[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 188 (Friday, November 22, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY 
           RELATIONS BUREAU OF THE AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE

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                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 22, 2019

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I proudly rise today to recognize the 
seventy-fifth anniversary of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau of 
the American Jewish Committee (JCRB/AJC).
  The American Jewish Committee was founded in 1906 in the wake of the 
Kishinev programs by Cyrus Adler, Jacob Schiff, Mayer Sulzberger, Louis 
Marshall, and other prominent leaders of the American Jewish community 
to advocate for the security of Jews everywhere. AJC eventually became 
known across the globe for its advocacy, support, and unremitting 
commitment to the preservation of Jewish communities nationally and 
abroad. From campaigning against the literacy test for immigrants, 
calling for more inclusive U.S. immigration policies in the early 
1900s, joining emergency relief efforts to assist more than 10,000 
European Jews en route to the U.S. in the 1920s, joining NBC in 
broadcasting the first Jewish religious service from Germany since the 
rise of Nazism in 1944, and playing a vital role in negotiating the 
$822 million Holocaust restitution settlement with Germany on behalf of 
Jewish people in 1952, AJC has worked to not only better the lives of 
Jews across the world, but society as a whole.
  JCRB/AJC Kansas City was established in 1944 as a result of merging 
what was Kansas City's AJC regional office and the local Jewish 
Community Relations Bureau. Now one seamless organization, JCRB/AJC's 
mission combines AJC's global reach with the local JCRB's tradition of 
community relations activities. Serving Kansas and western Missouri, 
JCRB/AJC advocates and educates to eliminate injustice and 
discrimination through its community and globally led initiatives, as 
well as connecting Kansas City with the broader network of AJC's 
partners. JCRB/AJC's mission reflects the American Jewish Committee's 
pledge to enhance the wellbeing of the Jewish people and Israel by 
combatting antisemitism, promoting Israel's place in the world, and 
countering the spread of radicalism and extremism. The impact of their 
work has resulted in a plethora of concrete results in the form of 
government policies, alliances, and legislation that make our world 
safer and more secure. In line with their historic and deep commitment 
to interorganization and interreligious cooperation, JCRB/AJC works 
closely with other faiths, educators, elected officials, and minority 
communities to pursue justice for all.
  For seventy-five years, JCRB/AJC has been a pillar of leadership 
throughout the Kansas City area, leading the way in empowering 
marginalized communities through unmatched advocacy and community 
unification.
  Madam Speaker, please join me and Missouri's Fifth Congressional 
District in honoring JCRB/AJC Kansas City's seventy-fifth anniversary 
and their dedication to advancing justice for Jewish and minority 
communities throughout the world.

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