About a dozen Jewish Kansas Citians attended the AJC Global Forum 2019, held June 2 through June 4 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.
Jason Krakow, chairman of the board of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau (JCRB)|AJC, told The Kansas City Jewish Chronicle he wanted its readers to know of “the sheer important position that AJC holds both domestically and on a world stage in standing up to anti-Semitism and bigotry more broadly, and the power of building relationships across a broad spectrum of interfaith and inter-group contacts to promote the safety, security and dignity of all people.”
AJC has a profound impact on promoting Jewish values and fostering a “greater sense of safety for both Jewish and other minority communities,” Krakow said. He wants the organization to inspire Kansas City’s Jewish community to “work more and more effectively” to do that work in the Kansas City area.
“The caliber of speakers (and) the depth of connections and relationships that AJC has forged really inspired me as board chair to do that work here at an even greater level than we already are,” he said. “It also demonstrated the importance of speaking up at all signs of espoused bigotry and hatred and not waiting to speak up. There’s a rising tide and we’ve seen it turn violent. So, staying silent is riskier than ever.”
The forum drew nearly 2,500 attendees from 50 countries, AJC spokesman Kenneth Bandler said. It has been held annually since AJC’s founding as the American Jewish Committee in 1906. Last year and for the first time in AJC’s history, the forum was held outside the United States — in Jerusalem. Next year’s forum is scheduled for June 14 through June 17 in Berlin.
According to its website (ajc.org), AJC’s mission is “to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.” The forum is billed as “a unique policy and advocacy conference” designed to “discuss, debate and advocate on vital issues affecting the future of world Jewry.”
The forum offered large plenary sessions with addresses from influential leaders, smaller breakout sessions with policy experts and advocacy meetings with diplomats and members of the U.S. Congress — including Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Jerry Moran of Kansas — according to promotional materials. Session topics included campus leaders, a rabbi roundtable and AJC advocacy, among others.
On the forum’s first day, AJC held a Community of Conscience, which JCRB|AJC Executive Director Gavriela Geller called “a diverse gathering of community, faith and civil society leaders who came together to stand against hate.” Dr. Bernice King, CEO of The King Center and daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; the Rev. Eric Manning of Mother Emmanuel AME Church; and Rabbi Jeffrey Myers of the Tree of Life — Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where a shooting occurred on Oct. 27, 2018, in which 11 people were killed, addressed attendees “to highlight our shared values of pluralism and civility,” Geller said.
On the forum’s final day, the bipartisan Congressional Black Jewish Caucus was launched. U.S. Reps. Brenda Lawrence (D-M), John Lewis (D-Georgi), Will Hurd (R-Texas), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Florida and Lee Zeldin (R-New York) founded the caucus to advocate for issues of mutual concern, including expanding access to democracy, addressing hate crimes and confronting the threat of white supremacist ideology through legislation, Geller said.
Dr. Kurt Graham, director of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, also addressed attendees during the forum, Krakow said. Thirteen Democratic presidential candidates provided video addresses for the forum. The forum’s final session had live sessions with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York). Videos of one-on-one interviews with David Harris, CEO of AJC; Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, taped during the week before the conference, also were presented.
“AJC demonstrates that it is not just the convener of these important conversations,” Geller said, “but the leader in effective, coordinated action to combat global anti-Semitism, promote Israel’s place in the world and promote human right and democratic values around the world. “This year’s initiatives proved AJC is uniquely positioned and ready to lead us through this deeply polarizing time.”
Geller hopes people will learn more about AJC by signing up for email updates through its website, listening to its weekly “AJC Passport” podcast and registering for the AJC Global Forum 2020.
This year’s forum was the sixth that Harvey Kaplan attended since 2014. Kaplan is a local member of the JCRB|AJC board and a former chair of the organization. He is also a member of the national board of governors of AJC and its Transatlantic Institute in Brussels, Belgium.
This year’s forum “underscored the power and effectiveness of AJC’s global advocacy to work tirelessly to combat anti-Semitism and ensure the safety and security of Israel,” he said.
Kaplan encourages people to “support JCRB|AJC to the extent that you can financially” and to “get involved personally.”
“We need your energy, we need your involvement, and of course the JCRB|AJC can’t do its work without financial support,” he said. “Be aware and be involved.”