Thirty Hispanic leaders from across the United States participated in an AJC-sponsored conversation, Building a Latino-Jewish Alliance: Understanding the Holocaust and its Echoes. The two-day event in Washington began with a working dinner on Capitol Hill.  The dinner was attended by more than 60 leaders and featured a dialogue on Latino-Jewish cooperation with 10 Members of Congress chaired by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA). The next day, the group visited the Holocaust Museum, where they were given private tours led by Holocaust survivors. A discussion of the Holocaust and its Echoes in the Latino historical experience and a final discussion on avenues for future Latino-Jewish cooperation followed.

Co-sponsors of the conference included the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Heinrich Boll Foundation and the Latino-Jewish Working Group. Members of this group traveled with AJC to Israel three years ago, and have met regularly since to work on issues of mutual concern.

Jews and Latinos Lobby for Immigrant’s Rights

For the fourth year in a row, AJC’s Washington Chapter joined forces with the Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO) for a day of lobbying at the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond. The delegation also included over a dozen Latino high school students, who advocated for a bill promoting fair access to higher education regardless of immigration status and one prohibiting police from questioning the immigration status of crime victims and witnesses. Thanks to VACOLAO's efforts, both bills passed the Virginia Senate, signaling a shift in the political and cultural landscape in Virginia, a state long-perceived as a bastion of anti-immigrant sentiment.

In Arizona, AJC’s Area Director, Rabbi Maynard Bell, participated with other clergy in a press conference organized by Maricopa Citizens for Safety and Accountability, to support the investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice and the House Judiciary Committee on discriminatory and dehumanizing practices in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. Sheriff Joe Arpaio and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department are accused of violating civil rights by engaging in racial profiling and the wrongful detainment of U.S. citizens of color.  

In the wake of the murder of an Ecuadorean immigrant, AJC’s Long Island Director Caroline Levy worked together with the Unity Coalition of Patchogue and the New York State Division of Human Rights on a statement of civil discourse that was used as a base by the Patchogue Village Board of Trustees to adopt a resolution. The Trustees agreed to be careful when discussing immigration issues to avoid language and actions that tend to dehumanize or demonize human beings; to respect and support the right of people with whom they disagree to bring up thoughtful concerns and proposals about immigration; and to temper the debate to avoid violation of the principles stated in their resolution.

Passover Seders with a Latin Flavor are Hosted throughout the Country

Following its yearly tradition, AJC chapters used the Passover Seder as a framework to explore common historical experiences and cultural themes between Latinos and Jews.

Sponsored by the Alliance of Latinos and Jews, the Sixth Annual Sephardic Seder took place in Chicago. The event, co-sponsored by AJC’s local Chapter and held at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies, drew 70 people and featured Cantor Alberto Mizrahi performing in Hebrew, Spanish, English and Ladino. The Israeli and Mexican Consuls to Chicago also attended.

A Latino–Jewish Passover was organized in Los Angeles for participants of the Chapter’s program “Esencia de Judaismo,” which teaches Jewish history, culture and tradition to Latino Pastors. The six month course is imparted in Spanish by renowned Rabbis and other Jewish experts.  

In Cincinnati, the Consul of Mexico stationed in Indianapolis and officers of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce attended AJC’s Community Intergroup Seder. Consul Solana was invited to participate in the ceremony by reading one of the traditional Four Questions in Spanish.

The Arizona AJC Chapter and the Hispanic Leadership Institute of Valle del Sol held their fifth annual Latino-Jewish Seder. More than 120 people f both communities attended, including Israel’s Deputy Consul in L.A. and the Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix.

Latinos and Jews Stand Together for Israel in California

A prayer vigil for Israel was held by AJC’s Los Angeles Chapter and its Latino partners, The Latin University of Theology, Zion Multimedia and Hispanic Ministerial Alliance, at Llamada Final Ministries in Downey, California. Over 1,200 attendees watched a live security briefing in Spanish from Israel by renowned scholar Moshe Shaier. In addition, a spokesman from the Israeli Consulate delivered greetings to the audience.

Phoenix Latino and Jewish Leaders Explore Future Collaboration

Latino and Jewish leaders from the local business and non-for-profit community met in Phoenix on March 25^th. The all-day event, convened by AJC’s Arizona Chapter and the Arizona State University Center for Community Development and Civil Rights looked into widening relationships between both communities and building the foundation for action on issues of common concern.

Jewish Latino Task Force Launched in Orange County

The newly created Task Force is designed to promote points of interaction and programs between the Jewish and Latino communities in Orange County. This is an initiative developed by AJC’s Orange County Chapter, together with the Hispanic Bar Association of Orange County, the Mexican Consulate and other high level members of the Latino community.