Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations

Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
Name	Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
Founded	1956
Headquarters	New York City
Leader name	William Daroff

Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is an umbrella body formed in 1956 to coordinate policy among leading American Jewish groups and to represent them to foreign governments, international organizations, and national leaders. It serves as a forum for communal consensus-building among organizations with diverse ideological, religious, and political orientations, and interfaces with institutions such as United Nations, White House, United States Congress, State of Israel, and European Union. The conference has engaged with issues ranging from Soviet Jewry advocacy and Holocaust remembrance to contemporary diplomacy involving Israel–United States relations, Iran nuclear program, and UN Human Rights Council debates.

History

The organization was created in the context of post-World War II mobilizations that included actors such as American Jewish Committee, American Jewish Congress, B'nai B'rith, Anti-Defamation League, and leaders from Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism movements, alongside activists who had participated in events like Nuremberg Trials aftermath and Eichmann trial advocacy. During the Cold War the body coordinated responses to crises affecting Soviet Union Jews and liaised with administrations from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan on emigration and human rights, and later engaged with presidencies of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump on peace process initiatives such as the Oslo Accords and the Camp David Summit (2000). The conference has also worked with Israeli prime ministers including David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Ehud Olmert on bilateral concerns and has participated in multilateral fora like United Nations General Assembly sessions and International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance activities.

Organization and Membership

Member bodies have included a wide range of denominations and advocacy groups such as Hadassah, Jewish Community Relations Council, National Council of Jewish Women, Union for Reform Judaism, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and Agudath Israel of America, as well as policy-oriented institutions like American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Jewish Institute for National Security of America. The conference convenes delegates from umbrella organizations representing Sephardi Judaism, Ashkenazi Jews, Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, Chabad-Lubavitch, and secular Jewish groups, creating a membership roster that overlaps with bodies such as Council on Foreign Relations-affiliated think tanks, international organizations like World Jewish Congress, and philanthropic entities including Jewish Federations of North America. The roster has changed over time with organizations joining or withdrawing amid disputes involving Israel Bonds, Peace Now (Israel), or policy disagreements during episodes like the Second Intifada.

Leadership and Governance

Governance follows a board-and-president model with rotating chairmanships drawn from presidents of member organizations and an executive committee that meets with envoys and ambassadors, including representatives to United Nations Security Council debates. Notable chairs and executives have engaged with secretaries such as Madeleine Albright, Condoleezza Rice, and Hillary Clinton and coordinated meetings with foreign dignitaries including Shimon Peres, Ariel Sharon, Golda Meir, and Isaac Herzog. Leadership selection involves constituent organizations’ nominations; executive directors have come from backgrounds in Jewish communal service, diplomacy, law, and academia, and have testified before committees such as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Activities and Positions

The conference issues policy statements and communiqués on matters including the Iran nuclear deal, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions campaigns, UN General Assembly resolutions concerning Israel, and international antisemitism as tracked by bodies like Simon Wiesenthal Center and Anti-Defamation League. It organizes delegations to capitals such as Jerusalem, Washington, D.C., Brussels, and London; hosts briefings with diplomats from Russia, China, France, Germany, and Canada; and convenes panels with scholars from Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Columbia University, and Harvard University. The conference has played roles in commemorations for Holocaust Memorial Day, responses to terrorist attacks like the Entebbe raid aftermath reflections, and advocacy on refugee issues linked to episodes such as the Ethiopian Jewish aliyah and the absorption of immigrants under Law of Return discussions.

Funding and Affiliations

Funding sources have included dues from member organizations, contributions from philanthropic foundations such as The Pew Charitable Trusts, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, and gifts from private donors, with affiliations to federations like United Jewish Communities and ties to international Jewish networks including the World Zionist Organization. The conference has coordinated philanthropic appeals in partnership with agencies like Jewish Agency for Israel and financial institutions involved in Israel Bonds programs; it also engages with academic centers and policy institutes for research partnerships and convenings.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics have accused the conference of representing establishment positions aligned with organizations such as AIPAC while marginalizing progressive groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and provoking disputes with students and campus groups associated with Students for Justice in Palestine. Controversies have arisen over stances on settlement policy, responses to the Obama administration’s Iran diplomacy, and perceived partisanship during American electoral cycles involving figures such as Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Debates have also centered on transparency in funding amid scrutiny similar to investigations involving 527 groups and on its engagement with foreign leaders during contentious episodes like the Gaza War and Hezbollah–Israel conflicts.

Category:Jewish organizations based in the United States Category:1956 establishments in the United States