American Jewish Committee (AJC) opens office in Warsaw

On 27 March, the American Jewish Committee (AJC) is opening its office in Warsaw, the organization’s fifth office in Europe. David Harris, chief of the New York-based organization, told PAP he feels close ties with Poland, and the presence of this organization in the capital with strengthen mutual friendship.

AJC Central Europe, the new branch, will cover Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and Hungary. On the Old Continent, this non-government organization already has offices in Berlin, Brussels, Paris and Rome.

"AJC has been involved in Central Europe for more than three decades. Opening an office in Warsaw is the next step in the growth of these relations. It will enable closer and more frequent relations with the seven countries in the region. We want to strengthen our friendship and partnership with these countries also in context of transatlantic relations, between Europe and the United States, but also Israel. Our presence will demonstrate that we are close friends” -- the CEO of AJC told PAP.

The establishment of an office in Warsaw is considered very important not only organizationally, but also symbolically.

Validating the strengthening of relations with seven Central European states, Harris pointed out that they constitute a joint power within the EU. They are pro-transatlantic and support Israel. Additionally, Jewish life has enjoyed a revival in all of these states following the transformation of 1989-1991.

"Operating an office in these regions means that we don’t just visit them several times a year or meet diplomats in Washington or New York, but that we are involved on a day-to-day basis in the process of strengthening ties with decision-makers and opinion-leading centres. We would not be equally effective from a distance” – explained Harris.

Although several other cities wanted the AJC to open its office there, locating it in Warsaw was the most sensible solution – explains PAP’s interviewee. It is geographically located in the centre of the region, and Poland is the largest of the seven countries in which the organization will operate.

"Jewish history is important to Jews in all these countries, but Poland is in fact the historical centre of European Jewry. Locating the office there is most justified on every level – geographical, historical and geopolitical" – he added.

According to the head of the organization, AJC’s relations with Poland were initiated by the National Jewish American-Polish American Council established in the USA in the early 70s. AJC was the organization’s Jewish sponsor.

"In December 1981, the Council and AJC reacted sharply to general Jaruzelski’s introduction of martial law in Poland. We rushed to Washington to support the efforts to extend the visas of Poles who were in the United States at the time and were afraid to return to Poland for fear of imprisonment. AJF supported the Solidarity, KOR and the democratic transformations of the nineties,” – reminded Harris.

He emphasized that AJC was the only Jewish institution to develop a truly unique partnership and relations with democratic Poland. This resulted in, among other accomplishments, the establishment of an annual exchange program, continued now for 22 years thanks to the Forum for National Dialogue Foundation.

In the nineties, AJC was the only Jewish organization to participate in the Senate hearings on Poland’s, Hungary’s and Czech Republic’s NATO accession. In the early 2000s, the organization entered an agreement with the Polish government to undertake shared efforts to restore and build a museum in the Nazi German death camp near Bełżec.

"Looking at the different events, I can proudly say that AJC is a true friend of Poland and Poles after the democratic revival of 1989” – said Harris, whose parents were Holocaust survivors.

Discussing the new office in Warsaw, the head of the New York-based organization also referred to the broader context of transatlantic relations. He pointed out that the AJC has been promoting these relations for years, and that that the partnership between the USA and democratic Europe is an important pillar of the global architecture of international security and prosperity.

"In today’s tumultuous world, this partnership is more important than ever before. It serves stabilization and mutual benefits, not just in the area of business and economics, but also in the safeguarding of shared values, interests and security” – he enumerates.

He also pointed out that last year’s referendum of 23 June in Great Britain and Brexit present an opportunity for Central European countries to increase their role in Brussels. He also assured that following U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments regarding “NATO’s obsolescence”, the AJC expressed support for the western security treaty and the transatlantic partnership as a whole, whose continued existence cannot be taken for granted today.

Pointing to the rise in importance of non-government organizations in recent years, Harris reminded that the AJC is one such organization with a global reach and 110 years of history. The organization has not changed its core values and continues to strongly believe in democratic values, protection of human rights and human dignity – he claims.

"We believe the best way to preserve these values in democratic countries is to stick together. I hope that now we will be able to safeguard them even more energetically and productively from Warsaw," – he pointed out. .

Harris added that he has been involved in Polish issues for nearly four decades. “What I find most admirable is the Polish spirit, which I believe to be personified in John Paul II, the leaders of the Solidarity and KOR, who challenged the totalitarian system. After 1989 I see this spirit in the rebirth of democracy and Poland’s successes as a post-communist country. I feel close ties with Poland both personally and throughthe AJC” – said the head of the American Jewish Committee.

Reporting from New York, Andrzej Dobrowolski (PAP).