AJC Brings Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, And Secular Israeli Leaders To The U.S. To Experience Together American Jewish Diversity

American Jewish Committee
Thursday, 19 November 1998

Visit Billed As "Jewish Identity Exchange"

The American Jewish Committee, in its ongoing efforts to foster Jewish peoplehood, overcome the rifts and shatter the stereotypes that have polarized the Jewish community, will bring a diverse Israeli delegation -- leaders from across the religious and cultural spectrum of Israeli society -- to the United States for an intensive look at American Jewry, Jewish identity and Israel-Diaspora relations.

The two-week program, the "Jewish Identity Exchange," will take place from November 29 through December 12, 1998, under the auspices of AJC's Institute on American Jewish - Israeli Relations. Twelve Israelis, including six rabbis (representing the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform branches of Judaism) will travel to Washington, DC, Atlanta, and New York to experience, together, the diverse nature of the American Jewish community, its political activism, its special relationship with Israel, the impact of the Holocaust on Jewish identity, the role of Jewish education, the impact of feminism, and the importance of Jewish intra-religious dialogue.

Among others, the Israeli group will meet with influential Jewish communal leaders and activists, and representatives of Congress and the State Department; tour the Holocaust Museum, Ellis Island, the Jewish Heritage Museum, the Carter Center, Yeshiva University, and Hebrew Union College; and visit day schools and synagogues of different denominations. Individual sessions will center on the critical issues facing Jews today, in Israel, in America and around the world. Among the discussions: "A Vision of Mutually Respectful Leadership for the Jewish Community," "The American Jewish Community: What Does It Look Like, Where Is It Going,?" and "The Role of Jewish Religious Movements in the American Political Process."

Dr. Steven Bayme, Director of AJC's Institute on American Jewish - Israeli Relations, commented: "The problem of internal Jewish disunity gravely threatens the well-being of the Jewish people. Whatever happens in Israel has echo effects upon intra-Jewish relations in the United States. We will require many more bridge-building initiatives across religious and cultural divides to repair our cohesive fabric as a people."

The program is coordinated, in New York, by Rabbi Edward Rettig, Assistant Director of AJC's Jewish Communal Affairs Department; in Israel, by Varda Rafaeli, Assistant Director of AJC's Israel and Middle East Office for American Jewish - Israeli Relations; in Washington, DC, and Atlanta, by AJC Area Directors David Bernstein and Sherry Frank, respectively.

This program is made possible in part by a grant from the Dorothy and Julius Koppelman Fund for American Jewish - Israeli Relations.

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