2025-11-03 11:46:PM <br/> Tags: #AmericanJewry #organization #KeyOrganizations #EarlyZionism #Lobby ![[image-165.png|327x327]] # American Jewish Congress - The American Jewish Congress, AJCongress, or just "the Congress," is an American Jewish organization dedicated to furthering Jewish interest. - The Congress has been involved in many left wing movements of the last 100 years: civil rights, feminism, LGBT, removal of Christianity from schools, etc. #### Founding - The American Jewish Congress was founded in 1918; the first AJ Congress convening at Philadelphia's Independence Hall. - The idea for the Congress was first proposed in 1914 by Lithuanian-born American Jew, Bernard Richards. - The Congress was founded by many of the era's most notable Jews including: - [[Stephen S. Wise]] - [[Henrietta Szold]] - [[Louis Brandeis]] - [[Felix Frankfurter]] - [[Nathan Straus]] - [[Julian Mack]] - [[Louis Marshall]] - [[Louis Lipsky]] - The Congress was pro-Zionist from its founding. Every name listed above besides Louis Marshal was a highly prominent Zionist leader. - [[Golda Meir]] and Albert Einstein are also considered to be influential in the early years of the Congress. #### US Activity - WWII, and the 1940s - In the 1930s the Congress was an early opponent of Hitler's Germany. - Weeks after Hitler became chancellor of Germany in January of 1933, the Congress organized a mass protest at New York's Madison Square Garden. - The Congress soon launched a boycott of all German goods. - The Congress became a primary force in coordinating anti-Nazi propaganda and protests. - For the purposes of fighting Nazism, American Jewish Congress leader [[Stephen S. Wise]] co-founded the [[World Jewish Congress]] in 1936. - The WJC was also led by Wise. - The American Jewish Congress served as a primary liaison between world Jewry and the US government during WWII. - Stephen Wise was instrumental in lobbying FDR both before the war and during. - Wise and the AJCongress were among the first to sound the alarm over alleged atrocities being committed by Germany as early as 1942. ![[image-166.png|421x512]] *Stephen Wise and US Treasury Secretary [[Henry Morgenthau Jr.]] leave the White House after lobbying for a hardline approach against Germany -1938.* - The AJCongress was among the most aggressive Jewish lobbying entities regarding lobbying for US recognition of the state of Israel. - From 1945-1948, the AJCongress was crucial in lobbing the Truman government. - The Congress was a founding member of the [[Conference of Presidents]] in 1954. - The Conference of Presidents is the overall umbrella for the largest American Jewish Organizations. #### US Activity - Civil Rights - Beginning in the 1940s, the AJCongress greatly increased its involvement in civil rights and pro-minority pursuits. - The Congress formed the Commission on Community Interrelations (CCI) and the Commission on Law and Social Action (CLSA). - The AJCongress explicitly defined the purpose of the CLSA as "to fight every manifestation of racism." *This was written on page one of its amicus brief in Brown v. Board of Education.* - The CLSA was chaired by Shad Polier, a Jewish Civil rights attorney. - Polier was also involved in the [[World Jewish Congress]], and the [[Claims Conference]]. - Polier married Justine Wise, the daughter of AJCongress founder [[Stephen S. Wise]]. - Polier was also involved with the [[NAACP]] since 1931. The CLSA was modeled off the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. - In 1946 AJCongress lawyers were involved in *Westminster School District v. Mendez*, a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals case which ruled that schools segregating Mexicans are unconstitutional. - In 1952, the Congress filed an amicus brief in *Brown v. Board of Education*, the landmark Supreme Court case that desegregated American public schools. - In its opening statement of interest, the American Jewish Congress stated, "Our immediate objective here is to secure unconditional equality for Americans of Negro ancestry." - In section C.(1) of its argument the Congress argues that poor "Negro" academic results are a symptom not of inferiority, but of the "physic" damage of segregation. - The Congress determined that the lack of "value and desirability" of black schools is similarly a result of racism. - The Congress infers that if schools were desegregated, blacks and whites would experience no disparity in outcomes. *How has that worked out?* - In section C.(2) the Congress cites its own Commission on Community Interrelation study that determined that segregated facilities, even when equal in quality, deal emotional damage to black people. - In 1962, the AJCongress led the legal charge in *Engel v. Vitale*. - *Engel v. Vitale* was a landmark Supreme Court case that banned Christian prayer in public schools. - The Congress called the decision a "great milestone." - In certain legal occurrences, the Congress worked with the [[ACLU]]. ---- - The Congress was also very active in the political and social Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. - [[Joachim Prinz]], the Congress's president from 1958-1966, was a close ally of Martin Luther King Jr., and highly active in the Civil Rights Movement. - Prinz was one of ten founding chairmen of the famous 1963 "March on Washington." - During the March on Washington, Prinz spoke shortly before MLK delivered the "I have a dream" speech. - King became involved with the Congress in 1957 after contacting its president [[Israel Goldstein]] (president 1952-1959). - In 1958, MLK was invited to speak at an AJCongress convention where he stated, "Our [Jews and blacks] unity is born of our common struggle for centuries." - American Jewish Congress board member and treasurer, [[Stanley Levison]], was also a close associate of MLK. - Levison was a ghostwriter for King's speeches. ![[image-167.png|571x443]] *AJCongress leader [[Joachim Prinz]] (center left) with MLK - 1963.* #### US Activity - 1970s-80s - In the 70s and 80s, the Congress pivoted rightward, notably on its position against affirmative action. - The Congress altered its position after significant strains of the left wing movement it helped to create, took anti-Israel positions. - The Congress's opposition to affirmative action can also be viewed as Jewish protection of Jewish over-representation in college admissions. - The Congress's rightward shift caused a number of its chapters to separate into new organizations. - The Congress's influence waned during this period. - The Congress leaned into another Jewish favorite during the 80s - feminism. - In 1988 the Congress hosted "The First International Jewish Feminist Conference: The Empowerment of Women" in Jerusalem. - The 1988 Feminist Conference featured prominent Jewish-feminist leaders like Bella Abzug, Jacqueline Levine, and Betty Friedan. #### US Activity - Financial Failure and Phil Rosen - the 2000s - In 2003, the Congress's president [[Jack Rosen]] strongly backed [[George W. Bush]]'s reelection stating "we need to recognize what this president has done for Israel." - Rosen had been a decades long donor to Democrat candidates. - Rosen was noted as an "enthusiastic war hawk" in the run-up to the 2003 [[Iraq War]]. (Mearsheimer and Walt 2007, 241) - In 2007, the Congress hired [[Israel Singer]] to chair the AJCongress's international policy council of its Council for World Jewry. - Singer had recently been fired from his senior position at the [[World Jewish Congress]] for financial mismanagement. - In 2008 the American Jewish Congress lost almost the entirety of its endowment fund which had been invested with [[Bernie Madoff]]. - The organization's $24 million endowment was reduced to just $3 million. - By 2010, the American Jewish Congress announced the ceasing of its operations. - At this time [[Jack Rosen]], an independently wealthy businessman and past president of the Congress, revived the organization and took control. - The American Jewish Congress, since Rosen's takeover, is no longer the same organization in practice. - The Congress no longer actually holds delegate-style "congresses." - The Congress is led by a small board, which is dominated overwhelmingly by [[Jack Rosen]]. - Rosen uses his extensive political connections to lobby on behalf of Jews and Israel from the helm of a historically important organization. - It is reported in a 2018 article in *[[The Forward]]* that, "Rosen said that the group’s unwritten mission statement is to find the 500 most important decision-makers on issues relating to Israel and to get to know them." #RedPill *If you claim American Jewish groups work on behalf of Israel, it is an antisemitic conspiracy. So what is this?* - The Congress also runs a "Jewish Political Guide" which tracks U.S. elected representatives' support of Israel (or lack there of). - The Jewish Political Guide has a page called "Questionable U.S. Representatives," where it lists the handful of representative's that show any lack of allegiance to Israel. *Ex. Thomas Massie is listed first on the questionable reps. page.* - The Jewish Political Guide hosts a webpage with a clickable map of the U.S. - When clicking a state, the state's Senators pop up with the line "Is [Senator] good for Jewish interests?" ![[Recording 2025-11-05 111225.mp4]] *Demo of the Congress's Jewish Political Guide webpage.* - Despite it's primary focus on pro-Israel advocacy and lobbying, the Congress still backs many of the left wing social causes it was famous for. - The Congress operates an "Advisory Board on Domestic Terrorism and White Supremacy." - This board, chaired by [[Jack Rosen]], works to thwart pro-White figures and movements. #### Israel Relations - The Congress has always been strongly pro-Israel; heavily lobbying on its behalf before Israel was even a state. - Since its reformation in the 2010s, the American Jewish Congress is much more involved in pro-Israel lobbying and combatting antisemitism than its historical emphasis on domestic support for "minorities." - Today, the Congress runs a program called the "Science Diplomacy Initiative (SDI)." - The SDI works with Israel's high tech sector to promote international relations with Israel. - The Congress hosts an annual "Mayors Conference." - The Mayors Conference is a partnership between the Congress, Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the American Council for World Jewry. - The Mayors Conference brings mayors, heads of state, and other senior government officials from around the world to Israel for a "high-level delegation." - The 2025 Mayors Conference is centered around artificial intelligence with the tagline: "AI: Empowering the Cities of Tomorrow." #### References - _American Jewish Congress (AJC)._ “American Jewish Congress (AJC).” Martin Luther King Jr. Research & Education Institute, Stanford University. [https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/american-jewish-congress-ajc](https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/american-jewish-congress-ajc). - American Jewish Congress. _Report of Proceedings of the American Jewish Congress, Philadelphia, December, 1918_. New York: American Jewish Congress, 1919. [https://www.bjpa.org/content/upload/bjpa/amer/AMERICAN%20JEWISH%20CONGRESS%20PROCEEDINGS%20PHILADELPHIA%20PA%201918.pdf](https://www.bjpa.org/content/upload/bjpa/amer/AMERICAN%20JEWISH%20CONGRESS%20PROCEEDINGS%20PHILADELPHIA%20PA%201918.pdf) *Covers the figures involved in the first AJCongress.* - “American Jewish Congress.” _Wikipedia_. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jewish_Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Jewish_Congress). - “American Jewish Congress.” _About Us_, American Jewish Congress, [https://ajcongress.org/about/#:~:text=The%20American%20Jewish%20Congress%20was,State%20of%20Israel%20in%201948](https://ajcongress.org/about/#:~:text=The%20American%20Jewish%20Congress%20was,State%20of%20Israel%20in%201948) - “Shad Polier.” _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shad_Polier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shad_Polier). - Katz, Elizabeth D. “Racial and Religious Democracy”: Identity and Equality in Midcentury Courts. _Stanford Law Review_ 72 (2020). [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3441367](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3441367&). - “Engel v. Vitale.” _Wikipedia_. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engel_v._Vitale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engel_v._Vitale). - “Brief of American Jewish Congress as Amicus Curiae, page 1, 3, 12, 17.” _Oliver Brown et al. v. Board of Education of Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas_, No. 1 (1952). [https://briefs2.lonedissent.org/1952/brown-v-board-of-education-i/Brief%20of%20American%20Jewish%20Congress%20as%20Amicus%20Curiae.pdf](https://briefs2.lonedissent.org/1952/brown-v-board-of-education-i/Brief%20of%20American%20Jewish%20Congress%20as%20Amicus%20Curiae.pdf). - “Levine, Jacqueline.” _Jewish Women’s Archive_. [https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/levine-jacqueline](https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/levine-jacqueline). - Nathan-Kazis, Josh. “One Man Has Taken Over A Historic Organization. Is It Good For The Jews?” _Forward_, February 12, 2018. [https://forward.com/news/393895/one-man-has-taken-over-a-historic-organization-is-it-good-for-the-jews/](https://forward.com/news/393895/one-man-has-taken-over-a-historic-organization-is-it-good-for-the-jews/). - “Bad Representatives.” _Jewish Political Guide_, American Jewish Congress, [https://ajcongress.org/jewishpoliticalguide/bad-representatives/](https://ajcongress.org/jewishpoliticalguide/bad-representatives/). - “Senators.” _Jewish Political Guide_, American Jewish Congress, [https://ajcongress.org/jewishpoliticalguide/senators/](https://ajcongress.org/jewishpoliticalguide/senators/). - “Advisory Board.” _American Jewish Congress_, [https://ajcongress.org/advisory-board/](https://ajcongress.org/advisory-board/). *This is the Advisory Board on White Supremacy*. - JTA. “AJCongress Taps Israel Singer.” _Jewish Telegraphic Agency_, November 29 2007. [https://www.jta.org/2007/11/29/default/ajcongress-taps-israel-singer](https://www.jta.org/2007/11/29/default/ajcongress-taps-israel-singer). - Mearsheimer, John J., and Stephen M. Walt. _The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy_. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007, 241.