Harriet And Robert Heilbrunn, Of New York City, Pledge One Million Dollars To The American Jewish Committee For Creation Of Institute For International Interrelgious Understanding

American Jewish Committee
Monday, 8 December 1997

Through a one-million-dollar gift from Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn of New York City, the American Jewish Committee will establish a special Institute to expand upon its already highly-respected interreligious work around the world.

The donation and the creation of the Institute -- to be known as the Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding -- was announced today by AJC's Executive Director David A. Harris at a meeting of the human relations agency's National Board of Governors. Mr. Harris noted that the gift was earmarked "to help forge new and productive ties between Jews and other faith communities, including the Muslim world."

Ambassador Dennis Ross, U.S. Special Middle East Coordinator and a guest speaker at AJC's Board Meeting, commented on the announcement: "In the Middle East, we need to take a more holistic approach to try and create some greater spiritual understanding between those who so greatly affect the psychology of the region. The creation of such an Institute is tremendously worthy."

Rabbi A. James Rudin, AJC Director of Interreligious Affairs, will direct the Institute. He noted: "It is clear that religion will play a major role in shaping the course of world history in the new century. Happily, thanks to the Heilbrunns' extraordinary generosity, the AJC will be able to strengthen its existing interreligious programs and it will allow us to develop exciting initiatives with new partners. However, our goal remains what it has always been -- the building of mutual respect and understanding among peoples of different faiths. There is so much to do and Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn have provided the American Jewish Committee with new tools to do the job."

Harriet and Robert Heilbrunn are longtime supporters of various philanthropic causes, with a special devotion to education and healthcare. Other major gifts have been made to Columbia University School of Business and School of Public Health and Mrs. Heilbrunn's alma mater, Long Island University.

Since its founding in 1906, AJC has been at the forefront of building bridges between the Jewish people and other major world religions, especially Christianity. Through the ongoing work of AJC and other concerned groups, there has been an historic revolution in relations with the Roman Catholic Church and the principal Protestant denominations over the past half century. In May of this year, Cardinal O'Connor, at a public meeting, said: "No organization I know in this city, this country, this world has done more to improve Christian-Jewish relations than the American Jewish Committee."

Several years ago, AJC established a pioneering dialogue with segments of the Islamic community in the U.S. and abroad, working with partners equally interested in constructive discussions that can lead to mutually beneficial actions. Despite the difficulties of the Arab-Israeli conflict, AJC has maintained access to influential figures in the Arab world. The creation of the Heilbrunn Institute will allow AJC to further explore the possibilities in Muslim - Jewish relations with various Islamic communities.

The Heilbrunn Institute will sponsor research projects, international symposia and conferences, publications, and serve as a kind of "early warning system" that would provide advance information about areas of possible tension and turbulence within the world's religions.

The American Jewish Committee maintains close relations with the World Council of Churches in Geneva and the Orthodox Christian Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul; is a member of the International Council of Christians and Jews headquartered in Germany; participates in numerous programs with the Evangelical Church and Evangelical Academies in Germany; sponsors an annual lecture series at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; administers the Polish Bishops' Seminarians Project on Catholic-Jewish ties; and serves as an interreligious consultant to the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe . AJC conducts a regular series of high-level visits to the Vatican, including meetings with the Pope. All of these efforts will be expanded as a result of the creation of the Heilbrunn Institute.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org