Excerpts from the American Jewish Committee Weekly Update: August 8, 2007
AJC Urges Congress to Support Improved CAFE Standards
AJC is urging the leadership of both parties to ensure that robust CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) standards are included in the final energy bill that will be sent to President Bush for his signature. The House-Senate Conference Committee will convene when Congress returns in September. While the Senate bill calls for a goal of 35-mile-per-gallon standard by 2020, the House bill does not include any improvement in CAFE standards. AJC did commend the House for passing the New Direction for Energy Independence, National Security and Consumer Protection Act, which includes a number of measures to achieve energy independence and protect the environment supported by AJC. READ NEWS RELEASE at: ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=4240415 &tr=y&aui d=2901020
Proselytizing at the Pentagon
"What the Defense Department has uncovered is deeply disturbing, and we are gratified that those officers who participated while in uniform in a fundraising video for the Christian Embassy will face disciplinary action," said Rabbi Gary Greenebaum, AJC's U.S. director of Interreligious Affairs, about a Defense Department investigation of a leading evangelizing organization, the Christian Embassy, that used officers in uniform for a promotional video. READ NEWS RELEASE at: ajc.org/site/apps/nl/content2.asp?c=ijITI2PHKoG&b=849241&ct=4240183 &tr=y&aui d=2901021
AJC Hosts Latin American Business Leaders
AJC hosted fifteen Jewish business and community representatives from Colombia, Peru and Panama who traveled to Washington, DC, to advocate on behalf of free-trade agreements currently pending before the U.S. Congress. The two-day program included dinner at the residence of the Colombian ambassador, co-hosted by the Peruvian and Panamanian embassies, and meetings on Capitol Hill with members of Congress and think tank experts dealing with Latin America. The gathering also provided an opportunity to continue conversations about top concerns on the Jewish agenda.
Latino and Latin American Institute visits U.S. Southern Command
Bruce M. Ramer, chair of AJC's Latino and Latin American Institute, led a delegation to the Florida headquarters of the U.S. Southern Command, the arm of the military supporting security and stability in the Americas. Admiral Jim Stavridis briefed the AJC group on Southcom activities, focusing on the fight against terrorism and Islamic radicalism, efforts to provide humanitarian and disaster relief, the promotion of human rights, and the strengthening of ties between the U.S. and its neighbors.
"Boycott Israeli Universities? Boycott Ours, Too!"
A full-page AJC ad in today's New York Times lists nearly 300 college and university presidents who have endorsed a powerful statement by Columbia University President Lee Bollinger denouncing the United Kingdom's University and College Union's decision to promote a boycott of Israeli educational institutions. Bollinger's statement is reproduced in the ad, published as a public service by AJC. More presidents have since added their names, including the leaders of Johns Hopkins, NYU, Northeastern, Temple and The University of Iowa. The full list will be updated daily on the AJC website. David Harris, in his nationally broadcast radio message, is urging other presidents to join. Any president who wishes to join should send an email to Harold Shapiro, president emeritus of Princeton University, at shapiroh@ajc.org.
New at ajcwire: Is Jewish Peoplehood Passé?
"We prosper only when we have honest give-and-take between different Jews advancing their positions respectfully and willing to listen when candid criticisms are voiced," writes Steven Bayme, director of AJC's Department of Contemporary Jewish Life, about Jewcy.com's debate on the future of the Jewish people. READ BLOG at: http://www.ajcblog.org/?tr=y&auid=2901023
AJC/Brandeis Summer Institute
AJC leaders from across the country joined Professor Ilan Troen, chair of Israel Studies at Brandeis University, and Dr. Steven Bayme, director of AJC's Koppelman Institute for American Jewish-Israeli Relations, for the second annual four-day AJC/Brandeis Summer Institute on Modern Israel at the Cranwell Resort in Lenox, MA. Harold Shapiro, chair of the institute and president emeritus of Princeton University, chaired the program. The seminar focused on Israeli history, politics, culture and religion. Participants enhanced their knowledge of the major issues confronting Israel and her Diaspora supporters in the years ahead.
Executive Director's Blog: A Profile in Courage
David Harris writes in the Jerusalem Post blog about embattled Bangladeshi journalist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury. Choudhury vowed at an AJC luncheon on August 2 to continue to encourage Bangladeshi moderates to speak out against the growing power of Islamic radicals. "We have to win the battle," he said. Choudhury, on trial in Bangladesh for treason, blasphemy and sedition, received AJC's Moral Courage Award in 2006.
Ari M. Gordon Assistant Director Department of Interreligious Affairs American Jewish Committee 165 E56th St. New York, NY 10022 (212) 891-6768 (212) 751-4000 x266 www.ajc.org www.engagingamerica.org