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‘We Made History This Year in Jerusalem!’
T
hat headline declaration is no
hyperbole. It was spoken by David
Harris on June 12 at Binyenei ha-
Umah, the International Convention
Center in Jerusalem. David is the extreme-
ly effective CEO of the American Jewish
Committee (AJC.) He was addressing the
more than 2,400 attendees at the AJC
Global Forum, held for the first time in
Israel — in honor of the 70th anniversary
of Israel’s founding. But
it wasn’t that fact to
which David was refer-
ring. He was reacting
spontaneously to an
astonishing address we
had just heard delivered
by Austrian Chancellor
Sebastian Kurz.
Irv Goldfein
Kurz had stated clear-
ly, with no diplomatic
shading, that Austria
had failed until today to
acknowledge the truth
of its complicity with Hitler and its share
in the responsibility for the systematic
torture and murder of Jews during the
Shoah. He went on to state his unshakable
commitment, on behalf of the Austrian
government, to full support of the State
of Israel and to the battle against anti-
Semitism. His address was covered by the
Austrian press as well as journalists from
many other countries.
As dramatic as that moment was, it
was the kind of experience those of us
who attend the annual AJC Global Forum
have come to expect. Yet, this year’s forum
did go beyond any reasonable expecta-
tions. We heard addresses by and had
conversations with political leaders from
around the world, such as the head of
Greece’s New Democratic Party, the first
vice-speaker of the parliament of Georgia,
the prime minster of Bulgaria and the
Indonesian head of the world’s largest
Muslim organization. And, of course,
we heard from Israel’s political leader-
ship, including Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, Labor Party Chairman Avi
Gabbay, co-leader of the Zionist Union
Tzipi Livni, and Minister of Education and
Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett.
A series of presentations both fascinat-
ing and moving were offered under the
rubric “Faces of Israel.” Among them was
Ahlam Alsana, a Bedouin woman who
told us about her experiences in Israel,
earning her bachelor’s and master’s
degrees at Israeli universities, and how
she came to be the principal of the Desert
Stars Branco Weiss School.
Another in the series was the AJC Moral
Courage Awards. One was presented
to Sandra Samuel, an Indian Christian
woman, for heroism during and after the
terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008.
Samuel was the nanny for Moshe
Holtzberg, whose parents ran the Chabad
House in Mumbai. During the terrorists’
siege, Moshe’s parents were murdered,
but, at great risk to her life, she saved
Moshe. She then moved to Israel to con-
tinue to care for him. Young Moshe joined
her on stage for the presentation.
The other Moral Courage Award was
presented to Galilee Medical Center Dr.
Eyal Sela, a highly skilled and compas-
sionate surgeon who described remark-
able examples of the lengths to which the
hospital goes to save the lives of wounded
civilians fleeing Syria’s civil war. At one
point in his story he was in tears, as were
many of us listening.
These are just a few of the dozens of
fascinating, substantial presentations
Contributing Writers:
Ruthan Brodsky, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne
Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Don Cohen, Shari
S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Adam
Finkel, Stacy Gittleman, Stacy Goldberg, Judy
Greenwald, Ronelle Grier, Esther Allweiss
Ingber, Allison Jacobs, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer
Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz,
David Sachs, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz,
Steve Stein, Joyce Wiswell
Arthur M. Horwitz
Publisher / Executive Editor
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West Bloomfield; David Kurzmann, Royal Oak; Sally and Richard Krugel, Bloomfield Hills.
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and experiences we shared during those
several days of the forum. Some unforget-
table moments: off-the-record presenta-
tions by courageous Arabs from Morocco,
Egypt and Jordan, and the saga of a young
Yemeni whose life was saved in large
part due to the efforts of AJC members.
(His story has just been published, The
Foxhunt, and is being made into a major
feature film.) A joint appearance by Miss
Israel and a very brave Miss Iraq was a
happy surprise.
So, what is AJC? AJC is the leading
global Jewish advocacy organization,
which has unparalleled access to govern-
ment officials, diplomats and other world
leaders. Through these relationships and
its international presence, AJC impacts
opinion and policy on the issues that mat-
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| Detroit Jewish News
Chairman: Michael H. Steinhardt
President/Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz
ahorwitz@renmedia.us
Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett
kbrowett@renmedia.us
Controller: Craig R. Phipps
ter most: combating rising anti-Semitism
and extremism, defending Israel’s place in
the world, and safeguarding the rights and
freedoms of all people.
Here in Detroit, the AJC has recently
become formally affiliated with
Federation’s Jewish Community Relations
Council (JCRC) and both are under direc-
tion of David Kurzmann, who led our
Detroit delegation in Israel. For informa-
tion, contact him at (248) 642-5393.
To see full video coverage of the Global
Forum’s Jerusalem presentations and
events, go to www.ajc.org/
globalforumvideos. •
Irv Goldfein is a consultant and producer of Judaic
reference and academic software and media, and
an editor and literary agent for books in Judaica.
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July 26 • 2018
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