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AJC is helping Israel in its fight against second-class treatment at the UN, leading the charge against anti-Semitic textbooks used by Saudi Arabia, and helping Israel gain full fledged membership in the Red Cross.
To learn more about the Red Cross issue, continue reading on this page. To learn more about the U.N. issue, click here. To learn more about how AJC is exposing anti-Semitism in Saudi Textbooks, click here.
ISRAEL AND THE RED CROSS
When a terrorist bomb exploded in front of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, Israel's humanitarian service organization -- Magen David Adom -- volunteered immediately to help.
Within hours, highly trained rescue teams from Magen David Adom were on the scene.
At great personal risk, Israeli specialists entered collapsed buildings.
They saved dozens of lives.
In the process, they demonstrated why Magen David Adom is widely considered to be one of the world's finest humanitarian organizations of its kind.
But there is an irony in all of this.
Despite the professional respect in which Magen David Adom is held and its tremendous record of responding to people in need, Israel's humanitarian service organization is denied full membership in the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Why? What's the problem? Permit me to explain.
Back in 1864, when the leading nations of the world signed a treaty to provide protection in time of war for hospitals, medical personnel, and the patients in their care, it was agreed that the universal symbol of the humanitarian services would be the Swiss flag with its colors reversed.
That's the origin of the Red Cross. But for some countries, that symbol was not acceptable.
In Turkey, for example, where most people are Muslims, the Red Cross was considered a symbol of the Christian religion.
Instead of the Red Cross, Turkey declared that it would use as its humanitarian emblem the red crescent, a symbol derived from Islam.
A reasonable position?
So it would seem. And after many other Islamic countries adopted it, the red crescent joined the Red Cross as an officially sanctioned humanitarian symbol.
But in 1949, when the newly independent State of Israel asked for recognition of a humanitarian emblem derived from the Jewish tradition -- a red Star of David -- their request was refused.
Israel was expected to choose the cross of Christianity or the crescent of Islam.
The Jewish state refused. The leaders of Magen David Adom announced that they would stay, thank you very much, with the ancient symbol of the Jewish people and the Jewish faith.
And the result?
Israel's Magen David Adom was not permitted to join the International Federation.
An outrage? Yes, it was.
But what is even more shocking, outrageous, and infuriating is the fact that today -- fifty-six years later -- Magen David Adom is still denied full Federation membership.
Just think about it. Israel is the only country in the world whose humanitarian emblem has ever formally been rejected. Magen David Adom is not a full and equal member of the Red Cross.
Unacceptable? Intolerable?
You bet it is. There is no excuse for this blatant anti-Jewish discrimination. And at the American Jewish Committee, we are doing something about it.
What can we do? As a matter of fact -- quite a lot.
At the American Jewish Committee, which The New York Times describes as "the dean of American Jewish organizations," we have a well-earned reputation for diplomatic and political savvy. We know what we are doing -- and we get things done.
Here are just a few examples of the enormous diplomatic achievements that we have accomplished:
- The American Jewish Committee persuaded the U.S. Government to block the satellite signal of al-Manar, the official television station of the terrorist group Hezbollah, which had been broadcasting its anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Israeli messages of hate into the U.S.
- Thanks to years of patient work to set the stage for a new era in German-Jewish relations, the American Jewish Committee was able to play the leading role in persuading the German government to provide pensions to tens of thousands of "forgotten" Jewish survivors of the Holocaust -- elderly people living in the countries of what used to be the Soviet bloc.
- I was recently accorded the rare privilege of addressing the French parliament -- an opportunity I used to urge French leaders to continue to combat the disturbing resurgence of violent anti-Semitism in their society and elsewhere in Europe. "Documented cases of anti-Semitism should never be met with denial, delay or rationalization."
How have we been able to accomplish such things?
For starters, it helps to be right on the issues. And on the International Red Cross and the Magen David Adom, we are right.
It also helps to have -- as we have -- the kind of credibility with key decision-makers that takes years to build. And to be effective, it is essential to have the long-term support of informed and committed men and women.
That is the reason I write to you today.
In the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement, the tendency has been not to change. But when the public gets involved -- that's a different story. That's why the American Jewish Committee placed ads -- a copy of which is enclosed -- in influential newspapers across America.
Public involvement has a way of bringing buried issues out into the sunlight. And out in the open is where the question of fairness to Magen David Adom deserves to be.
That is why I am asking you to sign two online petitions. The first card is addressed to Jakob Kellenberger, the current president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. His predecessor conceded that the current situation "can give the impression of favoring Christianity and Islam at the expense of other religions." Jakob Kellenberger needs to hear from you now.
The second card goes to Dr. Mohammed Al-Hadid, the new chair of the key committee that can solve the emblem problem. Dr Al-Hadid, a physician from Jordan and concurrently chair of the Red Crescent Society, needs to hear how strongly Americans feel about this issue. With a new chair, it is all the more imperative that we demonstrate overwhelming support for the inclusion of the Magen David Adom in the Red Cross Movement. Please sign now.
And there's one more thing.
After you have filled out these cards, I hope you will take the next logical step and become a supporter of the American Jewish Committee.
At the American Jewish Committee we stand and fight for you -- for your family -- for your community. And for Jewish people and Jewish concerns the world over, we make a difference, a big difference.
Can we count on you?
I hope so. And I hope, too, that when you make your contribution, you will be as generous as you can. But whether your gift is $50 or $500, please act now. At the American Jewish Committee, we urgently need your support and your commitment.
And your donation will be well spent. The American Institute of Philanthropy has rated the American Jewish Committee as one of the most cost-effective major charities in the U.S.
Please join the American Jewish Committee and be a part of what we do. Make a secure online contribution by clicking here, or on the Give Now button at the top of this page.
In the world today, the cross of Christianity and the crescent of Islam are internationally accepted as humanitarian symbols. But the ancient symbol of the Jewish people -- the Star of David -- is not.
That is unacceptable. It must change. And with your help, we can make it happen. Please join us. Now.
American Jewish Committee
Jacob Blaustein Building
165 East 56 Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 891-1456
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