Interreligious

American Jewish Committee (AJC) has presented its prestigious Human Dignity Award to Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah, one of the world’s most respected Islamic scholars and a champion of religious freedom, peace, and enhancing Muslim-Jewish relations.

American Jewish Committee met with Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, a forceful advocate against antisemitism, at a conclave of many of the world’s religions and movements that is guided by a message that allyship and freedom to worship are needed more than ever.

We’re about to see a liturgical convergence in the Islamic and Jewish calendars. Jews around the world will fast and mourn on Tisha B’Av, a day remembering the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem. The next day, many Muslims will fast and mourn in observance of Ashura, recalling the death of a revered Muslim forebear in the year 680. The occasions share parallel themes and practices, and they may tempt leaders on both sides to use the convergence as an occasion for joint activities. But Muslim-Jewish relations will be best served if we don’t come together for this commemoration.

Seton Hall University has honored Rabbi Noam Marans, Director of American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, with the Sister Rose Thering Award for Outstanding Service in Education for Interreligious Harmony.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) President Michael Tichnor and CEO Ted Deutch led a leadership delegation to the Vatican. “We are so grateful for the transformation in Catholic-Jewish relations and for the privilege AJC has enjoyed and continues to enjoy as a central actor in this ongoing historic reconciliation, which Pope Francis has taken to even greater heights,” said Deutch. “Pope Francis’s love and care for the Jewish People is universally known. We are grateful for his strong voice condemning antisemitism.”

American Jewish Committee (AJC) has joined with religious liberty scholars Asma T. Uddin and Steven Collis in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to support employee rights to seek religious accommodations to not work on the Sabbath.

The United Arab Emirates has been pioneering interfaith work in the Arab world for almost a decade, and it has been my privilege to have been involved over the years in the different initiatives, in particular the Abu Dhabi Forum for Peace and, more recently, the activities of the UAE Ministry of Tolerance.
However, the most dramatic of these initiatives reached an historic milestone last week with the launch of the Abrahamic Family House, an exquisitely beautiful complex of three separate religious buildings – a mosque, a church and a synagogue, connected by a common space, including areas for conferences and exhibitions as well as the administration of the center.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) joined in the celebration of the Abrahamic Family House opening in Abu Dhabi. With a mosque, church, and synagogue, along with exhibition space and conference facilities, the new interfaith center drives home the message of interfaith respect and cooperation that has long been a feature of Emirati culture and life. Ambassador (ret.) Marc Sievers, Director of AJC Abu Dhabi: The Sidney Lerner Center for Arab-Jewish Understanding; Rabbi David Rosen, Director, AJC International Interreligious Affairs; and Reva Gorelick, Program Director, AJC Abu Dhabi, attended the opening ceremony yesterday.

A year before UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan signed the historic Abraham Accords on the White House lawn, his government made a breathtaking announcement: In the spirit of the “Year of Tolerance” – declared by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the country’s leader, in conjunction with the joint visit to the UAE by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of al-Azhar, Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, in February 2019 – Abu Dhabi would undertake construction of a world-class complex dedicated to the pursuit of inter-religious dialogue and cooperation, with majestic houses of worship for each of the three Abrahamic faiths. A little more than three years later, that revolutionary project is completed and will open its doors to the public. Three houses of worship, serving faiths with a common ancestry, will welcome adherents to express their devotion according to their separate hallowed traditions – as well as respectful observers, of whatever spiritual orientation – on a common campus signifying and celebrating the unity of humanity.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) today released “What Jews Think About Non-Jews” (kayfa yaraa al-yahud ghayr al-yahud), the 10th installment in the leading global Jewish advocacy organization’s Arabic language educational video series, ‘An al-Yahud (“About the Jews”). The video also is available in English.

Pope Benedict XVI was deeply committed to advancing relations with the Jewish People. He was the first Pope ever to invite Jewish leaders both to the funeral of a pontiff and, above all, to the celebration of his own coronation. Very early in his pontificate Benedict received a leadership delegation of my organization, American Jewish Committee.

I was first introduced to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later to become Pope Benedict XVI, in the late 1980s when he was visiting Jerusalem. Teddy Kollek, mayor of Jerusalem, was eager for me to meet with the cardinal, telling me that I would discover a very different person from the image portrayed in the general media. He was so correct.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), the leading global Jewish advocacy organization, mourns the passing of Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. A true friend of the Jewish people, Benedict continued the path of reconciliation and friendship with world Jewry blazed by his predecessor, John Paul II.

Rabbi A. James Rudin, who headed American Jewish Committee’s pioneering work with the Roman Catholic Church and other faiths for many years, was honored today by Pope Francis with one of the Vatican’s highest awards, the Knight of St. Gregory the Great.

Rabbi David Rosen, American Jewish Committee (AJC) International Director of Interreligious Affairs, today addressed the Bahrain Dialogue Forum, a gathering of more than 200 interfaith leaders from around the world.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) honored today Christian Stückl, director of the Oberammergau Passion Play, with its prestigious Isaiah Award for Exemplary Interreligious Leadership. The AJC award, honoring extraordinary achievement in interfaith endeavors, was presented to Stückl by Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. “Throughout his illustrious career as Oberammergau Passion Play director, Christian Stückl has demonstrated the power of one individual to make a tremendous difference," said Marans.

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) leadership mission completed a week of consultations and public programs in Indonesia, a country with which the leading global Jewish advocacy organization has been engaged for two decades. The 17-member delegation included AJC CEO David Harris and professional and lay leadership of AJC’s Asia Pacific Institute (API) and Interreligious Affairs Department. “AJC knows the central importance of Indonesia to the Asia Pacific region and the Muslim world,” said API Director Shira Loewenberg. “We found a growing circle of friends and partners who want to engage with Jews along religious, political, cultural, and human dimensions.

A group of Jewish and Muslim young professionals from Morocco, Israel, and the United States concluded ten days of consultations with senior government, civil society, and diplomatic officials in seven cities throughout Morocco and Israel. It was the capstone program of the Michael Sachs Fellowship for Emerging Leaders organized by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) and the Mimouna Association.

Until recently the recognition of any religion other than Islam in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was rare, and anyone practicing another faith was “vulnerable to detention, harassment and, for noncitizens, deportation,” according to the U.S. Office of International Religious Freedom. But earlier this month, I attended a multifaith conference in the country’s capital, Riyadh, on “Common Values Among the Followers of Religions.” The forum, which brought together leaders and representatives of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism from around the world, was an exciting breakthrough that reflects some remarkable changes.

A historic gathering of faith leaders from across religious traditions took place this week in Saudi Arabia, and included 12 rabbis, among them Rabbi David Rosen, American Jewish Committee’s Director of International Interreligious Relations.

Oberammergau is no longer a capital of antisemitism. In an age of rising antisemitism around the world, hauntingly so in post-Holocaust Europe and Germany, where more than 10% of the population voted in 2021 for an antisemitic right-wing populist party, the Oberammergau Passion Play has become a working laboratory for the advancement of Christian-Jewish and German-Jewish relations.

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff joined the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) and other multifaith groups for an Iftar, the evening meal following the daily fast for Muslims during the month of Ramadan. Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris, was in conversation with Rashad Hussain, the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.

As Muslims and Jews, we stand united in our commitment to promote solidarity, understanding and friendship among our faith communities. Antisemitism and anti-Muslim bigotry are more than attacks on our faiths and religious freedom. Ultimately, they are assaults on the fabric and fiber of democratic societies. Domestic terrorism and targeted violence threaten the safety of all Americans. Each of us has a role to play in keeping our communities safe. This was the impetus behind the American Jewish Committee working with Muslim and Jewish groups to form the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC). In 2017, we created an MJAC of South Florida (MJAC).

In a candid conversation, Israeli-American musician and recording artist Nissim Black discusses the roots of his career as a rapper, the struggles he faced when he moved to Israel and tried to find acceptance for his children, and how his connection to his Jewish faith shapes his music. Black explores how his music and spirituality have presented opportunities for constructive conversations on racism and antisemitism.

American Jewish Committee has released an Arabic-language video about the American Jewish community, the seventh episode of the organization’s popular Arabic video series, ‘An al-Yahud (“About the Jews”).

When I started my career in interfaith engagement 16 years ago, Muslim-Jewish relations were generally characterized by friction and mutual suspicion. Today, conventional wisdom in both communities supports engagement over estrangement and cooperation over conflict. However, constructive partnership is not inevitable. For those seeking to travel the road of Muslim-Jewish relations, here are 10 useful tips.

In recent months, an alarming new trend in anti-Hindu activism in the United States has come to the fore as the latest manifestation of identity politics. There is a growing anti-Hindu movement in the US that bears a strong resemblance to the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, as it is manifested on college campuses and in local politics. Blatant acts and hateful rhetoric targeting Hindu practitioners—or those identified as such, by their Indian names or ancestry—is something that the Jewish community can and should vociferously oppose.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a longstanding favorite in the biennial General Synod, the denomination’s national decision-making body, which has sought to end what it calls “Israel’s occupation of Palestine.” Last month the group did not disappoint its adherents or others who believe Israel is singularly responsible for the current situation. It generated yet another resolution condemning Israel in many ways while never asking the Palestinians to also take responsibility and do something to resolve the conflict, to advance peace.

Humera Khan and Adnan Ansari partnered with AJC to launch the Tackle! Upstander Training program, designed to help leaders in American cities develop local prevention frameworks to protect their communities from threats motivated by extremism or bigotry.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised the Biden Administration for nominating today Rashad Hussain as United States Ambassador at-Large for International Religious Freedom. He will be the first Muslim to serve in this position. “Rashad Hussain is an impressive advocate of freedom of religion or belief in challenging diplomatic contexts,” said AJC CEO David Harris.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) condemns the United Church of Christ (UCC) General Synod resolution entitled, “Declaration for a Just Peace Between Palestine and Israel,” adopted today by a vote of 462 to 78. The measure demonizes Israel, fails to offer a credible path to Israeli-Palestinian peace, and undermines advances in Christian-Jewish relations.

Children of Abraham: An Introduction to Judaism for Muslims, the highly acclaimed book by Rabbi Dr. Reuven Firestone of Hebrew Union College, first published by American Jewish Committee (AJC) in 2001, will be updated and distributed in multiple languages prevalent in Muslim-majority countries around the world. "We see a growing desire across the Muslim world for in-depth knowledge about Judaism and the Jewish people,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “The Children of Abraham translation project will make an authentic Jewish voice widely accessible to hundreds of millions of Muslims.”

The first in a series of short videos to foster awareness of Jewish and Muslim contributions to American society was released today by the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC). The videos and other stories of Muslim-Jewish cooperation will be promoted on MJAC’s new Facebook (@MJACAdvocacy) and Twitter (@Muslim_Jewish) pages, also unveiled today.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) praises the passage of the Jabara-Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act 94-1, as an amendment to the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in the U.S. Senate.

This week we hear from Martin Doblmeier, the director of Spiritual Audacity: The Abraham Joshua Heschel Story on the history of one of the most inspiring and preeminent scholars of the 20th Century. Doblmeier discusses Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel’s profound impact on the civil rights movement, the relationship between Jews and the Roman Catholic Church, and the “evil of indifference.”

Despite waning religious affiliation, faith continues to influence the culture and character of American society. Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) member Dr. Eboo Patel, the founder and president of Interfaith Youth Core, joins us to discuss how faith communities can champion good and oppose evil, and assure that America’s diversity is not a liability, but rather, an asset.

Education in defining antisemitism and recognizing the Nazi swastika and differentiating it from the sacred Hindu symbol are challenging for our society. An understanding of the diverse faiths that make up the fabric of our country makes everyone safer and ensures the religious freedom and liberty we hold dear – the same religious freedom and liberty that my grandmother and my friend sought in America.

H.E. Archbishop Elpidophoros, leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, joins Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, for a Hanukkah conversation on rising antisemitism, Eastern Mediterranean geopolitics and more.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, joins AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, Rabbi Noam Marans, for a wide-ranging conversation on the holiday season during a pandemic, the role of religion in healing a divided America, and the threat of rising antisemitism and other forms of hate.

First up is Eric Ward, Executive Director of the Western States Center, who discusses his experience as a leader in the Black community committed to fighting antisemitism and how the Black and Jewish communities can work together to combat hate. Then, we hear from Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi of Manhattan’s Central Synagogue and member of AJC’s Board of Governors, about her experiences as a Jew of Color and the Jewish community’s obligation to social justice.

“Cardinal-designate Gregory is a dear friend of AJC and the Jewish people and a leading voice in advancing both Catholic-Jewish and Black-Jewish relations. Our shared endeavors are blessed by Archbishop Gregory’s ascent to the College of Cardinals,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations.

Since my relatively sheltered youth I have formed many friendships with Muslim men and women, and I have seen the beautiful role that Islam plays in their lives. I have learned that Jews and Muslims share a commitment to the welfare of our own peoples—”‘Am” in Hebrew and “Umma” in Arabic.

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl and Bishop Kenneth Ulmer discuss what role houses of worship and religious communities play in the future direction of Black-Jewish relations.

In celebration of the enduring ties between America’s Black and Jewish communities, AJC and the National Urban League are partnering to designate the week of September 6 as Black-Jewish Unity Week. We sit down with Clint Odom, the National Urban League’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy, Executive Director of the National Urban League’s Washington Bureau, to talk about the connections between the Black and Jewish communities and how we can use #BlackJewishUnity week to strengthen those ties.

Some in our communities consider our friendship peculiar. What could an Orthodox Jewish academic from New York and an African American imam raised in North Carolina have in common? But over the years we have built trust on a foundation of mutual respect and joint action. We visit, learn about, and teach in one another’s faith communities. We stand in solidarity when the other’s people are attacked. Above all, we nurture a bond of brotherhood through our shared human experience.

As we remember the millions of innocents murdered during the Holocaust and the massacre of thousands in Srebrenica, let us honor their memories by striving to work together as free people to foster peace and healing in the many places of war, conflict and human suffering.

Archbishop Paul Gallagher, Vatican's Secretary of Relations between States (its "Foreign Minister"), and Rabbi David Rosen, AJC's International Director for Interreligious Affairs discuss Vatican's relations with Israel and the Arab and Islamic world and its diplomatic strategies for achieving a global future of peace with a special focus on the Middle East.

How can religion be a source for good as America confronts the current health and race crises?

Read the text of Dr. Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General, Muslim World League; Chairman, The Centre for Responsible Leadership's speech during AJC Virtual Global Forum 2020's Opening Plenary

Muslim World League Secretary General Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, addressing the opening plenary of the 2020 American Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, reaffirmed his commitment to preserving Holocaust memory and advancing Muslim-Jewish cooperation.

He is the most senior Islamic leader to visit the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Protests have erupted across the United States following the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis. Lonnie G. Bunch III, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, Founding Director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and AJC Project Interchange alumnus, joins us for a comprehensive discussion on race relations and Black-Jewish cooperation in the United States. Then, we’re joined by Isaac 'Bougie' Herzog, Chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel, to discuss Israel-Diaspora relations - where we are, how we got here, and the future we must build together.

The pandemic has shut down our mosques and synagogues, bringing about a boom in digital gatherings, virtual prayer spaces and online learning. Are these changes fleeting responses to a crisis or will they fundamentally alter religious life?

Rabbi David Wolpe, named "America’s Most Influential Rabbi” by Newsweek, and Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, the first woman to head the venerable 184-year-old Union Theological Seminary (UTS), discuss our experiences of loss during the pandemic and the ability of religious institutions to adapt.

Two prominent American Muslim voices and members of the AJC-led Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) in a dynamic conversation about challenges and innovations of celebrating the month of Ramadan, which begins on the evening of April 23, during the pandemic crisis.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, discuss Passover, Easter, and Catholic-Jewish cooperation in trying times.

AJC International Director of Interreligious Affairs, Rabbi David Rosen, introduces his overview of AJC’s involvement in global interfaith relations, Jewry’s main relationships with the Christian world, and recent historic inroads with the Muslim world. Advocacy Anywhere is a new platform that will enable you to engage with AJC’s leading expertise, content, and advocacy opportunities from wherever you are, using cutting-edge technology.

The first Jewish faith-leader received by a Saudi Arabian monarch recounts his visit with King Salman bin Abdul Aziz.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes the opening of the Vatican’s Secret Archives and other Vatican archival data from the period of the Second World War.

The joint visit was transformative for both Muslim and Jewish participants. While both sides may have had questions, uncertainties about the nascent relationship in advance of the trip, by Friday evening both Harris and Issa were referring to one another as partners. Indeed, the visit confirmed the potential for further joint efforts by AJC and the MWL.

On the second day of a groundbreaking interfaith mission to Poland, the leaders of American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Muslim World League (MWL) reaffirmed their new partnership by committing to ensure memory of the Holocaust, combat hatred and racism, and foster a new era in Muslim-Jewish relations.

Leadership in the Lutheran church was “a major force in instilling theological antisemitism in the modern world.” AJC was among the first organizations to confront it.

As the second decade of the 21st century ends with heightened partisanship descending to new depths of divisiveness, the positive evolution of Jewish-Muslim interactions and cooperation in the United States are a welcome and hopeful indication that seemingly irredeemable rivals can transform.

This month, my organization, American Jewish Committee, organized a ground-breaking visit of Muslim religious leaders from across the country to Y.U. and Salanter Akiba Riverdale (SAR) High School, two flagship Modern Orthodox institutions.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC), a national coalition, convened today at the Muhammed Ali Center to launch the Louisville MJAC.

American Jewish Committee (AJC), a longstanding pioneer in interreligious relations, organized this groundbreaking encounter, the first of its kind bringing together mainstream American Muslim religious leaders and American Modern Orthodox Jewish institutions.

The Oberammergau Passion Play, performed decennially in Germany’s Bavaria since 1634, was, until relatively recently, believed to be irredeemably antisemitic.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) is calling on the U.S. Congress to pass the Jabara-Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assaults, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act following the release of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) report on hate crimes.

An Academic Advisory Group, established by American Jewish Committee (AJC) to engage constructively with Oberammergau Passion Play leadership, visited the German village this week to discuss the 2020 production.

“Archbishop Gómez has been an exemplary leader in advancing Catholic-Jewish relations in Los Angeles and across the nation,” said Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. “His election by fellow Roman Catholic bishops is a significant milestone in recognizing the growing importance of the Latino community in the U.S.”

In an historic encounter, American Jewish Committee (AJC) interreligious and Latino staff experts addressed the Alianza Evangélica Latina (AEL, Latin Evangelical Alliance) General Assembly. AJC is the first Jewish organization so honored.

An AJC leadership delegation met with key Muslim organizations and individuals in Chicago. The two-day visit was part of AJC’s national “listening tour” aimed at deepening engagement with American Muslim community institutions and leaders.

Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations, has been elected Chair of IJCIC, the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) welcomes the bicameral introduction of a legislative measure to improve hate crimes reporting and governmental responses.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes passage by an overwhelming margin of two resolutions from the United Church of Christ (UCC) calling for interreligious dialogue and declaring solidarity with Jews and others who are targets of neo-Nazis and white supremacists.

AJC offers its warmest wishes to His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America, who begins his tenure as leader of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, the religious fountainhead of America’s Greek Orthodox faithful and the spiritual inspiration for Greek Americans.

Contrary to what a few strident voices would have us believe, Muslim-Jewish relations in the United States are flourishing.

Seeking to eradicate the hateful and divisive rhetoric that has poisoned the nation’s political discourse and spawned acts of violence in houses of worship, AJC has called on Americans to join its Community of Conscience.

At AJC Global Forum 2019, AJC unveiled its groundbreaking Community of Conscience initiative.

AJC CEO David Harris discussed why all people of good conscience must join together to stand united against hate and violence and celebrate pluralism and diversity at the unveiling of AJC's groundbreaking Community of Conscience initiative.

The Leaders Academy, a school housed in the mosque, recently allowed a children’s Arabic language performance about the “liberation of Palestine,” in which students danced to a song promoting gruesome violence and recited passages praising martyrdom. Educating children to lionize violence is clearly a danger.

Days after Facebook banned Louis Farrakhan for his antisemitic posts on its platform, a controversial Roman Catholic priest at a predominately black parish in Chicago invited the Nation of Islam leader to his pulpit. His tolerance of antisemitism belies significant strides in Jewish Catholic relations and underscores that there is much work to be done in Black-Jewish relations.

Poland Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich, with AJC Central Europe assistance, held an interfaith service in memory of the victims of recent terror attacks in New Zealand, California, and Sri Lanka.

His Excellency, Dr. Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, will become the most senior Islamic leader to visit the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz. The trip is a key element of a historic memorandum of understanding signed by Dr. Al-Issa and American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris today at AJC headquarters.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) condemns the heinous shooting at Chabad of Poway, California on the last day of Passover that left one congregant dead and three injured, including the synagogue’s rabbi.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) has donated funds to help rebuild three historically black churches in Louisiana destroyed in a series of arson attacks.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) announced today that it will donate funds to help repair Notre Dame Cathedral, severely damaged in a massive fire.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council (MJAC) conducted a series of high-level meetings in the nation’s capital on combatting hate crimes and promoting civil discourse.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes Pope Francis’s appointment of Archbishop Wilton Gregory to head the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

An American Jewish Committee (AJC) delegation has visited the nation’s capital for a series of meetings to deepen engagement with American Muslim communities, institutions and leaders.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) President John Shapiro led a leadership delegation during a private audience with His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican today.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) welcomes today’s announcement by Pope Francis that the Vatican Archives, for the period of Pope Pius XII, will be open to researchers beginning in March 2020.

While none of the many Jewish bungalow colonies in the nearby Catskill Mountains have been falsely maligned as a “terrorist training camp” as Islamberg has, American Jews should be alarmed by both the false accusations and the plot to violently attack the community.

Elder Quentin L. Cook, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, visited AJC headquarters today to meet with senior leadership of the global Jewish advocacy organization.

The Abu Dhabi conference was surely a significant indicator of an increasingly positive view on engagement with Jewry on the part of religious and political authorities in the region.

Deepening ties with a land that has been home to Jews for two millennia, an AJC leadership delegation concluded a weeklong visit to Morocco that included consultations with senior government officials, Jewish community leaders, and civil society partners – and a series of lectures, roundtables and special events in three cities that focused on advancing Muslim-Jewish understanding.

All faiths and religious practices are under assault when anti-Muslim advocates pretend that Islam is not a religion and use this fallacious argument to deny American Muslims the rights extended to Americans of all faiths.

“The solid bipartisan support for the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2018 is a reaffirmation of our freedom, enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, to exercise religion, to practice one’s faith unhindered and without fear,” said Jason Isaacson.

Ari Gordon has been named Director of U.S. Muslim-Jewish Relations for AJC (American Jewish Committee), the global Jewish advocacy organization.

This important legislation, which we ask President Trump to sign into law promptly, provides for new and strengthened measures to deter, as well as punish, perpetrators of attacks on religious institutions.

AJC commends the Episcopal Church for once again rejecting divestment directed against Israel, but expresses concern regarding open hostility toward Israel in other resolutions. The Episcopal Church is concluding its 79th triennial General Convention, held in Austin, Texas, at which these anti-Israel proposals were addressed.

AJC regrets that the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), at its biennial General Assembly (GA), reaffirmed its support for BDS by adopting a measure opposing anti-BDS legislation.

Yahya Cholil Staquf, who heads the world’s largest Muslim organization, discusses the importance of interreligious dialogue and the quest for improving Muslim-Jewish ties in a conversation with Rabbi David Rosen, AJC International Director of Interreligious Affairs.

Since 2004, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has engaged in a biennial ritual of obsessive, relentless anti-Israel demonization. The church’s upcoming General Assembly in St. Louis will be no exception.

In a letter to the Vatican, AJC has expressed profound concerns regarding the Pope’s announcement recognizing Cardinal August Hlond, the Polish Primate during World War II, as having “heroic virtues” – a stage towards being made a saint.

Yahya Cholil Staquf, General Secretary of the world’s largest Muslim organization, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Supreme Council, will address the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Global Forum in Jerusalem.

AJC praised the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing today the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2018.

AJC mourns the passing of Rev. Billy Graham, a longtime friend of the organization, who died today at age 99.

Vice President Mike Pence traveled to Israel last week and was warmly received. Throughout his political career, Pence has cited his Evangelical faith as the foundation of his support for the Jewish state. Our guests are McKay Coppins, staff writer for The Atlantic, who recently profiled Pence for the magazine, as well as Rabbi Noam Marans, AJC’s Director of Interreligious and Intergroup Relations. Join us as we examine the dynamics undergirding Evangelical support for Israel.

Sheikh Moafaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, delivered today an urgent plea for the safety of the Druze community in Syria.

AJC stands with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in mourning the passing of Thomas Monson, who served as LDS President since 2008.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council praises the passage of the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017 (H.R. 1730) by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Muslim Jewish Advisory Council, reacting to the just-released FBI report on hate crimes, said the continued increase in hate crimes in the United States demands a public policy response.

A delegation of ACCESS leaders, AJC’s young leadership program, from the United States, Brazil, and Israel returned this week from a mission to Morocco where they met with government officials, business executives, and civil society activists.

As the Reformation's 500th anniversary nears, Christians are contending with Luther's violently anti-Jewish writings.

Over the last decade, a number of mainline Protestant Churches, including some with a significant presence in New England, have adopted resolutions harshly critical of Israel. During the summer two more were passed by the United Church of Christ and the Disciples of Christ.

When Jews confront the present and prepare for the future, they are always mindful of the past.
When torch-bearing neo-Nazi white supremacists chant, “Jews will not replace us,” and a threatening contingent move on to a Charlottesville synagogue, the low points of American Jewish history flash before our eyes.

Addressing the International Religious Freedom Association (IRFA), Richard Foltin, AJC’s Director of National and Legislative Affairs, warned that the rise in hate crimes across the U.S. and activities of neo-Nazis and white nationalists threatens American society values and structures that have long assured security for the nation’s minorities and guaranteed religious freedom.

AJC and Germany Close Up (GCU) co-sponsored a two-day seminar in Wittenberg, Germany for young American Jews and German Christians to study and reflect upon Martin Luther’s anti-Jewish legacy and productive Christian denominational efforts to grapple with his anti-Judaism during the recent decades of Christian-Jewish dialogue.

Twenty-two prominent U.S. Christian leaders are in Jerusalem for the final phase of an intensive 13-month educational program on Judaism and Israel, part of the Christian Leadership Initiative (CLI), a partnership of AJC and the Shalom Hartman Institute.

Ramadan provides our community with an opportunity to build multicultural bridges.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council today urged members of Congress to pass the Protecting Religiously Affiliated Institutions Act of 2017.

For the past seven years, Muslim students at Liberty High School have been able to use a vacant classroom for prayer services initiated and led by the students. Read about their struggle to maintain religious freedom in the face of politicized prejudice by Texas officials.

The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council held its second ever meeting today in Washington, D.C., convening to discuss hate crime legislation, immigration issues, refugee resettlement, and more. The Council elaborated on its concerns in an "open letter" to Congress.

In evaluating the trajectory of Catholic-Jewish Relations in the Pope Francis era, one picture is worth a
thousand words. Pope Francis has identified Marc Chagall’s White Crucifixion as one of his favorite paintings.2 In the aftermath of Kristallnacht in 1938, when hundreds of European synagogues were torched, foreshadowing greater evil yet to come, Chagall artistically interpreted the threat of Nazism within the continuum of antisemitism.

AJC mourns the passing of His Eminence Cardinal Edward Egan and offers comfort and consolation to the leadership and constituents of the Archdiocese of New York, where he served as Archbishop from 2000-2009. He was elevated to Cardinal by His Holiness Pope John Paul II in 2001.

AJC condemned an overnight attack on a mosque in the West Bank village of Aqraba. Graffiti, including the words “price tag” and the name of a nearby Israeli settlement, Tapuah, were spraypainted on the mosque.

AJC is calling on world leaders to urgently focus on the rapidly deteriorating situation in Iraq, due to the advances of the ISIS terrorist organization, which aims to wipe out any population it deems heretical.

AJC called today’s Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) decision to divest from major companies doing business with Israel a setback for efforts to attain a negotiated, sustainable Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, and a breach with a Jewish community committed to Jewish-Christian relations.