Israel and Int’l Affairs
Join JCRC’s Israel and International Affairs Commission!
The IIA Commission, which is comprised of representatives from JCRC member and non-member organizations and community members, meets monthly to discuss issues of concern and provide educational forums. JCRC distributes educational materials, publications, and action alerts to committee members and other interested parties. Advocacy efforts with members of Congress and Administration officials are ongoing, as are statements in response to developments in Israel and the world. JCRC also organizes missions to Israel for key state and federal legislators and public officials.
Contact Julie Swiler at 612-338-7816 for more information.
Israel and International Issues
The organized American Jewish community believes that the United States must be actively engaged in all aspects of foreign affairs — at times unilaterally and at times multilaterally.
The United States has a responsibility to encourage and preserve international peace, to fight the scourge of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, to help underdeveloped countries build democratic institutions and vibrant economies, to defend human rights, and to protect the global environment. JCRC communicates this message to elected officials and governmental leaders, to candidates for public office, as well as to decision-makers and opinion-leaders in local communities across the country.
The United States and Israel maintain a unique alliance founded on their commitment to democracy, the rule of law, human rights and a shared strategic vision. The Administration and the Congress have demonstrated tangibly their appreciation of the important role Israel continues to play in advancing United States national interests in the Middle East and around the world. JCRC believes that the United States, in order to meet its global responsibilities, must increase its annual commitment to foreign aid, an amount that represents less than 1% of the federal budget.
Both the U.S. and Israel agree that Palestinians violence must stop. Prime Minister Sharon has worked closely with President Bush, Secretary of State Powell and other senior American representatives to make sure that Israel’s positions and requirements in the peace process are well understood and appreciated.
Reaching final peace agreements will entail tremendous costs, particularly to Israel, which will have to meet new security challenges following withdrawal from additional territory under its control. Israel’s peace partners, especially the Palestinians, are in desperate need of economic assistance. The historic conflict between Israel and the Arab world has been a destabilizing influence in the region for much of the 20th century, at times nearly bringing major world powers into armed confrontation. Therefore, the entire international community has the responsibility and clear vested interest in providing the necessary resources to resolve this conflict.
The United States and the international community also should encourage the Arab world to move toward the development of democratic institutions and respect for the rule of law as a means of ensuring the long-term political stability of the region.
Click on the Stand Up for Israel! logo on the left to learn more about JCRC’s efforts to support Israel.
Other International Issues
Sudan
Tens of thousands of civilians have died and well over a million have been driven from their homes in Sudan’s western region of Darfur. The victims are mostly from the Fur, Zaghawa, and Masaalit groups, considered to be “Africans”; the attacks are largely by a government-supported “Arab” militia, known as the “Janjaweed.”
To read more about JCRC’s response to the crisis in Sudan, please click here.
Jews in the Former Soviet Union
The ingredients for catastrophe in Russia and many of the former Soviet republics have never been as evident as they are today: economic failure and stagnation, ethnic conflicts boiling over into urban warfare, autocratic regimes digging in against democratic reforms, and unprecedented levels of anti-Semitic rhetoric and sentiment. The prospects for sustaining and expanding democracy and rule of law are of great significance and concern.To learn more about the issues concerning Soviet Jewry, please click here.