American Jewish Committee
A U.S.-based international advocacy organization advancing Jewish and broader human rights, combating antisemitism, and strengthening intergroup relations.
Last updated October 28, 2026
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Overview
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a United States-based Jewish advocacy and civil-rights organization founded in New York City on November 11, 1906. It was created by 81 American Jews of Central European background who sought to remove barriers to the full participation of Jews in American public life and to defend Jewish communities facing discrimination abroad. The organization is one of the oldest continuously operating Jewish advocacy bodies in the United States and has often been described as a senior or “dean” institution within American Jewish organizational life. AJC’s work combines public-policy advocacy, diplomacy, research, litigation support, interfaith engagement, and international relationship building. Its principal concerns include combating antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, protecting religious freedom and civil liberties, supporting Israel’s security and legitimacy, defending vulnerable Jewish communities, promoting democratic governance and universal human rights, and developing ties among Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Latino, Black, and other communities. Rather than functioning as a commercial brand, AJC operates as a nonprofit advocacy network with regional offices in the United States, overseas offices, and partnerships with Jewish communal institutions in numerous countries. Historically, AJC favored quiet diplomacy and relied heavily on the influence of prominent lawyers, bankers, scholars, and public figures. Louis Marshall, its president from 1912 until his death in 1929, helped make the organization a leading opponent of restrictive U.S. immigration policy and antisemitic propaganda. AJC also participated in international relief work during World War I and pressed governments and international bodies over discrimination against Jews in Europe and the Middle East. The organization’s wartime record has been debated. During the 1930s and World War II, its leadership supported assistance and refuge for Jews fleeing Nazism but generally avoided highly public Jewish-centered mobilization, fearing that such activism could intensify American antisemitism or portray the war as a specifically Jewish cause. After 1945, AJC became more active in human-rights advocacy, displaced-persons policy, and the development of international human-rights standards, including the human-rights provisions of the United Nations Charter. AJC’s institutional identity changed substantially after World War II. It moved from a formally non-Zionist posture toward strong advocacy for Israel, especially after the 1967 Six-Day War. It helped improve Jewish-Catholic relations, contributing to the dialogue that preceded the Catholic Church’s 1965 declaration Nostra aetate. It also supported U.S. civil-rights litigation and filed an amicus brief in Brown v. Board of Education, drawing on social-science research concerning the effects of school segregation. In later decades, it campaigned against the Arab League boycott of Israel, opposed the United Nations resolution equating Zionism with racism, advocated for Soviet Jewish emigration, and worked to strengthen Israel’s participation in international institutions. Since the late twentieth century, AJC has increasingly emphasized international diplomacy. Its activities include meetings with government officials, diplomatic delegations, policy conferences, educational visits to Israel, interreligious programs, antisemitism monitoring, and engagement with international organizations. Major institutional programs include the Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights, Project Interchange, ACCESS for young professionals, the Transatlantic Institute, regional and country-focused institutes, and the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council. AJC remains active in the United States and internationally, presenting itself as a bridge between Jewish communities, governments, and other religious and ethnic communities.
History
The American Jewish Committee was founded on November 11, 1906, when 81 American Jews met at New York’s Hotel Savoy. Its original purpose was to protect Jews from discrimination and promote their equal participation in American society. Early leaders included Louis Marshall, Jacob H. Schiff, Mayer Sulzberger, and Cyrus Adler. The organization initially preferred discreet advocacy through elite political and legal networks rather than mass mobilization. Louis Marshall, who led AJC from 1912 to 1929, made the organization a prominent opponent of antisemitism and restrictive immigration policy. He challenged Henry Ford’s antisemitic newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, and advocated reform of the U.S. Immigration Act of 1924. AJC also helped establish the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in 1914 and raised concerns about persecution and discriminatory laws affecting Jews in Romania, Turkey, Yemen, Norway, and Mandatory Palestine. During the 1930s, AJC supported efforts to find refuge for Jews fleeing Nazi Germany but had limited success. Its wartime leadership generally emphasized the democratic character of the Allied war effort and avoided framing the conflict primarily around the persecution of Jews. Later historians and Jewish communal figures criticized this caution as inadequate to the scale and distinctiveness of Nazi persecution. After the war, the organization adopted a more assertive human-rights posture, encouraged international protections for displaced people, and helped build support for human-rights language in the United Nations Charter. AJC also participated in the political controversies of the early Cold War. It supported a strongly anti-communist position and cooperated with congressional investigations into alleged communist activity, including sharing information with the House Un-American Activities Committee. Its stance during the Rosenberg case drew criticism from Julius Rosenberg and others who argued that Jewish organizations had failed to defend the accused couple adequately. These episodes reflected the organization’s postwar priority of demonstrating that Jewish civic loyalty was fully compatible with American national identity. In domestic civil rights, AJC increasingly argued that Jewish security depended on the protection of equality for all Americans. It commissioned psychologist Kenneth Clark’s research on the effects of segregation and cited that work in an amicus brief supporting the plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court’s 1954 decision declaring segregated public schools unconstitutional helped validate AJC’s combination of social-science research, constitutional advocacy, and intergroup coalition building. The organization later opposed racial quotas while supporting affirmative-action measures aimed at disadvantaged groups. AJC’s relationship with Israel developed after World War II. In 1950, AJC president Jacob Blaustein and Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion articulated an understanding that American Jews owed their political allegiance to the countries in which they lived. AJC remained formally non-Zionist for a period, but it supported Israel’s establishment and became a strong defender of the Jewish state, particularly after the 1967 war. It was the first American Jewish organization to open a permanent office in Israel. The organization became an important participant in Jewish-Christian dialogue. Its engagement with Catholic leaders helped create conditions for Nostra aetate, issued by the Second Vatican Council in 1965, which rejected collective Jewish responsibility for Jesus’s death and repudiated antisemitic interpretations. AJC also joined litigation and advocacy concerning separation of religion and government, including a brief in Engel v. Vitale challenging prayer in public schools. During the 1970s, AJC campaigned against the Arab League boycott of Israel and worked to oppose the 1975 United Nations resolution identifying Zionism with racism. It supported the eventual repeal of that resolution in 1991 and helped Israel overcome diplomatic isolation by advocating its inclusion in the Western Europe and Others regional group at the United Nations. AJC also participated in the campaign for the emigration rights of Soviet Jews, including the 1987 Freedom Sunday rally in Washington. From the 1980s onward, AJC expanded its international profile. Project Interchange, founded in 1982 and incorporated into AJC in 1992, organized educational seminars in Israel for influential Americans and international leaders. David Harris became executive director in 1990 and broadened the organization’s diplomatic activity through regular meetings with foreign officials and an annual series of high-level discussions during the United Nations General Assembly. AJC opened a permanent Berlin office in 1998, launched or developed regional institutes, and supported campaigns such as NATO intervention in Kosovo in 1999. In the twenty-first century, AJC has continued to combine domestic civil-rights work with international advocacy. Its programs address antisemitism, human rights, Israel’s diplomatic standing, interreligious understanding, Muslim-Jewish relations, Latin American and Asian affairs, European Jewish life, and leadership development. The Jacob Blaustein Institute expanded its human-rights agenda under Felice Gaer to include universal issues such as women’s rights, protection of dissidents, and the rights of torture victims. AJC also helped establish the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival in 2000 and became an official partner of the United Nations in 2001. The organization remains an active nonprofit advocacy network with U.S. regional offices, overseas offices, and international partnerships.
- 2001
United Nations partnership
[1]AJC became an official partner of the United Nations.
- 2000
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival support
[1]AJC helped establish the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
- 1998
Berlin office opened
[1]AJC opened a full-time office in Berlin, expanding its European diplomatic presence.
- 1987
Freedom Sunday rally
[1]AJC helped organize a mass Washington demonstration supporting emigration rights for Soviet Jews.
- 1982
Project Interchange founded
[1]The educational program was created to bring influential leaders to Israel for policy and society-focused seminars.
- 1965
Jewish-Catholic dialogue and Nostra aetate
[1]AJC’s dialogue with Catholic leaders contributed to the interreligious context of Nostra aetate.
- 1954
Brown v. Board of Education brief
[1]AJC filed an amicus brief supporting the constitutional challenge to school segregation.
- 1914
Creation of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
[1]AJC helped create the relief organization that assisted Jewish victims of World War I.
- 1906
Founding of AJC
[1]Eighty-one American Jews established the American Jewish Committee in New York to defend Jewish civil rights and oppose discrimination.
Products and positioning
A nonpartisan, internationally oriented Jewish advocacy organization combining public diplomacy, civil-rights advocacy, human-rights work, and intergroup relationship building.
Leadership education · 1982
Project Interchange
An AJC educational initiative that brings influential American and international leaders to Israel for intensive seminars. Participants examine Israeli society, security, diplomacy, politics, and regional issues through meetings and field visits. The program is intended to improve informed engagement with Israel and deepen understanding among policymakers, civic leaders, journalists, academics, and other professionals.
Human-rights advocacy
Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights
AJC’s human-rights institute conducts policy research, international advocacy, and engagement with multilateral institutions. Its agenda has extended beyond specifically Jewish concerns to universal human-rights issues, including women’s rights, protection of political dissidents, and the rights of torture victims.
Young-professional program
ACCESS
A leadership and engagement program for young professionals, connecting participants with AJC’s policy, diplomatic, interfaith, and community-building work. It is designed to develop informed advocates and expand the organization’s network among emerging civic and professional leaders.
Policy conference
AJC Global Forum
AJC’s international convening platform for Jewish communal leaders, policymakers, diplomats, and representatives of partner communities. The forum addresses antisemitism, Israel, international affairs, human rights, and intergroup relations through plenary discussions and policy engagement.
International policy institute · 2004
Transatlantic Institute
A Brussels-based AJC institute focused on relations among the United States, Europe, Israel, and transatlantic institutions. Its work promotes cooperation on democratic values, security, antisemitism, Israel-related policy, and Jewish life in Europe.
Controversies
2020
Axios criticized over description of Leila Khaled
Axios faced criticism for referring to Leila Khaled as a "Palestinian activist" in an article. The supplied article reports criticism from the American Jewish Committee and other commentators. The American Jewish Committee was among those voicing objection to the description. The report presents the criticism directed at Axios over its use of the term for Khaled.
1953
Controversy over the Rosenberg case
AJC’s support for the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and its anti-communist posture during the case, drew criticism from Julius Rosenberg and others who accused Jewish organizational leaders of failing to defend the defendants.
1940
Criticism of wartime refugee policy
AJC’s cautious public posture during the Holocaust and its limited success in pressing for expanded refuge for Jewish refugees have been criticized by historians and Jewish communal figures as an inadequate response to Nazi persecution.
Marketing campaigns
- 1999Kosovo advocacy campaign
United States · Europe
AJC ran a public campaign supporting NATO intervention in Kosovo during the conflict there.
Outcome. The campaign aligned AJC with interventionist efforts supporting protection of civilians and opposition to ethnic persecution.
- 1987Freedom Sunday for Soviet Jewry
United States · Soviet Union
AJC helped organize a large Washington rally demanding that the Soviet government permit Jewish emigration and respect religious and cultural rights.
Outcome. The rally became a prominent event in the international campaign for Soviet Jewish freedom.
- 1975Campaign against UN Resolution 3379
United States · United Nations
AJC organized advocacy against the United Nations resolution that equated Zionism with racism and worked to build international support for its repeal.
Outcome. The resolution was revoked in 1991 through UN Resolution 4686.
- 1970Anti-Arab-boycott advocacy
United States · Israel · Europe · Asia
AJC campaigned against the Arab League boycott of Israel and sought to persuade governments and companies not to participate in discriminatory trade practices.
Outcome. AJC credited its advocacy with helping some countries, including Japan, move away from participation in the boycott.
- 1965Jewish-Catholic reconciliation
United States · Vatican · Europe
AJC developed sustained dialogue with Catholic leaders on antisemitism, theology, and Jewish-Christian relations.
Outcome. The dialogue contributed to the broader process that produced Nostra aetate.
- 1954Brown v. Board of Education advocacy
United States
AJC used social-science research and constitutional advocacy to support the desegregation of public schools.
Outcome. The Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
- 1920Opposition to antisemitism and discriminatory policies
United States · Europe · Middle East
AJC pursued quiet diplomatic and legal advocacy against antisemitic propaganda, pogroms, discriminatory immigration treatment, and restrictions on Jewish religious practice in several countries.
Outcome. The campaign produced selected legal and diplomatic gains, although the organization’s influence varied by country and issue.
Brand decisions
2004
Creation of the Transatlantic InstituteStrategyBackground
AJC expanded its engagement with European institutions and transatlantic policy debates.
Action taken
It opened the Transatlantic Institute in Brussels.
Aftermath
The institute provided a permanent platform for work on U.S.-European relations, Israel, antisemitism, and democratic values.
1992
Project Interchange incorporated into AJCStrategyBackground
AJC sought to expand educational engagement with influential leaders and opinion formers.
Action taken
Project Interchange became part of AJC and continued organizing seminars in Israel.
Aftermath
The program became a durable component of AJC’s leadership-education and public-diplomacy work.
1990
Organizational restructuringStrategyBackground
AJC faced competition from more activist Jewish organizations and sought to concentrate resources on intergroup relations.
Action taken
It eliminated 40 of approximately 275 staff positions, reduced its annual budget by $1 million from a reported $16 million, and consolidated some offices.
Aftermath
The restructuring reduced operations in Western Europe and South America and sharpened the organization’s focus on intergroup work.
Annual budget. $16 million → $15 million (1990)
1950
Understanding on American Jewish political allegianceStrategyBackground
AJC sought to clarify the relationship between American Jewish identity and support for the newly established State of Israel.
Action taken
President Jacob Blaustein reached an understanding with Israeli prime minister David Ben-Gurion emphasizing that American Jews’ political allegiance was to their countries of residence.
Aftermath
The understanding became an important statement of AJC’s postwar position before the organization moved toward stronger public advocacy for Israel.
Recent events
- 2022
AJC leadership transition[2]
Leadership change
Ted Deutch became chief executive officer after David Harris’s long tenure as executive director.
- 1998
Permanent Berlin presence opened[1]
Other
AJC established a full-time presence in Germany, becoming the first American Jewish organization to do so.
- 1990
AJC restructuring[1]
Other
The organization reorganized its operations, reduced staff, cut its budget, and refocused on intergroup relations.
- 1987
Freedom Sunday rally for Soviet Jewry[1]
Campaign
AJC Washington representative David Harris organized a major Washington rally demanding freedom of emigration for Soviet Jews.
- 1975
AJC opposed the United Nations ‘Zionism is Racism’ resolution[1]
Campaign · Other
AJC became the first Jewish organization to campaign against Resolution 3379 and continued the effort until its repeal.
- 1965
Nostra aetate and Jewish-Catholic relations[1]
Other
AJC’s sustained dialogue with the Catholic Church contributed to the environment surrounding the declaration Nostra aetate.
- 1954
AJC supported the Brown v. Board of Education litigation[1]
Other
The organization filed an amicus brief supporting the challenge to legally segregated public schools.
- 1906
AJC established in New York City[1]
Other
Eighty-one American Jews founded the organization to defend Jewish civil rights and oppose discrimination.
Sources3 sources
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