecedented statement by the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Italy that unequivocally condemned all expressions of anti-Semitism.

Anti-Israel protesters in Paris hover around a swastika at a rally in August 2014, during the conflict in Gaza.


‘‘

Anti-Semitic rhetoric and hostility towards Jews, attacks on people of the Jewish faith or synagogues have no place in our societies. . . . Nothing, not even the dramatic military confrontation in Gaza, can justify such acts here in Europe.

’’

STATEMENT ISSUED ON JULY 22, 2014, BY THE

AJC Paris Director Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, left, at a roundtable about anti-Semitism in France in October 2014.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF FRANCE, GERMANY, AND ITALY

PARIS BERLIN

Home to Europe’s largest Jewish community, France has been the epicenter of the alarming rise of antiSemitism on the continent. For many in France and

During the summer protests of 2014, AJC Berlin was on

around the world, AJC Paris has been a leading

the ground to monitor the situation and prompt local

source of information about the impact this has had

action. When an imam at a Berlin mosque called for

on the French Jewish community. In an article on

the annihilation of the Jews, AJC Berlin demanded that

the subject for The Atlantic, noted journalist Jeffrey

the authorities intervene, and German security services

Goldberg described AJC Paris Director Simone

announced their intention of launching legal action

Rodan-Benzaquen as, “one of the most eloquent

against the imam and other mosque officials.

and influential advocates for European Jewry on the continent.”

In the following months, AJC Berlin helped expose the shocking fact that a government commission on anti-Semitism was devoid of Jews—a scandal widely cited in the media and ultimately rectified by the Interior Ministry.

On the morning of January 9, 2015, as news broke of a hostage situation at a kosher supermarket in Paris, AJC sprang into action on social media. @AJCGlobal’s top tweet inspired the viral solidarity hashtag #JeSuisJuif (I am a Jew).

In 2014-15, AJC Paris helped conceptualize the antiterror plan adopted by the French National Assembly A gripping AJC Berlin video depicting the terrifying reality of anti-Semitic protests sweeping Europe garnered 7,000 views on YouTube.

and initiate an Inter-Parliamentary Working Group on Anti-Semitism. The office also conceived and developed a survey of French attitudes about Jews and anti-Semitism whose findings were cited widely.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 15


A girl stands next to flowers at the Jewish Museum in Brussels on May 25, 2014, the day after four people were shot to death there.

BRUSSELS A Call to Action In May 2015, AJC convened “A Defining Moment for Europe,” a strategy conference for countering the rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe. It took place just down the street from the European Parliament building in Brussels. There, in the presence of government officials, diplomats, and community leaders from all over the continent (25 of the 28 EU member states were represented, plus the U.S. and Canada), AJC presented a “Call to Action” for European governments to address the intensifying crisis of anti-Semitism within their borders. The document contained suggestions for increasing security at Jewish institutions, countering radicalization among young Muslims, and monitoring social media for anti-Semitic content.

ABOVE LEFT AJC Executive Director David Harris delivers closing

remarks at AJC’s strategy conference in Brussels on combating anti-Semitism. BOTTOM LEFT Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of AJC’s Brussels-

based Transatlantic Institute, is interviewed by CNN on the uptick in anti-Semitism in Europe. 16 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T


UNI ORS

TED

T S N I A G A ISM

M AY

I -S ANT AN

EMI

INIT AJC

T

VE I AT I

‘‘

The Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism initiative, sponsored by AJC, emphasizes that ‘in a world of global communications where anti-Semitic ideas can and do spread quickly, the impact of the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe does not stop at Europe’s borders.’

’’

A JULY 2015 FEATURE IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE ABOUT MAYOR RAHM EMANUEL’S DECISION

TO SIGN ON TO AJC’S MAYORS UNITED AGAINST ANTI-SEMITISM INITIATIVE.

UNITED STATES

Act Local, Think Global

When Washington speaks, the world listens. That

Anti-Semitism” in July 2015. In this AJC initiative,

is why AJC has also pressed the Administration and

coordinated by AJC’s 22 Regional Offices across

Congress, as well as local governments, to speak out

the United States, mayors called upon their European

against rising anti-Semitism.

counterparts to publicly address anti-Semitism

AJC announced the launch of “Mayors United Against

in their communities and take action against this Bipartisan Taskforce on Anti-Semitism

mounting crisis. The more than 285 signatories

In September 2015, AJC Executive Director David Harris

included the mayors of Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston,

briefed a dozen members of Congress on increasing

Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,

levels of anti-Semitism in Europe. Following his

Seattle, and other major cities representing over

suggestion, conversations began on Capitol Hill about

71 million Americans.

creating a caucus to combat anti-Semitism. With strong support from AJC, Representatives Ted Deutch (D-FL), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Kay Granger (R-TX), Steve Israel (D-NY), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Peter Roskam (R-IL), and Chris Smith (R-NJ) launched the Bipartisan Taskforce on Anti-Semitism, designed to raise awareness of global anti-Semitism and coordinate congressional efforts, including legislation and bilateral engagement, to combat it.

TOP AJC Executive Director David Harris, left, meets with Secretary of

State John Kerry at the State Department on June 11, 2014, to discuss the U.S. government’s response to increasing anti-Semitism in Europe and other matters. BOTTOM New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, pictured addressing the

AJC New York Annual Meeting on June 17, 2015, was among the first mayors to sign on to AJC’s “Mayors United Against Anti-Semitism” initiative.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 17


A GLOBAL THREAT ‘‘

This barbaric, wolf-like, and infanticidal regime of Israel, which spares no crime, has no cure but to be annihilated.

’’

TWEET BY AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI ON NOVEMBER 8, 2014

On April 13, 2015, demonstrators outside the Saudi Embassy in Tehran burn U.S. and Israeli flags to protest Saudi-led strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.


895

POLITICAL PRISONERS WERE INCARCERATED IN IRAN IN 2014. AMONG THEM WERE AT LEAST 30 JOURNALISTS.

191,000

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN KILLED BY THE BRUTAL ASSAD REGIME IN SYRIA—A REGIME THAT IRAN “CONTINUED TO PROVIDE ARMS, FINANCING, AND TRAINING” TO BOLSTER.

20+

INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS HAVE BEEN VIOLATED BY IRAN. Sources: U.S. State Department 2014 Country Reports on human rights and terrorism and Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran.

T

HROUGH 2014 and 2015, negotiations over the Iranian nuclear

program topped the international agenda. Since 1995, in all its diplomatic encounters around the globe, AJC has warned of the perils posed by a nuclear Iran. A regime that funds terror around the world, calls for “death to America” and the annihilation of Israel, and repeatedly violates the human rights of its own people cannot be allowed to possess the most deadly of weapons. On Capitol Hill, AJC strongly supported the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015. AJC has also long sought to hinder the activities of Hezbollah, Iran’s leading terror proxy. In 2013, AJC’s important role in the European Union’s unanimous decision to designate the “military wing” of Hezbollah a terrorist organization was acknowledged by several European leaders. Today, AJC continues to advocate for passage of the Hezbollah International Financing Prevention Act, which will sanction financial institutions complicit in the Iran-backed group’s illicit activities. The appalling human rights situation in Iran was a major concern for AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute (JBI). It continued to play a key role in international campaigns to secure public and diplomatic support for the UN General Assembly’s resolution of December 2014, which condemned Iran’s repeated harassment and persecution of human rights advocates, lawyers, media professionals, women, and members of ethnic and religious minorities. JBI also helped mobilize diplomatic support to renew the mandate of the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 19


COALITIONS OF CONSCIENCE ‘‘

I am very grateful to you for the distinguished contribution you have made to dialogue and fraternity between Jews and Catholics.

’’

POPE FRANCIS RECEIVING AN AJC DELEGATION AT THE VATICAN IN FEBRUARY 2014.


PROJECTED MAJOR RELIGIOUS GROUP POPULATIONS IN 2050

JEWS 0.2% OTHER RELIGIONS 0.7%

FOLK RELIGIONS 4.8% BUDDHISTS 5.2%

CHRISTIANS 31.4% UNAFFILIATED 13.2%

HINDUS 14.9%

MUSLIMS 29.7%

Source: The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections (2010-2050), Pew Research Center.

O

UTREACH TO the world’s religions has long been central to

AJC’s global outlook. Religion has the matchless ability to inspire, and to either unite or divide mankind. There is perhaps no greater example of the potential power of interfaith dialogue than the evolution that has occurred in the relationship between Catholics and Jews. 2015 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of Nostra Aetate, the Catholic Church document that transformed nearly two thousand years of Christian hostility toward Jews and Judaism. Nostra Aetate called for “mutual understanding and respect” and repudiated the charge that Jews living today were responsible for the death of Jesus. The document had the effect of replacing centuries of violence, ghettos, inquisitions, expulsions, and forced conversions with a new era of dialogue and fraternity. AJC interfaith experts and their research played a unique and well-documented role in the development of Nostra Aetate and its implementation.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 21


A MUSLIM-JEWISH CROSSROADS If Catholic-Jewish relations represented the interfaith challenge of the 20th century, Muslim-Jewish relations are the defining challenge of the 21st century. AJC has consistently sought to identify, highlight, and elevate voices of courage from the Muslim world, people who lead by example. At the AJC Global Forum in 2014 and 2015, AJC honored two such beacons of hope: Latifa Ibn Ziaten’s son, Imad, was a French soldier killed by the terrorist Mohammed Merah, who also murdered three Jewish children and a teacher at a Jewish school in Toulouse. In response to the tragedy, Ziaten founded an organization in her son’s name. The group visits schools and juvenile prisons to mentor at-risk Muslim TOP AJC’s Rabbi David Rosen presents the Moral Courage Award

youth, and to dissuade them from joining jihadi fighters

to Latifa Ibn Ziaten at the AJC Global Forum 2014.

in Iraq and Syria.

BOTTOM Lassana Bathily accepts the Moral Courage Award at the

AJC Global Forum 2015.

Lassana Bathily, an immigrant from Mali—and a Muslim—worked in the Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris. On the morning of January 9, 2015, when a heavily armed Islamist terrorist took over the store, he quickly shepherded shoppers down to the basement into a cold storage room. Then Bathily left, risking his life to get outside and help the police plan their counterattack to free the hostages. All 15 people whom Bathily hid survived. His actions inspired a nation.

22 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T


CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE In 2014 and 2015, American Christian leaders from across the denominational spectrum studied Judaism as part of the Christian Leadership Initiative (CLI), a program cosponsored by AJC and the Shalom Hartman Institute, and supported by the Berkman Charitable Trust. CLI strives to educate the next generation of American Christian leaders about Jews, Judaism, and Israel. The 2014 cohort’s visit to Israel happened to coincide with the armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, and the group was profoundly moved by what they saw and heard.

‘‘

Israel can count increased empathy from the recent Christian visitors as one unexpected victory, especially in some mainline Protestant circles whose national leadership has grown increasingly distant from Israel in recent years.

AJC’s Rabbi Noam Marans greets His Beatitude Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, who addressed the 2014 CLI group.

’’

THE NEW YORK JEWISH WEEK ON AUGUST 6, 2014, AFTER INTERVIEWING 2014 CLI PARTICIPANTS UPON THEIR RETURN FROM ISRAEL

83%

OF ALUMNI REPORT

61%

BECAME ACTIVE IN

A CHANGE IN BELIEFS

ADVOCACY THROUGH

ABOUT ISRAEL BECAUSE

PETITION DRIVES,

OF AJC’S CHRISTIAN

DEBATES ABOUT

LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE

DIVESTMENT, AND OTHER

PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS.

Source: Assessment of CLI conducted by the Auburn Theological Seminary in 2014.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 23


NEW FRONTIER ‘‘

I wish to express my respect for AJC’s efforts to forge a close relationship with Japan for more than a quarter century. We will continue to foster this bond with you.

’’

JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER SHINZŌ ABE

Light Trails in Harajuku, Tokyo.


AJC ON SOCIAL MEDIA

OVER 110,000 FOLLOWERS TWITTER

OVER 165,000 FOLLOWERS FACEBOOK

ENGLISH DEUTSCH FRANÇAIS ESPAÑOL ACCOUNTS IN FOUR LANGUAGES

A

JC WAS founded in 1906 by a small group of influential

American Jews profoundly concerned by anti-Semitic attacks in Tsarist Russia. That fateful founding launched the concept of Global Jewish Advocacy which, nearly 110 years later, AJC continues to carry out. Today, the new frontier of Global Jewish Advocacy lies, above all, in Asia. AJC began its work there in the 1980s, and spent considerable time in the region in 2014 and 2015. AJC leadership delegations met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who, in a video message to the AJC Global Forum 2015, became the first postwar Japanese Prime Minister to address a Jewish organization. The innovative, rapid-fire world of social media represents another new realm for AJC. Through accounts in four languages, AJC interacts frequently with our followers, including many diplomats, elected officials, and media elites. They in turn share our advocacy messages with their constituencies, allowing us to reach and engage millions around the globe.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 25


API Assistant Director Nissim Reuben, center, meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right.

‘‘

It is well documented that for many years, AJC has understood— even when it was not at all obvious to many—the growing importance of Asia in general and India in particular for Israeli foreign policy. AJC’s assistance has been of tremendous significance.

’’

MARK SOFER, ISRAELI AMBASSADOR TO INDIA (2007-2011)

PIVOT TO ASIA The India-Israel relationship is one of the major “good news” stories of 2014. From the historic meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in 2014 to a major defense deal between the two countries, it is clear that the new frontier for Israel lies in Asia. AJC has played a unique role in helping forge this partnership, including bringing Indian leaders to Israel through Project Interchange, among them Ajit Doval, Prime Minister Modi’s National

AJC President Stanley M. Bergman meeting with

Security Advisor.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe in Tokyo.

AJC’s evolving engagement with India is part of a broader initiative by the organization’s Asia Pacific Institute (API), founded in 1989, to recognize the looming geopolitical role of the region. In 2015, API appointed three representatives in the region, in New Delhi, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, to expand and strengthen relationships there. API also has staff experts on India and China in its U.S. offices.

26 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T


BILLA’s commemoration event, in Miami, of the 1994 AMIA terrorist

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), a co-chair of the Latino-Jewish

attack. Eight-five people died and more than 300 were injured in the

Congressional Caucus formed by AJC, addresses a 2014 gathering

Iranian-ordered attack.

of Latino alumni of AJC Project Interchange trips to Israel.

BUILDING A LATINO-JEWISH ALLIANCE

Another major area of BILLA activity is standing in

Latinos—the largest and fastest-growing ethnic

While attacks on European Jewish communities

group in the United States—and Jews both have

understandably grabbed headlines in 2014, not nearly

rich immigrant legacies, and are natural allies. AJC’s

enough attention was paid to disturbing incidents of

Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute for Latino and

anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment that emerged

Latin American Affairs (BILLA) is a unique initiative

in Latin America. AJC was one of the few to draw

that strengthens bonds among the Jewish community,

attention to this alarming trend, and to publicize it

the U.S. Latino community, and the countries of Latin

in op-eds in El País and The Miami Herald. BILLA also

America, Spain, and Portugal.

hosted nearly 100 Jewish leaders from across Latin

solidarity with Latin American Jewish communities.

America in Miami for its annual consultation, where To strengthen these ties, AJC conducts national

they shared best practices and discussed strategies

initiatives. One such program, funded by the Ford

to meet the pressing challenges ahead.

Foundation, raises awareness and builds support for comprehensive immigration reform.

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 27


REPAIRING THE WORLD ‘‘

As I left, I walked away in awe of this group of doctors: physician humanitarians, and medicine at its very best.

’’

DR. NANCY SNYDERMAN, NBC CHIEF MEDICAL EDITOR, DESCRIBING AN IDF FIELD HOSPITAL SERVING VICTIMS OF TYPHOON HAIYAN IN THE PHILIPPINES.

An IsraAID-AJC relief mission provides assistance to Nepal in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake that hit the country in April 2015.


OFFICIAL AID DELEGATIONS TO NEPAL (PEOPLE DEPLOYED)

CHINA FRANCE INDIA ISRAEL ITALY SOUTH KOREA TAIWAN UNITED KINGDOM UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

0

100

200

300

400

500

Source: CNN and United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

IN TIMES OF TRAGEDY As in years past, AJC again helped during times of crisis in 2014 and 2015. Through IsraAID, a leading Israeli nongovernmental organization, AJC supported relief teams dispatched to Nepal in the aftermath of a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake. AJC also partnered with IsraAID to deliver urgent humanitarian aid to beleaguered Christian and Yazidi refugees who fled from ISIS fighters to Iraq’s Kurdish region, and to support Israeli trauma specialists working with their Jordanian counterparts to aid refugees from the Syrian civil war. AJC’s support of IsraAID is made possible through the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Humanitarian Relief Fund.

GIVING VOICE TO THE VOICELESS In 2014, AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute (JBI) shined a harsh spotlight on the hermit kingdom of North Korea, particularly its incommunicado detention of up to 120,000 people in secret political prison camps. JBI urged the UN system to devote unprecedented attention to the extensive human rights violations committed by Pyongyang. Together with its partner, the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, JBI successfully pressed the UN General Assembly to endorse the finding of the UN Human Rights Council’s independent commission of inquiry on North Korea that the gravity of the regime’s violations “does not have any parallel in the contemporary world.” In December 2014, JBI also petitioned the UN Security Council to consider, for the first time, the human rights situation in North Korea, and to place the country’s abuses on to its agenda. A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 29


GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE PRESIDENT

CO M M I S S I O N C H A I R S

D E V E LO P M E N T CO M M IT T E E S

CO N T E M P O R A RY J E W I S H L I F E

Stanley M. Bergman

Carol S. Gown

N ATI O N A L P L A N N E D G I V I N G

Dov S. Zakheim, Chair

E X E C U TI V E D I R E C TO R , E DWA R D A N D SA N D R A M E Y E R O F F I C E O F T H E E X E C U TI V E D I R E C TO R

David W. Inlander

Suzanne D. Jaffe, Chair

Jerome Ostrov, Vice Chair

Allan J. Reich

WO M E N ’ S L E A D E R S H I P B OA R D

David Harris A D M I N I S T R ATI V E O F F I C E R S C H A I R , B OA R D O F G OV E R N O R S

Dov S. Zakheim E X E C U TI V E CO U N C I L O B S E RV E R S

Jeremiah J. Baronberg

Richard L. Berkman

Adena Philips

C H A I R , B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S

H O N O R A RY P R E S I D E N T S

John M. Shapiro A S S O C I AT E C H A I R , B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S

Roy J. Zuckerberg C H A I R , P R O G R A M CO O R D I N ATI N G CO M M IT T E E

Marvin Israelow CHAIR, LEADERSHIP D E V E LO P M E N T

Kim J. Pimley C H A I R , CO M M U N I C ATI O N S A N D M A R K E TI N G

Alan Melamed T R E A S U R E R /S E C R E TA RY

Ned Dubilo A S S O C I AT E T R E A S U R E R /C H A I R , B U D G E T CO M M IT T E E

Suzanne D. Jaffe

Robert H. Elman Howard I. Friedman E. Robert Goodkind Alfred H. Moses Bruce M. Ramer Robert S. Rifkind

Cori L. Berger, Chair F I N A N C E CO M M IT T E E S AU D IT

Henry W. Dubinsky, Chair Belinda Morris, Vice Chair BUDGET

Suzanne D. Jaffe, Chair Frank E. Linde, Vice Chair INVESTMENT

Andrew J. Melnick, Chair David R. Pedowitz, Vice Chair

Richard J. Sideman

I N V E S T M E N T S U B - CO M M IT T E E FO R C H A R ITA B L E G I F T A N N U ITI E S

Harold Tanner

Andrew J. Melnick, Chair

VICE PRESIDENTS

R E A L E S TAT E

Roberta Baruch

Martin D. Krall, Chair

Gail A. Binderman

RESTRICTED FUNDS

Casey Cogut

Jerry H. Biederman, Chair

Michael M. Davis

R E TI R E M E N T P L A N

Lee I. Miller

Stephen Kurzman, Chair

Netanel Saidoff

E X E C U TI V E CO M P E N SATI O N

H O N O R A RY V I C E P R E S I D E N T S

I N T E R N ATI O N A L R E L ATI O N S

Allan J. Reich, Chair Andrew H. Marks, Vice Chair I N T E R N ATI O N A L R E L ATI O N S SUBGROUPS R U S S I A N J E W I S H A F FA I R S

Daniel Igor Branovan, Co-Chair Cheryl Fishbein, Co-Chair S T R AT E G I C P O L I C Y G R O U P

Peter R. Rosenblatt, Chair I N T E R R E L I G I O U S A F FA I R S

David W. Inlander, Chair Mont S. Levy, Vice Chair N ATI O N A L P O L I C Y

Carol S. Gown, Chair Robert E. Lapin, Vice Chair N ATI O N A L P O L I C Y S U B G R O U P S E N E R GY CO M M IT T E E

Henry W. Dubinsky, Chair L E G A L CO M M IT T E E

Robert E. Lapin, Chair

Stanley M. Bergman, Chair

I N S TIT U T E S

C H A I R , AU D IT CO M M IT T E E

Rhoda Baruch

HUMAN RESOURCES

A J C A F R I C A I N S TIT U T E

Henry Dubinsky

Robert A. Belfer

Martin D. Krall, Co-Chair

Marion J. Bergman, Chair

CHAIR, REGIONAL OFFICES CO M M IT T E E

Richard H. Davimos

Michael L. Tichnor AT- L A R G E O F F I C E R S

Stuart E. Eizenstat Howard A. Gilbert

R I S K OV E R S I G H T

A J C B E R L I N R A M E R I N S TIT U T E

Martin D. Krall, Chair

Anthony E. Meyer, Co-Chair (U.S.)

G OV E R N A N C E

Joel R. Mogy, Chair

René-Pierre Azria

Jerome R. Goldstein

Roberta Baruch

Brindell Gottlieb

Matthew Bronfman

Leonard Greenberg

Alan L. Melamed, Chair

Michael Gould

Barbara B. Hirschhorn

Matthew J. Coen, Vice Chair

Martin D. Krall

Charlotte Holstein

Kenneth R. Levine

Gershon Kekst

Linda Mirels

Edward H. Meyer

Joel R. Mogy

Walter Nathan

Harriet P. Schleifer

Morris W. Offit Louis Perlmutter Elaine Petschek S. Stephen Selig III Harold T. Shapiro Carol B. Siegler Morton A. Siegler Richard S. Volpert

CO M M U N I C ATI O N S A N D M A R K E TI N G

N ATI O N A L L E A D E R S H I P D E V E LO P M E N T

Kim J. Pimley, Chair N O M I N ATI N G

Steven L. Zelkowitz, Chair P R O G R A M CO O R D I N ATI N G

Marvin Israelow, Chair REGIONAL OFFICES

Michael L. Tichnor, Chair Lawrence M. Adelman z"l, Vice Chair

Steven J. Wisch, Co-Chair (U.S.) Professor Dr. Rita Süssmuth, Co-Chair (Germany) A J C PA R I S

René-Pierre Azria, Chair A J C A S I A PAC I F I C I N S TIT U T E

Jeffrey E. Stone, Chair THE ARTHUR AND ROCHELLE B E L F E R I N S TIT U T E FO R L ATI N O A N D L ATI N A M E R I C A N A F FA I R S

Thomas S. Kahn, Chair JACO B B L AU S T E I N I N S TIT U T E FO R T H E A DVA N C E M E N T O F HUMAN RIGHTS

Jerry H. Biederman, Chair D O R OT H Y A N D J U L I U S KO P P E L M A N I N S TIT U T E O N AMERICAN JEWISH -ISRAELI R E L ATI O N S

Rabbi David Ellenson, Chair A J C P R OJ E C T I N T E R C H A N G E

Harriet P. Schleifer, Chair A J C T R A N SAT L A N TI C I N S TIT U T E

Robert H. Elman, Chair TA S K FO R C E S I M M I G R ATI O N TA S K FO R C E

Roberta Baruch, Chair (as of January 1, 2015)

30 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T


BOARD OF GOVERNORS Lawrence M. Adelman z"l

Jo Renee Fine

Arthur S. Karafin

Lawrence A. Neubauer

Lawrence Shelley

Stanford M. Adelstein

Cheryl Fishbein

Judi Kaufman

Kara Newmark**

Melvin Shuman **

Honey Kessler Amado

Samuel A. Fishman

Gershon Kekst

Robert L. Newmark

Richard Sideman William D. Siegel

RenĂŠ-Pierre Azria*

Martine Fleishman

Harris L. Kempner, Jr.

Marcia Nichols **

Jeremiah J. Baronberg***

Lois Frank

Bernita M. King

Daniel S. Och

Carol Siegler

Rhoda Baruch

Gerald E. Franks

Philip Kirsh

Morris W. Offit

Morton A. Siegler

Roberta S. Baruch*

Lawrence J. Freundlich

Samuel C. Klagsbrun

Jerome Ostrov

Jane A. Silverman

Julie Baskes

Beatrice Friedman

Martin Krall*

Beth H. Paradies

Donald Simon

Janine M. Behrman

Howard I. Friedman

Marjorie P. Kuhn

Robert S. Peckar

Richard Sokolov

Robert A. Belfer

Bonnie Corwin Fuller

Stephen Kurzman

David R. Pedowitz

James H. M. Sprayregen

Marion J. Bergman

Laurence S. Geller

Richard Lampen

Barbara Perlmutter

David F. Squire

Stanley M. Bergman*

Suzanne Lasky Gerard

Bruce S. Lane

Louis Perlmutter

Michael Srulovitz

Kenneth Peskin

Paul E. Stanzler

Howard A. Gilbert

David B. Lang

Roger M. Bernstein

Stuart S. Ginsberg**

Ruth Lapidus

Elaine Petschek

John M. Stein

David R. Berz**

Lawrence D. Ginsburg

Robert E. Lapin

Adena Philips ***

Tracy F. Stein

Jerry H. Biederman

Naomi Gitlin

Jack S. Levin

Kim J. Pimley *

Carlyn J. Steiner**

Gail A. Binderman

Dorian S. Goldman

H. Fred Levine

Daniel Pincus

Sylvia Steiner

Herbert Blecker

Clifford P. Goldstein

Kenneth Levine *

Ben A. Plotkin

Alfred Stern

Francine J. Blum

Jerome R. Goldstein

Karen M. Levy

Fred Pressner

Ellyn C. Stone

Daniel Igor Branovan

E. Robert Goodkind

Mont S. Levy

Nancy Weil Price**

Jeffrey E. Stone

Richard L. Berkman*

Matthew Bronfman*

Brindell Gottlieb

Sally S. Levy

Stanley A. Rabin

Fredrick Strober **

Howard Brown**

Candy Gould

Steven D. Levy

Amy Levin Ragen

Harold Tanner Michael L. Tichnor*

Seth Briskin **

Leon D. Gould

Kenneth Lewis

Bruce M. Ramer

Marcia Burnam

Michael Gould*

Eva F. Lichtenberg

Lee Ramer

Craig Unterberg

David H. Chaifetz

Carol S. Gown*

Frank E. Linde

Fred M. Rawicz

Madeline Unterberg

Leslie Chatzinoff

Martin Gradman

Peggy Lowenstein

Bonnie Rechler

Thomas I. Unterberg

Reeve Chudd

Eugene M. Grant

Carol F. Lowenthal

Allan J. Reich*

Anne Virag **

Matthew J. Coen

Leonard E. Greenberg

Stephen Lowey

Guy A. Reiss

Richard S. Volpert

Charles Cogut

Lauren Grien**

Dolly Maas

Barbara F. Resnek

Gary Walk **

Estelle F. Comay

Robert D. Gries

Kenneth D. Makovsky

David Rose **

Leonard B. Weinberg

Milton Cooper

Leonard E. Grossman

Fred R. Mardell

Elliott H. Rose

Robert Weinberger

Betty Cotton

Marshall B. Grossman

Jesse Margolin

Deborah Rosen

Sherry A. Weinman

Alan Dana

Andrew C. Hall**

Andrew H. Marks

Peter R. Rosenblatt

Ellen Ressler Werther

Richard H. Davimos

Joseph Harari

Bertram K. Massing

Lawrence Ruben

Leonard A. Wien, Jr.

Michael M. Davis

Leonard M. Harlan

Alan Melamed*

Kenneth A. Ruby

Steven J. Wisch

Ned Dubilo*

David Harris*

Andrew J. Melnick

A. James Rudin

Allan J. Zachariah Dov S. Zakheim

Stephen V. Dubin

Frances A. Hess z"l

Anthony E. Meyer

David Rudman**

Henry Dubinsky*

Robert T. Hexter

Edward H. Meyer

Jacques Safra

Steven L. Zelkowitz

Stuart E. Eizenstat

Ladd Hirsch **

Anne L. Meyers

Debra Smith Saidoff

Marshall S. Zolla Roy J. Zuckerberg*

David Ellenson

Barbara B. Hirschhorn

Rick Michelman**

Netanel Saidoff

Robert H. Elman

Harriet Hochman

James A. Miller

Harriet P. Schleifer*

Michael Ettinger**

Charlotte Holstein

Lee I. Miller

Dean Schramm **

Bryan Ezralow

David W. Inlander*

Barbara Mines

William B. Schwartz

Patricia Falkenberg

Marvin Israelow*

Linda Mirels*

Harry Seigle**

David J. Farber

Gary N. Jacobs

Joel R. Mogy*

Linda Selig

Jack Farber

Suzanne D. Jaffe*

Belinda Morris

S. Stephen Selig III

Joseph Farcus

Thomas S. Kahn

Alfred H. Moses

Walter Shapero

Michael Feldstein**

Genesia Perlmutter Kamen**

Iris Mushin

Harold T. Shapiro

Walter Nathan

John M. Shapiro*

Jerrold A. Fine

(as of January 1, 2015) *Executive Council Member **Regional Office President ***Global ACCESS Steering Committee Co-Chair

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 31


RECOGNIZING AJC LEADERS MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (NLC) PARTNER WITH AJC TO ADVOCATE FOR ISRAEL AND THE JEWISH PEOPLE AT THE HIGHEST LEVELS AROUND THE WORLD. EACH SUCCESSIVE LEVEL OF GIVING EARNS INCREASED ACCESS TO AJC’S UNPARALLELED DIPLOMACY, LEADERSHIP MISSIONS, AND OTHER UNIQUE ADVOCACY OPPORTUNITIES.

1

2

3

4 1 AJC leaders meet with former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton backstage at the AJC Global Forum 2014. 2 NLC members dine with Mexico’s Ambassador to the United States at his residence during the AJC Global Forum 2014. 3 NLC member Debi Wisch welcomes more than 2,000 attendees from over 70 countries to the AJC Global Forum 2015. 4 AJC leaders tour Rabat, Morocco, on an NLC mission to the Maghreb in 2014. 5 AJC leaders meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,

5

38 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T

fourth from left, during a 2015 NLC mission to Israel.


National Leadership Council members are recognized at the following levels:

AMBASSADORS Annual donors of $100,000 and above

6

DIPLOMATS

$50,000-$99,999

DELEGATES

$25,000-$49,999

ADVOCATES

$10,000-$24,999

7

8 6 AJC leaders meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, second from right, during a 2014 NLC mission to Israel. 7 Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor, left, chats with AJC President Stanley M. Bergman, center, and AJC Executive Council Member Allan Reich at an NLC reception with presidents of Pacific Island nations during the AJC Diplomatic Marathon in 2014. 8 AJC leaders meet with Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa during a 2014 NLC mission to the Gulf. 9 AJC leaders at an NLC reception at the AJC Global Forum 2015.

9

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 39


NATIONAL STAFF E DWA R D A N D SA N D R A M E Y E R O F F I C E O F T H E E X E C U TI V E D I R E C TO R

David Harris, Executive Director Victoria Schonfeld, Associate Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Joey Resnick, Chief of Staff to the Executive Director Sarah Reinheimer, Deputy to the Chief Operating Officer R E S O U R C E D E V E LO P M E N T

Julie Schair, Associate Executive Director and National Director of Development Cathy Bezozo, National Associate Director of Development Michael Gilbert, Director of Regional Office Advancement Amy Cooper, Senior Development Director Leonard Myron, Senior Development Director Lilli Platt, Senior Development Director and Director of AJC Women’s Leadership Board Debra Rubenstein, National Director of Planned Giving Susan Tanenbaum, Senior Development Director Suzanne Bishop, Manager of Prospect Research Gary Spruch, Director of Development Communications Michelle Kroll, Assistant Director of Donor Relations Alexandra Lipner, Development Officer Jeffrey Jablansky, Grant Writer Jeannette Krauss, Development Associate Leatal Laby, Donor Relations Coordinator L E A D E R S H I P D E V E LO P M E N T A N D B OA R D E N G AG E M E N T

Nadine Greenfield-Binstock, Director Joanna Lieberman, Assistant Director Gosia Weiss, Senior Associate, Polish-Jewish Affairs Meggie Fredman, Coordinator D E PA R T M E N T O F REGIONAL OFFICES

Daniel Elbaum, Assistant Executive Director and Director of Regional Offices Kim Kamen, Associate Director Melanie Pell, Associate Director Amanda Mishler, Assistant Director CO M M U N I C ATI O N S A N D M A R K E TI N G

Ellisa Sagor, Assistant Executive Director and Director of Communications and Marketing Jonathan Schweitzer, Director of Public Affairs Ann Antoshak, Art Director Sharon Gelb, Print Production Manager Seffi Kogen, Communications Associate Kylie Brust, Marketing Coordinator Rachel Elias, Graphic Designer 40 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T

M E D I A R E L ATI O N S A N D P U B L I C ATI O N S

Kenneth Bandler, Director of Media Relations Lawrence Grossman, Director of Publications A R C H I V E S A N D R E CO R D S C E N T E R

Charlotte Bonelli, Director A J C ACC E S S

Alexis Frankel, ACCESS Global Director Danielle Cohen, ACCESS NY Director Eric Kaplan, Senior Associate, ACCESS Global Justine Ellis, Senior Associate, Goldman Bridge Fellowship Coordination O F F I C E O F G OV E R N M E N T A N D I N T E R N ATI O N A L A F FA I R S

Jason Isaacson, Associate Executive Director for Policy and Director of Government and International Affairs Melissa Spence, Director of Administration Aaron Jacob, Associate Director of International Affairs Andrew Baker, Director of International Jewish Affairs Richard Foltin, Director of National and Legislative Affairs Julie Fishman Rayman, Director of Political Outreach Joseph Dubroff, Assistant Director of Diplomatic Outreach Sonya Weisburd, Assistant Director of International Jewish Affairs Jack Patterson, Office Manager A J C A F R I C A I N S TIT U T E

Eliseo Neuman, Director A J C A S I A PAC I F I C I N S TIT U T E

Shira Loewenberg, Director Neil Sandberg, Director Emeritus Nissim Reuben, Assistant Director Daniel Silver, Coordinator Yael Amit, Southeast Asia Representative Arjun Hardas, New Delhi Representative Jerome Rosenberg, Tokyo Representative A J C B E R L I N R A M E R I N S TIT U T E

Deidre Berger, Director Josef Girshovich, Advocacy Coordinator Leonard Kaminski, Mideast Affairs Coordinator Fabian WeiĂ&#x;barth, Public Affairs Coordinator

A J C J E R U SA L E M

Avital Leibovich, Director Olga Tripp, Director of Seminars, Missions, and Delegations Yael Avnon, Associate Director of Seminars, Missions, and Delegations Arnona Shiron, Senior Assistant Director of Seminars, Missions, and Delegations Dorit Nuriel, Assistant Director of Seminar, Missions, and Delegations Mai Hermann-Akunis, Events Producer and Missions Coordinator Ella Goldberg, Assistant to the Director A J C PA R I S

Simone Rodan-Benzaquen, Director of AJC Paris and Director of AJC Europe Vincent Zappia, Assistant Director Jeremy Sebanne, Research and Writing Specialist, Feder Family Fellow Shani Benoualid, Social Media and Marketing Assistant A J C P R OJ E C T I N T E R C H A N G E

Robin Levenston, Executive Director Nisha Abkarian, Deputy Director and Director of International Programs Myra Clark-Siegel, Director of Communications and Senior Strategic Counsel Lili Gersch, Director of Alumni Engagement Nina Sundell, Director of U.S. Programs J Kendal Wolf, Director of Measurement and Analysis Miriam Ganem-Rosen, Associate Director of International Programs Christopher Townsend, Business and Resource Development Manager Elanna Cahn, Assistant Director of U.S. Programs Rachel Huxley-Cohen, Assistant Director of Communications Rachel Craig, Senior Program Associate Emily Wesolowski, Senior Program Associate A J C T R A N SAT L A N TI C I N S TIT U T E

Daniel Schwammenthal, Director George Van Bergen, Senior Policy Advisor Michael Sieveking, Political Affairs Officer Lea Siljak, Political Affairs Officer JACO B B L AU S T E I N I N S TIT U T E FO R T H E A DVA N C E M E N T O F HUMAN RIGHTS

Felice Gaer, Director Christen Broecker, Associate Director and Director of Research Shoshana Smolen, Advocacy/Editorial Officer THE ARTHUR AND ROCHELLE B E L F E R I N S TIT U T E FO R L ATI N O A N D L ATI N A M E R I C A N A F FA I R S

Dina Siegel Vann, Director Stephanie Guiloff, Associate Director of Global Programs Juan Dircie, Associate Director of Latino Task Forces Muriel Asseraf, Brazil Representative

RUSSIAN JEWISH CO M M U N IT Y A F FA I R S

Samuel Kliger, Director WILLIAM PETSCHEK CO N T E M P O R A RY J E W I S H L I F E D E PA R T M E N T

Steven Bayme, Director I N T E R N ATI O N A L I N T E R R E L I G I O U S A F FA I R S H E I L B R U N N I N S TIT U T E FO R I N T E R N ATI O N A L I N T E R R E L I G I O U S U N D E R S TA N D I N G

David Rosen, Director Avril Promislow, Assistant Director James Rudin, Senior Consultant Lisa Palmieri-Billig, Representative in Italy and Liaison to the Holy See INTERRELIGIOUS AND I N T E R G R O U P R E L ATI O N S

Noam Marans, Director Emily Soloff, Associate Director Ephraim Gabbai, Assistant Director HUMAN RESOURCES

Janet Besso Becker, Assistant Executive Director and Director of Human Resources and Strategic Implementation Shifra Sharbat, Associate Director of Human Resources and Employee Relations Manager Sala Schmigelski, Associate Director of Human Resources and Benefits Manager Sarah Page, Human Resources and Benefits Associate LEGAL

Marc Stern, General Counsel Avital Blanchard, Assistant General Counsel FINANCE

Richard Hyne, Chief Financial Officer Daniel Goldwater, Controller Rosslyn Khunovich, Deputy Controller Jane Sia, Finance Manager Romeo Dapito, Senior Accountant Valerie Blair, Accountant Carolina Segovia, Accountant/ Accounts Payable Sharon Chiu, Payroll Administrator I N FO R M ATI O N T E C H N O LO GY

Ruth Harenchar, Chief Information Officer Candice Price, Infrastructure Engineer Adam Sundel, Infrastructure Administrator Allen Wen, Help Desk Technician Mark Wilson, Business Analyst Simcha Druck, Business Analyst Nicole Barry, Junior Business Analyst FAC I L ITI E S

Amy Magdalin, Director of Facilities Michael Picozzo, Printshop/Mailroom Manager N ATI O N A L E V E N T S

Leslie Klion, Director Cecilia Golombek, Coordinator (as of August 21, 2015)


REGIONAL OFFICES AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS H E A D Q UA R T E R S

K A N SA S C IT Y

S T. LO U I S

CZECH REPUBLIC

Jacob Blaustein Building 165 East 56 Street New York, NY 10022

David T. Rudman, President Marvin Szneler, Regional Director

Joan E. Silber, President Nancy Lisker, Regional Director

The Federation of Jewish Communities

LO N G I S L A N D

SA N F R A N C I S CO

E L SA LVA D O R

Kenneth Greenberg, President Robert Socolof, Regional Director

Jonathan D. Graf, President Sarah Persitz, Regional Director Lynn Simon, Development Director

Comunidad Israelita de El Salvador

S E AT T L E

EUROPE

Carlyn Steiner, President Lila Pinksfeld, Regional Director

Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (EAJC) European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS)

REGIONAL OFFICES A R I ZO N A

Tim Eckstein, Chair AT L A N TA

Gregory Averbuch, President Dov Wilker, Regional Director Harold Hershberg, Assistant Regional Director Leah Berkowitz, Senior Associate, Leadership and Development B O S TO N

Mel Shuman, President Rob Leikind, Regional Director Jonathan Nierman, Development Director Rebecca Keys, Assistant Regional Director and Chief of Staff Diane Lieberman, Assistant Director for Program and Advocacy C H I C AG O

Ellyn C. Stone, President Amy Stoken, Regional Director Jane Charney, Assistant Regional Director Anna Glazer, Assistant Development Director Amy Miller, Assistant Regional Director Sarah Van Loon, Assistant Regional Director C I N C I N N ATI

Rick Michelman, President Cathy Heldman, Regional Director CLEVELAND

Michael Cantor, President Lee C. Shapiro, Regional Director Jennifer Kaplan, Assistant Regional Director DA L L A S

Ladd Hirsch, President Casie Squires, Assistant Regional Director D E T R O IT

Todd R. Mendel, President Kari Alterman, Regional Director H O U S TO N

Marcia Nichols, President Randall Czarlinsky, Regional Director

LO S A N G E L E S

Dean Schramm, President Marla Abraham, Development Director Siamak Kordestani, Assistant Regional Director Anna Prager, Assistant Regional Director Rachel Slaton, Assistant Development Director M I A M I A N D B R OWA R D CO U N T Y

Andrew C. Hall, President Brian Siegal, Regional Director Mark Kram, Development Director Michael Winograd, Assistant Regional Director NEW JERSEY

Michael Feldstein, President, Central New Jersey Genesia P. Kamen, President, Metro New Jersey John Rosen, Regional Director Allison Sachs Klein, Development Director Ilana Greenbaum, Assistant Regional Director N E W YO R K

David C. Rose, President Michael Schmidt, Regional Director Alex Bronzo, Associate Regional Director Sarah Levinson, Assistant Regional Director O R A N G E CO U N T Y

Susan Glass, Chair PA L M B E AC H CO U N T Y

Gary Walk, President Laurence Milstein, Regional Director PHILADELPHIA/ SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY

Frederick D. Strober, President Marcia Bronstein, Regional Director Andrew Demchick, Development Director Hilary Levine, Assistant Regional Director

WA S H I N G TO N , D.C .

E S TO N I A

Jewish Community of Estonia

Simeon M. Kriesberg, President Alan Ronkin, Regional Director Laura Milstein, Development Director Susan Sloan, Assistant Regional Director

GREECE

W E S TC H E S T E R / FA I R F I E L D

L AT V I A

Beverly B. Rosenbaum, President Scott Richman, Regional Director Vicki Kline, Development Director Jill Friedman, Associate Regional Director

Jewish Community of Latvia

W E S T COA S T F LO R I DA

Anne Virag, President Brian Lipton, Regional Director I N D E P E N D E N T A F F I L I AT E S M I LWAU K E E A R E A J E W I S H CO M M IT T E E

Harriet McKinney, Director P IT T S B U R G H A R E A J E W I S H CO M M IT T E E

Karen Hochberg, Director Susan Simons, Director of Youth Programming Sarah Shotland, Director of Marketing and Communications OREGON AREA J E W I S H CO M M IT T E E

Joanne Van Ness Menashe, Director I N T E R N ATI O N A L PA R T N E R S A R G E N TI N A

Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) AU S T R A L I A

Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) G UAT E M A L A

Comunidad Judia de Guatemala

M E X I CO

Tribuna Israelita M O L D OVA

Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova M O R O CCO

Conseil des Communautés Israélites du Maroc PA N A M A

Consejo Ejecutivo de la Comunidad Judia de Panamá PERU

Asociación Judía del Perú POLAND

Union of Jewish Religious Communities PORTUGAL

Comunidade Israelita de Lisboa (CIL) ROMANIA

Federation of Jewish Communities S LOVA K R E P U B L I C

Union of Jewish Religious Communities SOUTH AFRICA

South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS)

Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) Australasian Union of Jewish Students (AUJS)

S PA I N

B U LG A R I A

Shalom

Fédération Suisse des Communautés Israélites

CHILE

TUNISIA

Comité Representativo de Entidades Judías Chile (CREJ)

Communaute Juive de Tunisie

CO LO M B I A

Centro Israelita de Bogota

Confederación de Asociaciones Israelitas de Venezuela (CAIV)

CO S TA R I C A

WO R L DW I D E

Centro Israelita Sionista

World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS)

Federación de Communidades Israelitas de España S W IT Z E R L A N D

VENEZUELA

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 41


TREASURER’S REPORT As the Treasurer of AJC, I am pleased to submit this report of

AJC’s Balance Sheet continues to exemplify an organization with

AJC’s financial condition and activities for 2014.

a solid financial standing both now and projecting into the future. AJC’s total assets of $164.7 million exceeded total liabilities of

Revenues, gains, and other support income in 2014 totaled $55.0

$43.1 million, resulting in net assets of $121.6 million. Current

million, comprised of (1) Contributions, trusts and bequests of

assets of $61.3 million exceeded current liabilities of $19.0 million

$48.2 million, including $36.6 million unrestricted, $11.4 million

by $42.3 million, indicating a favorable liquidity position.

temporarily restricted, and $0.2 million permanently restricted, and (2) Investment-related and other income of $6.8 million, including

AJC remains ever vigilant in pursuit of revenue growth from

$2.4 million unrestricted and $4.4 million temporarily restricted.

all sources, which will further enhance its financial stability and allow for expansion of the many indispensable programs that

Operating expenses in 2014 totaled $46.6 million, which were

AJC consistently provides.

closely monitored. AJC is committed to the highest standards of good stewardship With strong financial support and tight control over expenses,

and accountability, and will continue to act in a fiscally responsible

AJC’s net assets increased in 2014 by $8.3 million, excluding

manner to safeguard all of its assets. We once again thank you for

two non-operating items. The first was a non-cash pension and

your support of the vital work of AJC.

postretirement charge of $10.9 million that was due primarily to an increase in the calculated pension liability, resulting from a

AJC is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization, tax ID # 13-5563393.

combination of a change in mortality tables to reflect increased longevity of participants and a drop in interest rates. The second was a $6.5 million transfer of net assets to Thanks to Scandinavia, which agreed with AJC to terminate its affiliation effective at the end of 2014. Factoring in these two non-operating charges that totaled $17.4 million, AJC’s net assets decreased by $9.1 million,

NED DUBILO

to $121.6 million.

Treasurer

42 | A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T


FINANCIAL REPORT AJC AND AFFILIATES

C O N S O L I DAT E D B A L A N C E S H E E T S , DECEMBER 3 1 , 2014 AND 2013 (in thousands)

C O N S O L I DAT E D S TAT E M E N T S O F AC T I V I T I E S , YE ARS ENDED DECEMBER 3 1 , 2014 AND 2013 (in thousands)

2014

A S S E T S

2013

CHANGES IN UNRESTRICTED

2014

2013

NET ASSETS: REVENUES,

Cash and cash equivalents $ 22,563 $ 18,984 Contributions receivable, net 14,454 12,891 Investments, at fair value 112,316 111,048 Prepaid expenses and other assets 1,234 813 Beneficial interest in third party trusts 7,573 5,827 Fixed assets, net 6,544 7,155 Total assets $ 164,684 1 $ 156,718 LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

Accounts payable and accrued expenses 5,142 5,518 Amounts held on behalf of Thanks to Scandinavia 6,524 2 Accrued pension and other benefit obligations 29,462 3 18,576 Liability under split-interest agreements 1,923 1,934 Total liabilities 43,051 1 26,028 NET ASSETS

Unrestricted

12,381

19,639

Temporarily restricted4 48,532 50,563 Permanently restricted (corpus) 60,720 60,488 Total net assets 121,633 130,690 Total liabilities and net assets $ 164,684 $ 156,718 1 Current assets of $61,335 exceed current liabilities of $19,017 by $42,318. 2 In 2014, AJC and Thanks to Scandinavia terminated their affiliation with a final effective date of December 31, 2014. 3 The increase in the obligation in 2014 was due primarily to a change in mortality tables (to reflect increased longevity of participants) and decrease in the interest rate used to calculate the pension obligation. 4 Includes accumulated appreciation on corpus of permanently restricted funds.

C O M B I N E D E X P E N S E A L LO C AT I O N S , YE AR ENDED DECEMBER 3 1 , 2014 (in thousands)

GAINS, AND OTHER SUPPORT

Contributions and special events, net $ 36,180 $ 37,746 Trusts and bequests 371 587 Investment income and net gains on investments 150 79 Other income 2,236 2,085 Net assets released from restrictions 11,323 10,430 Total revenue, gains, and other support 50,260 50,927 O P E R AT I N G E X P E N S E S

Program services Supporting services Total operating expenses Excess of revenue, gains, and other support over operating expenses

35,141 33,153 11,498 10,841 46,639 43,994 3,621

6,933

Pension and postretirement changes other than net periodic benefit cost (10,879) 3 Change in unrestricted net assets (7,258)

6,186 13,119

N O N O P E R AT I N G I T E M S

C H A N G E S I N T E M P O R A R I LY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS

Contributions 11,429 8,422 Trusts and bequests - 3,103 Investment income and net gains on investments 2,641 11,876 Change in value of split-interest agreements 1,746 Net assets released from restrictions (11,323) (10,430) Transfer of net assets of Thanks to Scandinavia (6,524) 2 Change in temporarily restricted net assets (2,031) 12,971 C H A N G E S I N P E R M A N E N T LY RESTRICTED NET ASSETS

T O TA L

T O TA L

PROGRAM

EXPENSES

SERVICES

$46,639

$35,141

Contributions Other Increase in corpus of permanently restricted net assets

232 2,241 - (550) 232

1,691

SU M MARY OF N ET ASSETS

Change in net assets (9,057) 27,781 Net assets at beginning of year 130,690 102,909 Net assets at end of year $ 121,633 $ 130,690 75% Total Program Services 16% Fundraising 9% Management

40% International Relations 38% Regional Offices and

Local Advocacy

9% Strategic Communications

and General

and Public Relations

7% Interreligious and

Intergroup Relations

3% National Policy 2% Contemporary Jewish Life 1% Other

A J C I M PAC T R E P O R T | 43


CHARITABLE BEQUESTS TO AJC*

I N M E M O R IAM

AJC remembers with respect and appreciation the outstanding leaders we lost in 2014. We will cherish their commitment for years to come. May their memories always be for a blessing. L AUREL BOROWICK

Laurel Borowick, beloved wife and mother, was an active member of AJC Westchester/Fairfield and an accomplished lawyer dedicated to justice and the Jewish community. Her courageous fight with cancer for over twenty years demonstrated selflessness, kindness, and spirit. Her dedication to AJC and her community will be remembered for years to come. VICTOR S . FRIEDMAN

Victor Friedman, beloved husband of Victoria Schonfeld, AJC’s Chief Operating Officer, was a Yale Law School graduate and distinguished attorney with a lifelong commitment to the pursuit of justice. He was also a classical pianist, an avid bridge and tennis player, and a volunteer tutor in public schools. May the memory of this erudite, compassionate, courageous, and dignified man always be an inspiration. AL AN “ACE” GREENBERG

Alan Greenberg served for many years as Chairman of AJC’s Wall Street Division and the Herbert H. Lehman Tribute. He himself was twice the recipient of AJC’s Lehman Award. A Wall Street legend, Ace was known for his good humor, and for decades enchanted AJC with his warmth, generosity, and ceaseless devotion to the well-being of the Jewish people. AJC is deeply grateful for his friendship. DONALD M . L ANDIS

Don Landis was a past president of AJC Westchester/Fairfield, dedicated philanthropist, and national Board of Governors member. He upheld Jewish values, devoting years of his life to the Jewish communities of the Westchester region of New York. Don’s commitment will be deeply missed and forever cherished. BERNARD WALLERSTEIN

Bernard Wallerstein, veteran of the United States Army during World War II and a stockbroker for renowned firms in the tri-state area, was a committed patron of the Jewish people. He was active in his Jewish community of New Jersey up until the age of 98, and felt particularly passionate about interfaith relations and GermanJewish ties. He was a member of the AJC New Jersey board and the national Board of Governors. Bernard’s tireless commitment will be forever missed. ERNEST WEINER

Ernest Weiner, better known as Ernie, was the Executive Director of AJC San Francisco for 37 years. A World War II veteran, Ernie dedicated his life to the good of the Jewish people. He is remembered by his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren for his vibrancy, exceptional wit, passion for Yiddish, and love of Israel. AJC is grateful for the many lasting contributions Ernie made to the organization.


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AJC’S MISSION To enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.


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