Important Talk by AJC Executive Director David Harris

AJC’s DAVID HARRIS TO ADDRESS “TURMOIL AND TRANSFORMATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST” AT TEMPLE SHOLOM of GREENWICH – 300 East Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT

AJC’s National Executive Director David Harris will be addressing the Westchester and Fairfield County communities in a major speech to be delivered at Temple Sholom of Greenwich on Thursday, September 15^that 7:30 p.m.  This lecture will be presented by AJC and Temple Sholom in partnership with the Westchester Jewish Council and UJA-Federation of Greenwich. 

Entitled “Turmoil and Transformation in Israel and the Middle East:  An Insider’s Perspective” the program is timed to offer expert insight and analysis on a variety of issues which will be addressed when the United Nations General  Assembly holds its annual meeting in New York City this month.

David Harris is one of the Jewish people’s leading advocates and most eloquent spokesmen. He travels the globe meeting with world leaders to advance the well-being of Israel, combat anti-Semitism, monitor the condition of Jewish communities, and promote intergroup and interreligious understanding. 

Mr. Harris has been described as one of the foremost American advocates for Israel’s political and diplomatic standing, meeting frequently with world leaders to discuss issues affecting the Middle East.  

From May through August 2011, David and AJC conducted over 250 meetings with high level officials from 68 foreign governments - including all 27 member states of the European Union to prevent the Palestinian Authority from bypassing negotiations or further imperiling the prospects for peace.

He is credited by the Japanese government for bringing about change in Tokyo’s position on its long-standing adherence to the Arab boycott against Israel and toward a more balanced approach to the larger Arab-Israeli conflict. He was also a key figure in the successful sixteen-year struggle to repeal the infamous  “Zionism is racism” resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1975, only the second time in UN history a resolution was actually repealed.

Mr. Harris also spearheaded AJC’s successful campaign to correct Israel’s anomalous status at the UN, where it had been the only nation ineligible to sit on the Security Council, and to include it in one of the UN's five regional groups that determine the important committee assignments.

Mr. Harris has been honored more than ten times by the governments of Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Spain, and Ukraine for his many international activities on behalf of the defense of human rights, advancement of the transatlantic partnership, and dedication to the Jewish people.

The American Jewish Committee’s mission, since its founding in 1906, has been “to seek a secure Jewish future in a more just world, believing that each pursuit depends upon the other.”  They carry this out by being the global leader for Jewish and Israel advocacy, and a central Jewish-American address for inter-group relations and human rights.  Its international headquarters is in Manhattan, and it maintains 26 regional offices around the United States, including one in Westchester, which also conducts programming in Fairfield County, Connecticut.  Some 175,000 individuals support this work. 

AJC has been described by the New York Times as "the dean of American Jewish organizations" and was recently touted as “the most effective, most influential, and most respected of American Jewish organizations” by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

AJC Westchester Regional Director Scott Richman commented: “Never has there been a more crucial moment to understand the current climate in Israel. We are grateful to Temple Sholom as a key co-presenter of this important event, especially given its proximity to Westchester and their passionate and Jewishly engaged community.”

To reserve your spot for this evening, please RSVP to www.ajc.org/westchester/davidharrisinct.