American Jewish Committee Establishes Terrorism Division; Yehudit Barsky Named Director

American Jewish Committee
Monday, 25 January 1999

Yehudit Barsky has been named Director of the Division on Middle East and International Terrorism at the American Jewish Committee.

AJC recently established the division in recognition of the growing threat to Jewish security and American society posed by terrorist groups.

"As the first director of our terrorism division, Yehudit will enable AJC to be seen as a key resource center on international terrorism and specifically on the activities of Middle East-based terrorist groups across the United States," said AJC Executive Director David A. Harris.

Barsky is a highly respected expert on Arab terrorist organizations who regularly is called to brief U.S. intelligence and law enforcement officers as well as the media. Her book on Hamas is soon to be published by the Anti-Defamation League.

"There is an urgent need to make counter-terrorism a priority for the Jewish community," said Barsky. "We must replace complacency with action."

Barsky joins the American Jewish Committee staff after working for 13 years at the ADL, where she most recently held the post of Senior Middle East Research Analyst.

She also is an Associate Scholar at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia.

Fluent in Arabic and Hebrew, she holds an M.A. in International Relations and Near Eastern Studies and a B.A. in International Relations and Jewish History and Civilization from New York University.

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