Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with American Jewish Committee leadership
The leadership of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) discussed a range of Middle East and transatlantic issues in a private meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, expressing the organization’s appreciation of Trump Administration efforts to confront Iranian aggression and assure Israel’s security and its fair treatment in international forums.
AJC has focused policy research and advocacy for more than two decades on the Iranian threat to regional and global peace, and opposed the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as an insufficient brake on Iran’s nuclear ambitions and a missed opportunity to roll back the regime’s ballistic missile development and support for subversion and terror.
“The administration has a clear-eyed view of Iran’s malign intentions, and we applaud its comprehensive approach to applying pressure politically, strategically and economically to induce a recalculation and policy change by Tehran,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “We hope that America’s allies and strategic partners, cognizant of the threat, will join in this vital effort.”
Harris, who led the organization’s leadership group with its President, John Shapiro, lauded the administration’s decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. AJC, with an extensive global advocacy program, has been urging other governments to move their missions, as well. In May, an AJC delegation attended the dedication of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, and last month visited the newly relocated Guatemalan embassy.
AJC also raised the issue of the administration’s appointment of a U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, a position that has been vacant since January 2017, and welcomed the Secretary’s commitment to promptly fill the post.
Joining Harris and Shapiro in the State Department meeting were AJC Associate Executive Director for Policy Jason Isaacson and AJC Kansas City Regional Director Marvin Szneler. During his years in the House, representing the Fourth Congressional District of Kansas from 2011 to 2017, Secretary Pompeo was in regular touch with AJC Kansas City.
The meeting with Secretary Pompeo, who will shortly leave for North Korea to follow up on last month’s U.S.-D.P.R.K. summit in Singapore, capped two days of Washington meetings by the global Jewish advocacy organization, including consultations with Asian, Latin American and European diplomats and discussions with Middle East and other policy experts at the State Department. –From American Jewish Committee
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Yad Vashem mission draws supporters from around the world
This week, dozens of friends and supporters of Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, will be visiting from across the globe to connect with Yad Vashem, explore ways to enhance its efforts at Holocaust remembrance, and mark 70 years since Israel’s establishment. For over six decades, Yad Vashem’s activities have been aided and facilitated by the generosity of dedicated friends and supporters in Israel and throughout the world.
The International Mission, entitled “Generation-to-Generation: Israel at 70,” began a few days ago in Vienna, Austria, for the European portion of the program. Participants explored the history of the vibrant Jewish life of pre-war Vienna, met leaders from the Jewish Austrian community and toured the Mauthausen concentration camp, Tomorrow, the group will arrive in Israel for a four-day tour of Yad Vashem, receiving a behind-the-scenes view of its activities and a deeper understanding of its long-term goals.
The purpose of the mission is to update existing Yad Vashem donors on current Yad Vashem projects, and connect younger generations to the important work of Yad Vashem in Israel and abroad. Once the group arrives in Israel, Yad Vashem Chairman Avner Shalev will greet the participants – who hail from the US, Mexico, Israel, United Kingdom and Australia – and accompany them through personalized tours of Yad Vashem, both in Jerusalem and at its newly established Holocaust Remembrance and Heroism Educational Center located at the IDF Training Campus in the Negev. — From Yad Vashem
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Preceding items culled from news releases sent to editor@sdjewishworld.com