April 5, 2016
Arriving in Rabat with an American Jewish Committee delegation was different from my previous visits as a tourist. Moroccan government representatives greeted us at the airport, and the 14 lay leaders and staff in our group enjoyed access to senior officials whom we engaged in high-level, serious conversations on critical issues.
That kind of diplomatic activity is standard for AJC, which this year is marking its 110th anniversary as a premier global Jewish advocacy organization. Almost weekly, AJC representatives visit the capitals of countries around the world. Relationships with key leaders, built on firm foundations of respect and trust, have developed over decades.
Often, local Jewish community leaders join the AJC delegation for meetings with government officials. Their appreciation for our fraternal friendship reinforces AJC’s mission, since its founding in 1906 in response to pogroms in Kishinev, to work tirelessly to ensure the well-being of Jews worldwide. AJC’s success depends heavily on having partners at the highest levels of government and in civil society.
American Jews are privileged to live in a country where democracy, pluralism and freedom of religion thrive, and our community is organized and well positioned to help ourselves as well as other minorities in the U.S., and where possible to network and advocate globally.
Situated in an increasingly tumultuous region, Morocco stands out as a tolerant Arab state oriented toward the West and proud of the Jewish component of its heritage. Wherever one goes in Morocco the history and contributions of Jews are palpable and treasured. Moroccans are determined to protect the remnants of the Jewish community, as evidenced most recently by the king’s project to restore and preserve Jewish cemeteries.
Jewish history in Spain and Portugal is long and rich. Our visit there came after the two Iberian countries extended official invitations to any Jew who could trace their roots to those lands to claim Spanish or Portuguese citizenship.
We had serious conversations on the peace process, refugees and migrants, terrorism, and bilateral relations with Israel and the United States, with senior officials, including the foreign, interior and justice ministers in Madrid, and the foreign minister and the minister in charge of homeland security in Lisbon. The Spanish and Portuguese governments are dedicated to strengthening ties with Israel and the U.S, and, importantly, to protecting their own Jewish communities.
Madrid Mayor Manuela Carmana used the occasion of our visit to sign, in our presence, the AJC Mayors United Against Ant-Semitism statement, becoming the first Spanish mayor to join the international campaign. To date, more than 300 municipal leaders across the U.S. and some 70 European mayors have signed, including Mayor Dennis R. Wilcox of Cleveland Heights, recognizing the insidious nature of antisemitism.
Global advocacy takes a lot of patience. For me, it expresses a personal commitment to balance the responsibility of serving the Jewish community with my law practice and other professional and familial obligations. My bag is packed, ready for the next travel opportunity, the next chance to engage directly with world leaders and have an opportunity to perhaps make a difference.
Anne Meyers of Lyndhurst is a member of the American Jewish Committee national board of governors and AJC Cleveland regional board.
This article was originally published by Cleveland Jewish News.
