American Jewish Committee
Latino & Latin American Institute
Issue 59. Tuesday, July 20, 2010.
IN THE NEWS
LATINO-JEWISH AGENDA
New Latino Jewish Coalition in Orange County
AJC’s Orange County Regional Office is sponsoring the establishment of a Latino Jewish Coalition that seeks to educate and mobilize members of both communities -and the community at large- around relevant topics on the national agenda, such as immigration and support for Israel.
Rabbi Marc Dworkin, AJC's Orange County Regional Director stated that the Coalition looks to"… create an environment of tolerance and civility so people can make an educated and informed decision around difficult issues facing both communities. It is important that hateful speech and intolerance be removed from public dialogue."
Members of the Coalition include local AJC leaders, the Consul General of Mexico in Santa Ana, Alejandra Garcia Williams, the Consul General of El Salvador in Santa Ana, Jessica Maria Reyes Urquía, and members of both the Orange County Hispanic Bar Association and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Miami Observes 16th Anniversary of AMIA Bombing
The sixteenth anniversary of the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina resulting in 85 deaths and 300 wounded was commemorated in Aventura on Sunday, July 18th with candle lighting and major pronouncements for justice and against Iran’s growing presence in the Western Hemisphere, its abysmal human rights record, and its relentless march towards the development of nuclear weapons.
The event, organized by AJC’s Greater Miami and Broward County Regional Office and other local organizations featured Ambassador Miguel Talento, Consul General of Argentina; Ofer Bavly, Consul General of Israel for Florida and Puerto Rico; and congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL).
Chicago Keeps Immigration Reform Alive
Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) met with members of AJC Chicago's board, young leadership and Bridging America Task Force. She stressed the importance of the Jewish voice in the immigration debate and the benefits of working in coalition –such as the Bridging America Task Force- to advance this issue.
The Bridging America Project was funded through a Ford Foundation grant as part of a national effort to convene, connect and engage new and experienced voices from mainstream sectors that can bring additional access and new political power to policy makers, influence the public debate and promote, support and enable the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.
In Chicago, the coalition of over 20 Illinois businesses, non-profits and government agencies, recently released a set of principles on immigration reform and participated in a press event held by the Archdiocese of Chicago to push for action on this matter.
MONTHLY FEATURE
Immigration a Top Concern among Hispanics
According to the latest surveys, Latinos now view immigration as their leading concern along with the economy in what activists say is a major shift most likely driven by controversy over Arizona's tough law against undocumented immigrants. Nearly a third also believe that racism and prejudice are the central issues in the immigration reform debate, over national security, job competition and costs of public services for illegal immigrants.
The first poll conducted by LatinoMetrics found that the vast majority of those surveyed showed strong opposition to the Arizona law and strong support for immigration reform that includes both a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants and deportation of felons. Republican Latinos shared similar views on these issues with Democrats and independents
The Arizona law, which is scheduled to take effect July 29, requires police to determine the status of people they lawfully stop whom they suspect are in the country illegally, and it makes it a misdemeanor to lack proper immigration documents. The Department of Justice recently joined several other organizations in filing suit against the state to block enforcement of the law.
Activists say frustration over the immigration issue will unify and galvanize Latinos of all political stripes into voting in November. The poll showed that 80% of those surveyed said they planned to vote in the mid-term elections and that two-thirds would back candidates who support immigration reform.
Another new poll of 1,600 Latinos in four states conducted for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund also shows immigration topping the list of Latino concerns.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) applauded the Departments of Justice’s filing of a lawsuit that seeks to prevent implementation of Arizona’s new anti-immigration law, SB1070. The lawsuit contends that Arizona’s law unconstitutionally usurps the federal government’s power to establish and enforce immigration policy.
“AJC believes that while our current immigration system is clearly in need of repair, Arizona’s answer is the wrong one,” said Richard Foltin, Director of National and Legislative Affairs. “The national security nightmare which would ensue if each of the 50 states were allowed to adopt its own immigration laws is obvious.”
Foltin added: “The Arizona law underscores the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the national level to create a federal immigration system that effectively responds to our nation’s security and economic concerns, and ensures the humane and fair treatment of immigrants.”
AJC has long been a strong voice in support of fair and generous immigration policies, characterized by the rule of law. AJC participates actively in the current national debate, advocating for bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform.
Information partly taken from the L.A. Times and www.ajc.org
QUOTES AND FIGURES
Obama on Immigration Reform
“One of the largest waves of immigration in our history took place little more than a century ago. At the time, Jewish people were being driven out of Eastern Europe, often escaping to the sounds of gunfire and the light from their villages burning to the ground. The journey could take months, as families crossed rivers in the dead of night, traveled miles by foot, endured a rough and dangerous passage over the North Atlantic. Once here, many made their homes in a teeming and bustling Lower Manhattan.
“It was at this time that a young woman named Emma Lazarus, whose own family fled persecution from Europe generations earlier, took up the cause of these new immigrants. Although she was a poet, she spent much of her time advocating for better health care and housing for the newcomers. And inspired by what she saw and heard, she wrote down her thoughts and donated a piece of work to help pay for the construction of a new statue — the Statue of Liberty — which actually was funded in part by small donations from people across America.
“Years before the statue was built — years before it would be seen by throngs of immigrants craning their necks skyward at the end of long and brutal voyage, years before it would come to symbolize everything that we cherish — she imagined what it could mean. She imagined the sight of a giant statue at the entry point of a great nation -– but unlike the great monuments of the past, this would not signal an empire. Instead, it would signal one’s arrival to a place of opportunity and refuge and freedom.
“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand,” she wrote,
A mighty woman with a torch…
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome…
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!”…
“Give me your tired, and your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to be free…
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
Let us remember these words. For it falls on each generation to ensure that that lamp – that beacon – continues to shine as a source of hope around the world, and a source of our prosperity here at home.”
Excerpt of President Barack Obama’s Immigration Address. July 1st, 2010.
LATIN AMERICA AND MIDDLE EAST PERISCOPE
AJC HIGHLIGHTS
AJC Renews Call for Justice on AMIA Bombing Anniversary
July 16, 2010 – New York – On the 16th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, AJC is profoundly disturbed that those responsible remain at large.
“We appreciate the determined commitment and efforts of the Argentine government, including in particular the laudable efforts of Special Prosecutor Alberto Nissan and his team, but they cannot succeed alone,” said AJC Executive Director David Harris. “In the global interest of combating terrorism, the international community must mobilize and assist in apprehending the Iranian and Hezbollah officials who are directly responsible for this horrific attack.”
The AMIA headquarters was leveled by a car bomb on July 18, 1994, leaving 85 dead and 300 wounded. The deadliest terrorist attack ever in Argentina’s history, it came just two years after the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires.
In 2006, an official Argentine government report prepared by Nisman identified Iranian and Hezbollah figures as responsible for the attack. INTERPOL issued red notices for the capture of six suspects, including Ahmed Vahidi, who today is Iran’s Defense Minister.
Argentina’s repeated requests to Iran, at the UN and elsewhere, to extradite the suspects to stand trial in Buenos Aires have been met with refusal. Nisman has asked INTERPOL to intercede on Argentina’s behalf to have Iran comply with its requests for extradition.
“We hope that renewed efforts will be made to finally bring closure to the AMIA cases, for the sake of the victims’ families, for all of Argentine Jewry and for Argentina,” said Harris. “Denial of justice in this tragedy remains an everlasting reminder of the dangers to the region posed by Iran and its allies.”
AMIA is an AJC international partner. Ever since the 1994 terror attack, AJC has worked very closely with the Argentine Jewish community to bring justice.
AJC Letter in Washington Post: U.S.-Israel Alliance Essential
In his July 7 Washington Sketch ["Alliance, or dysfunctional relationship?"] Dana Milbank has it upside down. America's alliance with Israel -- never in doubt, despite all the overheated talk lately of friction between Washington and Jerusalem -- is an essential element to achieving Arab-Israeli peace, not a hindrance. As President Obama understands, the alliance gives confidence to Israelis, whose small country has been in the cross hairs of Arab extremists throughout its history. It also reduces the risks involved in an eventual territorial compromise and demonstrates U.S. constancy to regional governments.
Neither Mr. Obama nor Mr. Milbank needs to convince Israelis that peace is in their interest. Prevailing in repeated wars of self-defense, and in a neighborhood suffused with messages of rejection, Israelis yearn for peace and are prepared to compromise for it. Successive prime ministers -- including Binyamin Netanyahu, breaking ranks with many in his conservative party -- have sought a two-state solution to the territorial conflict with the Palestinians.
But achieving that two-state solution will require a Palestinian partner that is ready to engage Israel in direct negotiations and then sell a compromise agreement to the Palestinian people and their supporters in the Arab and Muslim world. Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu, in affirming the common values and enduring alliance of two nations, put the emphasis where it belongs: Israeli-Palestinian peace can be achieved only if the two sides resume direct talks.
Jason Isaacson, Washington
The writer is director of government and international affairs for the American Jewish Committee.
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