The Latino-Jewish Agenda

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Jewish infiltration of the Latino communities of the US

AJC Interactions: Latino-Jewish Agenda

Philadelphia

AJC's Philadelphia launches Latino/Jewish Committee

AJC's Philadelphia Southern/NJ Regional office launched the Latino/Jewish Committee. The initiative is the result of the Bridging America Project workshop Latino and Jews: Unity in Diversity. Bridging America is an AJC multi-year project funded by the Ford Foundation that works to strengthen relations between both communities and build support for comprehensive immigration reform. At the end of April, the group held its first set of Latino site visits in North Philadelphia at Congreso, Esperanza and Asociación Puertoriqueños en Marcha (APM), three important local Hispanic organizations.

Chicago

AJC Chicago's Latin American Task Force brought nearly 50 Latino leaders to Temple Sholom, a Reform congregation in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood, to highlight the centrality of the synagogue in Jewish communal life. For many among the religious, cultural, political and business leaders on the tour, the visit marked their first time in a Jewish house of worship. Participants were exposed to Jewish songs in Ladino, a combination of Hebrew and Spanish commonly spoken by Sephardic Jews. Consuls General and their staff from Colombia, Mexico, Honduras, and Spain participated in the event.

'Mexican-Jewish Connections' Film Series at the Chicago Latino Film Festival

Jews and Latinos of all ages gathered to watch the acclaimed documentary Visa to Paradise on April 17, as part of Mexican-Jewish Connections, a special film series at the 29th Chicago Latino Film Festival. The series is a collaborative effort between AJC Chicago and the National Museum of Mexican Art. The documentary zooms in on the efforts by Mexican diplomat Gilberto Bosques, who while stationed in Marseille between 1938 and 1942, issued 45,000 life-saving visas to Jews and Spanish Republicans. Director Lillian Liberman Shkolnikoff traveled to Chicago from Mexico City to discuss the history of Jewish presence in Mexico. Other films in the series included My Mexican Shivah, In Abraham's Footsteps, Vida Jai, Nora's Will, and Salsa Tel Aviv. This program was made possible through funding from AJC's Bridging America Project.

Los Angeles: Archbishop Gomez Headlines AJC Catholic-Jewish Encounter

AJC Los Angeles welcomed Archbishop José Gomez to Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel for its Bonds of Friendship and Fellowship: An Evening with the Most Reverend José H. Gomez, Archbishop of Los Angeles. This timely event was the first opportunity for the Catholic and Jewish communities of Los Angeles to come together and hear Archbishop Gomez and Rabbi Mark Diamond, AJC Los Angeles Regional Director as they discussed issues of relevance to both communities. Archbishop Gomez spoke primarily about the urgent need for comprehensive immigration reform, calling it the "most urgent civil rights question of our time." He acknowledged how the strong bonds of friendship and cooperation between the Catholic and Jewish communities can be a powerful catalyst for fixing what he called "a broken system."

Mexico Border

Over 150 community leaders, dignitaries and diplomats attended the program, including the Consuls General of Mexico and Israel.

A delegation of more than 25 local faith leaders, led by AJC Los Angeles, visited the San Diego–Tijuana U.S. – Mexico border to survey the region's environment and better understand the complexities and challenges associated with immigration reform. In Mexico, the delegation met with immigration reform advocates, public policy experts, attorneys and heard testimonies from individuals adversely affected by the broken system, particularly those removed from family members still living in the United States. Representatives from the Episcopal Diocese, Catholic Archdiocese, United Methodist Church United Church of Christ, Presbyterian Church and Jewish faith participated in the journey.

The delegation also visited the community of Chilpancingo, an extremely impoverished area, home to high numbers of U.S. Deportees, many of whom are children. "It is a powerful witness to the world at large when leaders of different faiths join together to explore the issues and corporately call on our government for extensive immigration reform," said Right Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, Bishop Suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese.

Miami

AJC's Latino and Latin American Institute in conjunction with AJC Miami hosted their annual luncheon recognizing representatives of the consular corps from over 20 countries, including the Consul Generals of Spain, Peru, Colombia, El Salvador, Uruguay, Chile, and Guatemala. The event, which featured AJC's Executive Director, David Harris, is part of AJC's ongoing efforts to build hemispheric and transatlantic ties. On the domestic front, AJC Miami and the Latino and Latin American Institute, with the support of the Bridging America Project, held a Symposium for Stakeholders on Immigration Reform at Miami Dade College, a co-sponsor of the event. Over 100 people attended which brought together influential leaders in the business, labor, faith, education, healthcare and law enforcement sectors to explore how to best impact U.S. immigration policy. The program featured two panel discussions highlighting key themes central to immigration policy: economics and education.

Dina Siegel Vann , Director of AJC'S Latino and Latin American Institute, was invited as a panelist on the topic of Latinos as Agents of Change in the Fifth Convention of Latino Leaders taking place in Miami on May 1. Organized by the Spanish government to commemorate the 500 years of the arrival of the Spaniards in Florida, the program was inaugurated by Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Garcia Margallo.

Boston

AJC Boston met with a delegation of Mexican-American leaders to discuss best practices related to community development. The conversation led to the recognition that there is great opportunity to harness the energy of 60,000 Mexican-Americans in New England. Participants agreed to establish a working group in order to identify priorities and engage AJC in the process.