The History of the Greater Seattle Chapter of the American Jewish Committee

In 1946, just after World War II and the Holocaust, in which millions of Jews were killed, waves of Jewish immigrants were pouring into America.   As part of the national American Jewish Committee's effort to safeguard the rights and freedoms of Jews worldwide, many new chapters were formed around the country.

The Greater Seattle Chapter of the American Jewish Committee was chartered in 1945 and formally established in January 1946. Max H. Block served as the first chair. Other officers were Edward Dobrin and Al Shyman, Vice Chairmen, Sam Holcenberg, Secretary, and Henry L. Kotkins, Treasurer. Initial membership was by invitation only. In 1950 there were 63 members; in 1951, 120 members, and in 1954, 165 members.

Fighting Discrimination
During the second decade (1955-65), the Seattle chapter fought discrimination on many fronts -- housing, employment, and exclusionary club membership based on race or religion. Members sat on civic boards such as the Greater Seattle Housing Council working to fight against the discrimination Jews and other minorities faced. The organization helped to draft state legislation to ban discrimination. The Greater Seattle chapter of the American Jewish Committee provided strong local leadership in the decade's efforts to increase civil rights for all citizens.

A New Era
In 1971, membership changed from "by invitation only" to an open policy. The chapter continued to coordinate with other minority and ecumenical groups and sponsored dialogues on issues of mutual concern. The organization worked with the school board to develop a multi-ethnic curriculum that included the study of Jewish people. In schools where separation of church and state was breached, the American Jewish Committee took action.

The American Jewish Committee supported Israel by coordinating local volunteer efforts for the October 1973 (Yom Kippur) War in the Middle East. It also led the way in building the "Seattle Interreligious Committee on Religious Freedom in the Soviet Union."  Continuing its international focus, the chapter began participating in the Adenauer Exchanges with Germany.

In 1980 and 1984, the Greater Seattle Chapter of the American Jewish Committee elected their first and second women presidents, Bobbe Bridge and Hilda Asia.  Continued work against racial and religious bias now included taking on the bigotry in the form of the anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist response to the Israeli-Arab conflict. When the United Nations Resolution equating Zionism and Racism passed on November 10, 1975, the Seattle American Jewish Committee secured a resolution from the local United Nations Association and from the Teamsters condemning the UN's action and asserting support for Israel.

Fifty Years of Civic Contributions
In the 1990s, membership grew to 700. In 1995, on the 50th anniversary of the Greater Seattle Chapter, the State of Washington proclaimed: "the AJC has worked tirelessly toward their goals by advancing human rights and democratic principles, combating bigotry and discrimination, promoting pluralism and strengthening Jewish identity through understanding and cultural awareness." The City of Seattle, too, issued a proclamation honoring the American Jewish Committee for 50 years of civic contributions. On May 22, 1995, the 50th anniversary of the founding, American Jewish Committee Day was proclaimed in the City of Seattle and in Washington State.

Up to the Present
The organization continues its mission of promoting democratic values, pluralism and mutual understanding as the best way of securing Jewish survival at home and abroad. The chapter has engaged in a variety of activities from supporting Japanese Americans in their quest for redress, to marking various anniversaries of Vatican II with the Catholic Archdiocese and Seattle University, to exploring dimensions of the Arab-Israel conflict with the Church Council, to creating an "Interfaith Response to the Holocaust" commemoration, to the implementation of the "Hands Across Campus" prejudice-reduction curriculum in
schools and a "Stamp Out Hate" campaign involving both faith and ethnic communities.

In the past decade, the Greater Seattle chapter of the American Jewish Committee has become best known for its week-long Seattle Jewish Film Festival, the largest Jewish gathering in the Pacific Northwest and one of the best Jewish film festivals on the continent.  It also led the way in Jewish-Christian-Muslim trialogue with its "Children of Abraham" program.  In addition to the SJFF, its other current programs include the Max Block Student Human Relations Awards, given to outstanding high school students; and FilmTalks, a day-long film-based exploration of issues relating to bigotry and tolerance for high school students.

Sources:

• HistoryLink
  
• Fiftieth Anniversary: Greater Seattle Chapter American Jewish Committee, 1945-1995, (Program for 50th Anniversary Celebration, AJC, 1995)
  
• The Jewish Transcript staff, The Guide to Jewish Washington (Seattle: The Jewish Transcript, 1998)