2025-07-04 12:06 <br/> Tags: #organization #AmericanJewry #Lobby # American Zionist Council (AZC) (1949-1966) - The AZC was the umbrella Israel lobby precursor to [[AIPAC]]. - The AZC, founded in 1949 was the successor to the American Zionist Emergency Council (AZEC). - The AZEC was founded by rabbi [[Abba Hillel Silver]] and rabbi [[Stephen S. Wise]] during WWII. - The AZC was formed out of the AZEC right after the state of Israel was declared. - The AZC served to directly lobby for the new country. - The AZC was led by [[Abba Hillel Silver]], [[Emanuel Neumann]], and [[Louis Lipsky]] among others. - The groups under the AZC's umbrella included the [[Zionist Organization of America (ZOA)]], [[Betar]], and [[Hadassah]]. - The AZC was funded by the [[Jewish Agency]] (Israeli government), through the [[United Jewish Appeal (UJA)]], and the [[United Israel Appeal]] US based NGOs. - In 1951, registered foreign agent [[Isaiah L. Kenen]], who worked for the [[Jewish Agency]], formed the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs (AZCPA) under the AZC. - The AZCPA was formed as an added layer of obfuscation to Israeli connections. Still, the AZCPA was funded by the Jewish Agency (Israeli government) and the AZC. - Kenen was ordered to continue registering as a foreign agent after his move from direct Israeli government lobbying (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) to the AZC and AZCPA. He refused and never registered again. - The AZCPA was funded in part by associates of Jewish mafia kingpin Meyer Lansky. - In 1951 Kenen leaves his Israeli Government lobbying position to join the AZC for the purpose of lobbying the passage of the Mutual Security Act of 1951. - The Mutual Security Act provided various forms of foreign aid. In the MSA, Israel was given funding for agriculture, immigration, and economic purposes. - In 1954, following government investigation and negative press from the [[Qibya Massacre]], the AZCPA separated itself from AZC in order to evade regulation/investigation. - In 1954, [[Irving Miller]] was elected chairman of the AZC. - The AZCPA was largely funded by wealthy American Jews including [[Abraham Feinberg]] and [[Dewey Stone]]. - Feinberg was selected by [[David Ben-Gurion]] to organize covert funding for the Israeli nuclear project. - While Feinberg was funding the [[Israel and the Nuclear Bomb|Israeli nuclear project]], he was also funding the AZCPA/AIPAC to spread false information about the existence of the project. - *Jews and Israel supporters will claim the lobbying groups and individual donors are just "Americans supporting a cause they happen to like." The Feinberg nuclear example is the perfect picture of how this supposed innocent arrangement really works.* - In 1959 the AZCPA renames itself the American Israel Public Affairs Committee otherwise known as [[AIPAC]]. - The AZC sent monthly newsletters to every member of congress called *Near East Report* and *Israel Digest*. These lobbying publications were quietly funded by the Israeli government. - In 1962 the AZC transfers its activities to AIPAC after it was ordered to register as a foreign agent by the JFK administration (read more here: [[JFK Assassination]]). - The AZC ceased operations in 1966. #### Recommended Reading The Israel Lobby - John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt #### References - **“AZC, AZCPA and AIPAC Lobbying Act Disclosure Forms,”** _Israel Lobby Archive_, accessed **July 4, 2025**, [https://www.israellobby.org/azcpa/](https://www.israellobby.org/azcpa/). - **“American Zionist Council,”** _Wikipedia_, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Zionist_Council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Zionist_Council). - **“Isaiah L. Kenen: Foreign Agent to Founder of AIPAC,”** _Israel Lobby Archive_, [https://www.israellobby.org/kenen/](https://www.israellobby.org/kenen/). - **“DOJ orders the AZC to Register as a Foreign Agent,”** _Israel Lobby Archive_ (IRmep), [https://www.israellobby.org/azcdoj/](https://www.israellobby.org/azcdoj/). - Powerbase. “American Zionist Emergency Council.” _Powerbase_. Accessed August 2025. https://powerbase.info/index.php/American_Zionist_Emergency_Council. - Ben-Ami, Shlomo. “The Edge of the Abyss: The Origins of the Israel Lobby, 1949–1954.” _Modern American History_ 4, no. 3 (2021): 259–281. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/modern-american-history/article/edge-of-the-abyss-the-origins-of-the-israel-lobby-19491954/E1690BDB5CA87C66B2B65D12CA1D716A.