American Jewish Congress Founded
The American Jewish Congress (AJC) was one of the leading Jewish civil rights groups in the 20th century. It played a major role in advocating for the rights of Jewish people, for racial justice, and for separation of church and state.
On this day, elections were held for representatives to the national organization. Plans for the first national meeting in September, however, were postponed because of the war, and at the urging of President Woodrow Wilson. The first meeting was finally held on December 15, 1918.
From the 1940s through the 1960s the AJC worked in close collaboration with the NAACP, the ACLU and other groups on civil rights issues, and with the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State on church-state issues.
Regrettably, the organization lost most of its assets in 2010, as a result of the Bernard Madoff scandal, and suspended its activities. By 2020, the organization was reorganized and revitalized.
Go to the American Jewish Congress website
Learn more about the American Jewish Congress here