American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ)
The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ) is a legal voluntary bar association that advocates for “Jewish interests,” defending human rights and opposing the use of “lawfare” in efforts to delegitimize the State of Israel such as the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. 1 1
Contents
Background
The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ) is member of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IAJLJ), which was co-founded in 1969 by Rene Cassin of France, author of the Universal Declaration of Human rights; Justice Haim Cohen of Israel’s Supreme Court; and U.S Supreme Court Justice Arthur J. Goldberg. 1 The group has advocated on advancing and promoting free speech, human rights, religious liberty, and national security. 1
In September 2023, the AAJLJ was one of several organizations to sign a letter to the law firms Debevoise & Plimpton; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; and White & Case to end their support for the American Branch of the International Law Association’s (ABILA) Outstanding Achievement Award. This was due to the award being presented that year to Navi Pillay, the chair of the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that AAJLJ alleged “repeatedly demonstrated a bias that fundamentally undermines the fight against antisemitism, Israeli-Palestinian peace prospects, and the integrity of international law.” 2
The group has also organized trips to the State of Israel designed for the “Jewish American law community,” and features meetings with prominent Israeli government officials, Supreme Court justices, law professors, and eminent attorneys. 1
Activities
American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists holds events on topics frequently relating to Israel, although topics have also included New York City mayoral elections, antisemitism, diplomacy, and the U.S. Supreme Court. 3
Participants on past trips have met with former Israeli Supreme Court Justice Aharon Barak, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Director of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and former Israeli Ambassador to Canada Alan Baker. 1
Committees
Amicus Briefs Committee
American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists frequently files amicus briefs with appellate courts, including the Supreme Court, on the First Amendment and religious liberty matters. 1
Antisemitism Rapid Response Committee
The Antisemitism Rapid Response committee seeks to be a first point of outreach regarding concern about antisemitism. 1 The committee attempts to combat antisemitism in the judiciary, political bodies, bar ethics committees and “all levels of corporations.” 1
Programming And Events Committee
The Programming and Events committee organizes brown bag lunches, webinars and in-person speakers. 1
Speakers Bureau
AAJLJ’s speakers include lawyers, judges and recognized professors who lecture on religious discrimination, antisemitism litigation and anti-terror statues. 1
Student Engagement Committee
The student engagement committee creates mentoring, educational and mentoring opportunities for law students and young professionals. 1
Leadership
As of September 2025, Robert Garson was president, Judd Azulay was general secretary and Alan Nesbit was treasurer. 4 Garson is a member of the United States Holocaust Museum Council, appointed in 2025 by President Donald Trump; 5 Azulay is a founding partner of the law firm Immigration Attorneys, LLP; 6 and Nesbit is the founder and principal attorney of Los Angeles-based Nesbit Law Group. 7
Finances
According to its 2023 nonprofit tax return, the American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ) reported a revenue of $79,517 and expenses of $59,643. 8
Financial Statistics
Total Assets
Total Revenue
Total Expenses
Revenue Detail
Expenses Detail
Employee Compensation
Highest Earning Employees
| Employee | Title | Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|
| Richard Foltin | Executive Dir. | $49,576 |
| Alyssa Grzesh | Director | $4,686 |
Grant Activity
All-time grants received statistics from Candid dataset:
- Total Grant Value: $30,790
- Number of Grants: 15
- Number of Funders: 7
Selection of highest value grants received from the last seven years:
| Amount | Year | Funder | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| $22,750 | 2023 | The Gibson Dunn & Crutcher Foundation | CHARITABLE |
| $1,000 | 2020 | The Irwin and Ginny Edlavitch Foundation Inc | General |
| $300 | 2020 | Levmar Foundation Inc | General charitable purposes |
| $125 | 2020 | Cd Foundation C/o C D Chill – Graubard Miller | Commitment to protecting human rights |