Non-profit

American Jewish Committee (AJC)

Website:

www.ajc.org/

Location:

New York, NY

Tax ID:

13-5563393

Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(3)

Budget (2021):

Revenue: $59,980,157
Expenses: $50,525,215
Assets: $298,796,291

Type:

Jewish Advocacy Organization

Formation:

1906

CEO:

Ted Deutch

Contact InfluenceWatch with suggested edits or tips for additional profiles.

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a prominent Jewish advocacy group that engages in global diplomacy (including meeting with officials from over 110 countries annually), political advocacy, and the communication of Jewish values to the public. 1 The AJC has a global presence with 25 offices in the United States, eight in Europe, four in East Asia, two in Latin America and the Middle East, and one in Africa. 2

Early History

The American Jewish Committee was founded in 1906 to defend Jewish civil rights in the United States and abroad after a spate of anti-Jewish violence (known as pogroms) in Russia. The AJC initially focused on lobbying the American government to continue to permit immigration from Russia. In the early 1910s, the AJC expanded its goals to broader civil rights protection, which included support for early civil rights and anti-discrimination laws. In the 1930s, the AJC ran education programs to counter Nazi propaganda. After World War II, the AJC became a major proponent of Israel. 3

Policy Views

The American Jewish Committee supports the state of Israel and fights against individuals, movements, and organizations it perceives to be anti-Israel or antisemitic. 4

The AJC opposes boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) campaigns against Israel, claiming that “While many rank and file members of the movement sincerely want peace and are lured in by this human rights façade, BDS leadership in fact seeks nothing less than the elimination of Israel as a Jewish state.” 5 All then-serving U.S. governors signed the AJC’s “Governors United Against BDS” petition in 2017. 6

Antisemitism

The AJC pushes for more government action against antisemitism. The AJC helped establish the U.S. Congressional Bipartisan Taskforce for Combating Antisemitism, encouraged the European Union to appoint a Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism, and formed the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council that works with elected officials. The AJC supports the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and encourages institutional adoption of it. 7

In 2007, the AJC published a controversial essay online entitled, “‘Progressive’ Jewish Thought and the New Anti-Semitism,” which blamed a rise in antisemitism on liberal Jews being critical of Israel: “Perhaps the most surprising — and distressing — feature of this new trend is the very public participation of some Jews in the verbal onslaught against Zionism and the Jewish State. 8

In 2016, the AJC partnered with nonprofit group Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) to create the Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, a community organization made from political and religious leaders from both Jewish and Muslim American communities. According to their website, the goals of the organization include combatting, “the rise in hate crimes, and to promote the positive image of Muslim and Jewish citizens of the United States.” 9 10

The AJC published “The State of Antisemitism in America 2022.” According to their surveys, in 2022, 26 percent of American Jews were victims of antisemitism, 38 percent adjusted their behavior at some point due to fears of antisemitism, and 19 percent felt unsafe attending synagogue. Surveys found that 90 percent of Americans and 87 percent of American Jews believed that the statement “Israel has no right to exist” is antisemitic. The research also found higher rates of antisemitism online than in-person, and that a disproportionate amount of antisemitism was directed at younger Jews. 11

In 2022, the AJC publicly requested that Amazon remove the book and film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America from its store. According to the AJC, the book and film “[echo] a longstanding antisemitic accusation common among Black supremacists that claims ‘white’ Jews are ‘not the real Jews’ and terms the six million Jews murdered by Nazis during the Holocaust one of the ‘five major falsehoods.’” The book and film had been controversially promoted by professional basketball player Kyrie Irving. 12

Also in 2022, the AJC, Hillel International, and the American Council on Education hosted the University Presidents Summit on Campus Antisemitism which was attended by representatives from over 40 universities. 13 14

Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights

The AJC’s Jacob Blaustein Institute for the Advancement of Human Rights supports migrants around the world with legal and logistical assistance. 15

Ukraine

The AJC supports claims to be the first Jewish organization in the world to have recognized the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union in 1991. 16

The AJC supports Ukraine following the 2022 Russian invasion through charity and political advocacy. The AJC supports labelling the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company active in Ukraine and other conflicts, as a foreign terrorist organization. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke at the AJC Global Forum in 2022. 17

Controversies

In 2022, the American Jewish Committee and 39 other pro-Israel groups wrote an open letter condemning the University of California Berkeley School of Law for permitting nine student groups to enact a policy that bans any speakers that support Israel or Zionism. The policy was brought to national attention by a Jewish Journal op-ed by the former assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education Kenneth Marcus. The letter called the policy “unabashed antisemitism” and accused Berkely Law of “telling its Zionist Jewish students to get used to the idea that there will be certain spaces in which they are not welcome.” 18 19

However, a leaked internal memo at the AJC revealed that the organization was critical of Marcus’s “tactics.” Sara Coodin, the AJC’s director of academic affairs, wrote that the op-ed’s “central claim was inflammatory, resulting in a distorted picture of both this incident and the overall climate for Jewish students on campus.” 20

The magazine Jewish Currents described the conflict between Marcus and the AJC as illustrating a “strategic tension” between “[hardliners]” like Marcus and organizations with a “softer touch” like the AJC. 21

References

  1. “Who We Are.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/whoweare.
  2. “A Global Voice for a Global Era.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/globaloffices.
  3. “The American Jewish Committee.” My Jewish Learning. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-american-jewish-committee/.
  4. “BDS.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/issues/bds.
  5. “BDS.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/issues/bds.
  6. “Governors United Against BDS.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/governors.
  7. “Antisemitism.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/issues/antisemitism.
  8. Cohen, Patricia. “Essay Linking Liberal Jews and Anti-Semitism Sparks a Furor.” The New York Times. January 31, 2007. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/31/arts/31jews.html.
  9. “About Us.” Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council, Accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.muslimjewishadvocacy.org/about-us/
  10. “MUSLIM-JEWISH RELATIONS.” American Jewish Committee, Accessed December 18, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/muslim-jewish-relations
  11. “The State of Antisemitism in America 2022: Insights and Analysis.” American Jewish Committee. April 14, 2023. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/news/the-state-of-antisemitism-in-america-2022-insights-and-analysis.
  12. “American Jewish Committee Urges Amazon to Remove Antisemitic Book, Film Shared by NBA Star Kyrie Irving.” American Jewish Committee. November 6, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/news/american-jewish-committee-urges-amazon-to-remove-antisemitic-book-film-shared-by-nba-star.
  13. “AJC Impact 2002 Year-In-Review.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/impact2022.
  14. “University Presidents, Diversity Officers Learn New Tools to Address Antisemitism at Summit.” American Jewish Committee. April 13, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/news/university-presidents-diversity-officers-learn-new-tools-to-address-antisemitism-at-summit.
  15. “Safeguarding Refugees and Migrants.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/safeguarding-refugees-and-migrants.
  16. “Ukraine Under Attack: Resources and Action Steps.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/ukraine.
  17. “Ukraine Under Attack: Resources and Action Steps.” American Jewish Committee. Accessed May 3, 2023. https://www.ajc.org/ukraine.
  18. Cohen, Mari; Kane, Alex. “In Internal Memo, American Jewish Committee Blasts Op-Ed on “Jewish -Free Zones” at Berkley Law.” Jewish Currents. October 14, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://jewishcurrents.org/in-internal-memo-american-jewish-committee-blasts-op-ed-on-jewish-free-zones-at-berkeley-law.
  19. “Exclusive: Pro-Israel Groups Release a Statement on Berkeley Controversy.” Jewish Journal. October 3, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://jewishjournal.com/news/351954/exclusive-26-pro-israel-groups-release-a-statement-on-berkeley-controversy/.
  20. Cohen, Mari; Kane, Alex. “In Internal Memo, American Jewish Committee Blasts Op-Ed on “Jewish -Free Zones” at Berkley Law.” Jewish Currents. October 14, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://jewishcurrents.org/in-internal-memo-american-jewish-committee-blasts-op-ed-on-jewish-free-zones-at-berkeley-law.
  21. Cohen, Mari; Kane, Alex. “In Internal Memo, American Jewish Committee Blasts Op-Ed on “Jewish -Free Zones” at Berkley Law.” Jewish Currents. October 14, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2023. https://jewishcurrents.org/in-internal-memo-american-jewish-committee-blasts-op-ed-on-jewish-free-zones-at-berkeley-law.
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Nonprofit Information

  • Accounting Period: December - November
  • Tax Exemption Received: November 1, 1929

  • Available Filings

    Period Form Type Total revenue Total functional expenses Total assets (EOY) Total liabilities (EOY) Unrelated business income? Total contributions Program service revenue Investment income Comp. of current officers, directors, etc. Form 990
    2021 Dec Form 990 $59,980,157 $50,525,215 $298,796,291 $27,776,788 Y $54,381,322 $368,604 $1,365,485 $3,141,507
    2020 Dec Form 990 $75,285,196 $49,712,637 $269,895,655 $36,523,491 Y $65,918,682 $97,846 $588,261 $3,379,443
    2019 Dec Form 990 $91,050,015 $57,588,781 $240,668,266 $34,484,649 Y $84,568,983 $1,573,747 $1,829,818 $3,165,613 PDF
    2018 Dec Form 990 $74,435,467 $57,847,551 $189,301,304 $32,975,684 Y $64,972,689 $1,649,731 $1,800,867 $3,066,812 PDF
    2017 Dec Form 990 $58,747,151 $54,162,620 $190,550,932 $32,613,818 N $52,529,883 $1,191,978 $1,471,335 $2,939,160 PDF
    2016 Dec Form 990 $69,829,496 $52,248,576 $175,770,190 $31,807,609 N $67,120,436 $1,236,647 $857,986 $3,020,258 PDF
    2015 Dec Form 990 $54,189,741 $48,596,183 $152,719,181 $32,363,216 N $47,969,581 $1,306,874 $750,729 $5,392,666 PDF
    2014 Dec Form 990 $54,782,673 $46,209,859 $164,079,450 $43,050,687 Y $48,355,580 $3,745 $675,693 $3,624,176 PDF
    2013 Dec Form 990 $55,699,731 $43,559,818 $156,195,599 $32,727,052 Y $51,994,897 $405 $604,104 $2,976,646 PDF
    2012 Dec Form 990 $47,887,833 $43,328,942 $135,264,834 $38,781,240 N $44,364,867 $25 $909,662 $3,069,542 PDF
    2011 Dec Form 990 $43,408,152 $42,203,285 $125,816,370 $32,297,006 N $40,008,034 $475 $849,959 $2,658,501 PDF

    Additional Filings (PDFs)

    American Jewish Committee (AJC)

    165 E 56TH ST
    New York, NY 10022-2709