Dina Siegel Vann, director of AJC’s Latino and Latin American Institute, participated as delegate to the Third Convention of Latino Leaders in Madrid organized by the Spanish government. The five day meeting brought together dozens of U.S Hispanic NGO’s, media and business representatives, as well as elected and appointed officials to continue exploring triangular relations among Spain, Latin America and the US.

A few days before, Siegel Vann spoke about the Latin American Jewish Diaspora in the U.S. at a conference organized by Casa Sefarad, an agency of the  Spanish Ministry of Cooperation and Foreign Affairs aiming to share Jewish culture with Spanish society.

Latino Pastors Visit Israel

A delegation of 12 Hispanic clergy from the Los Angeles area traveled to Israel invited by AJC’s Project Interchange. The Latino pastors -- evangelical Christians with a strong affinity for Israel – were able to witness first hand the nation’s vibrant political, social and spiritual life, from the depths of the Dead Sea to the heights of the Golan, from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, Sderot to the West Bank.

AJC’s Project Interchange seeks to provide Americans and international leaders with the possibility of experiencing Israel up close and personal. During its 25 years, it has brought over 4,500 prominent United States and international figures to Israel.

Israel@60, Latino and Jewish Perspectives

Israel at 60, Latino and Jewish Perspectives was the topic of a breakfast held by AJC’s San Diego Latino-Jewish Coalition on May 20^th. Rabbi Philip Graubart of Congregation Beth El in La Jolla and Professor David R. Ayon, Senior Research Associate at Loyola Marymount University, spoke about the relevance of building relations among both communities particularly in the context of the challenges facing this nation. Ayon shared experiences from his journey to Israel in 2006 on an AJC Project Interchange seminar for national Latino Leaders co-sponsored by the National Council of La Raza.  

Truth about Immigration Campaign

In an effort to dispel myths surrounding the immigration debate through research-based economic analysis, draw on shared values to change the climate of the debate and promote sensible solutions, AJC’s Long Island Chapter launched the Truth about Immigration Campaign, through a grant by the NY Immigration Coalition. In June, a presentation on the subject was made to 20 members of the Council for Prejudice Reduction, 30 members of the Nassau County Immigration Task Force, and 30 attendees of a training workshop at Touro College’s Law Jacob D. Fuchsberg Center.

A series of workshops aimed at sharing with leaders of the local Latino community aspects of county government and the power of the vote are being lined-up for this summer by the Latino-Jewish Council of Long Island. A Youth Civic Engagement Conference to be held in Nassau County is also in the making.

Los Angeles Welcomes Mexico’s New Consul General 

A reception in honor of the new Consul General of Los Angeles, Juan Marcos Gutierrez-Gonzalez, was attended by the Director of the local AJC Chapter, Seth Brysk, and Associate Director, Saundra Mandel, who held private talks with the Mexican diplomat.

A tour of Jewish Los Angeles was organized by the chapter for the city’s Consular Corps. Latin American diplomats from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico and the Consulate of Spain participated in the event, which is in its fifth edition.

Latino Students Visit Holocaust Museum

Almost 100 students from Chula Vista High School in San Diego, the majority of them Latinos, visited the Los Angeles Holocaust Museum. The trip was funded by AJC’s San Diego Chapter and Executive Committee Board member Michael Brau. Most of these students had never been outside of San Diego and were not familiar with the concept of prejudice. 

Challenges Faced by South Florida Immigrant Community

Maria Rodriguez, Director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and an AJC Project Interchange alumni was the keynote speaker at an event organized by AJC’s Greater Miami and Broward Chapter on the challenges being faced by South Florida immigrant communities. AJC and the Florida Immigrant Coalition are advocating together for a comprehensive immigration reform and the fair treatment of immigrants.  

AMIA, the Argentinean Jewish umbrella organization and an international partner of AJC, hosted a University of Miami delegation, headed by President Donna Shalala. To learn more about the demographics of the Argentinean Jewish community, the group was briefed by AMIA’s newly elected president Guillermo Borger and its Executive Director, Daniel Pomerantz. The meeting was arranged by the Greater Miami and Broward Chapter.