Brit Tzedek v'Shalom
Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace
Jewish Umbrella Groups
Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations
www.conferenceofpresidents.org
Founded in 1954, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations serves as an umbrella organization representing fifty American Zionist groups, and focuses on national and international issues of concern to the American Jewish community. For a list of member organizations, click here.
The Conference has carried messages from the US Administration to Israeli officials, and has served as a forum for Israeli leaders to address the wider American Jewish community. Recent Israeli speakers who addressed The Conference include Shimon Peres in July 2006, who spoke about the war with Hezbollah, and Ariel Sharon in February 2005, who discussed his Gaza disengagement plan.
Recent statements by the Conference of President's on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- The "Prisoners' Document": An Analysis of the Palestinian National Accord
- International Community Must Condemn Attacks and Support Israel's Self-Defense
Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)
www.jcrc.org
The JCRC operates in most American cities in service to their local Jewish communities. Each local JCRC is as an umbrella body for that community's Jewish organizations, and serves as the body by which the constituent organizations coordinate policy on issues of shared concern. The JCRC, in short, is the public affairs arm of local Jewish communities nationwide. There are 120 JCRC's throughout the country, and each is a member of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (see above).
Some of the largest and most active JCRC's are in New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area. They are represented independently on the Internet by their own websites, where statements, resources, and local Israel-related activities are regularly posted.
Sample of Recent JCRC Israel-related Activities
- Boston JCRC: Take Action for the Kidnapped Soldiers
- Chicago JCRC: Israel's Disengagement Plan
- San Francisco Bay Area: Recent Hezbollah and Hamas Attacks on Israel: Questions and Answers
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
www.jewishpublicaffairs.org
The JCPA was established in 1944 as the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council. The organization changed its name in 1997 to reflect its current work as the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community.
As an umbrella organization, the JCPA is represented across the country by local chapters of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the major religious denominations (the Reconstructionist movement is not included), and 13 prominent American Jewish organizations. Qualifying member-organizations must cover a range of issues and must be membership based.
Recent Israel-related statements by the JCPA
- Israel Advocacy Initiative. Jews across America were encouraged to contact their Congress people and urge them to support pro-Israel resolutions being considered in the House and Senate following the July 2006 Hezbollah raid in northern Israel.
- JCPA Calls For International Community to Enforce UN Resolutions; Push for Disarmament of Hezbollah
- 'Actions Alerts'
United Jewish Communities (UJC)
www.ujc.org
The UJC represents 155 Jewish Federations and 400 independent communities across North America. Created in 1999 in the merger between the United Jewish Appeal, United Israel Appeal, and the Council of Jewish Federations, the UJC works today to serve the North American federation system. Areas of focus include extensive philanthropic work, assisting victims of humanitarian emergencies worldwide, and advocating for Israel and its desire for peace.
UJC Israel-related Activities
World Zionist Organization
www.wzo.org.il
Created in 1897 at the First Zionist Congress, the WZO (originally just 'ZO') served as an umbrella organization for the Zionist movement. Membership to the organization was made open to all Jews who wished to join, entitling them to vote for delegates to the Zionist Congresses, which are still held by the WZO at least once every four years.
Since 1960 membership has been restricted to Jewish organizations and political bodies only. Delegations to the Congresses come from all over the world and represent many streams of Zionism and denominations of Judaism. The most recent Congress, held in June 2006, re-elected Zeev Bielski of the Israeli party Kadima as WZO Chairman. The largest faction at the Congress was composed of Kadima, Labour-Meretz, Mercaz (representing Conservative Judaism) and Reform Judaism. The next WZO Congress will convene in 2010.