AJC Chicago

AJC Chicago is Chicago's leading global Jewish advocacy organization. AJC Chicago works to establish profound and long-lasting understanding and relationships.

Go to www.ajc.org/chicago to get involved!

07/16/2026

WATCH NOW
On July 10, 1941, hundreds of Jews were murdered in the town of Jedwabne, a massacre that remains one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Holocaust in Poland.

For the past two years, far-right activists sought to disrupt the annual commemoration by promoting a false version of history and spreading antisemitic tropes that dishonor the victims and undermine the truth.

Join Abraham Waserstein, grandson of Shmuel Waserstein, one of the few Jewish survivors of the Jedwabne pogrom, together with AJC Central Europe Director Agnieszka Markiewicz and Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich, for a conversation about this year's commemoration, the legacy of Jedwabne, and the urgent need to confront Holocaust distortion and antisemitism.

07/02/2026

Members of AJC Chicago’s Diplomatic Outreach Committee recently met with the Consul General of Germany to the Midwest German Consulate General in Chicago for a wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion on issues of mutual concern.

At a time of growing global challenges, meaningful engagement with diplomatic leaders helps strengthen understanding and advance solutions that matter to our communities.

Interested in getting involved with AJC Chicago’s diplomatic advocacy? Email us at [email protected].

06/26/2026

Yasher koach to the Pillars of AJC Chicago award recipients in recognition of their more than 35 years of service on the AJC Chicago Regional Board!

At AJC, we often talk about standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. At the AJC Chicago 82nd Annual Meeting this week, we recognized the people who ARE those shoulders—the pillars of the AJC Chicago community who have sustained and advanced us across decades of growth and transformation.

The award we presented them reflects that ideal. It is called the Pillars of AJC Chicago Award because it is bestowed to those whose leadership has provided strength, stability, and vision over time.

These honorees have guided us through pivotal moments in history, strengthened our advocacy, deepened our community engagement, and ensured that AJC’s voice remains strong, principled, and impactful—locally, nationally, and around the world. Quite simply, they are the foundation upon which our success is built. We are so proud of and grateful for each of these leaders, the impressive legacies they continue to make, and all of the leaders they inspire with their example.

04/24/2026

🚨✍️IT’S TIME TO TAKE ACTION! BDS supporters from across Illinois and the nation are mobilizing and submitting witness slips in favor of this bill – we need your help to counter their efforts.

Witness slips are a critical tool to demonstrate public support or opposition to state legislative initiatives, and strength in numbers is essential to making the position of our community clear to state legislators.

Click the link below and use the following instructions to have your voice heard:
https://ilga.gov/House/hearings/details/3135/22887/createwitnessslip

SUBMIT A WITNESS SLIP
Step 1: Complete the “Identification” section. For “Firm/Business/Agency” put “NA” unless you are representing an organization.

Step 2: Fill out the “Representation” section by entering “Self”

Step 3: Fill out the “Position” section.

1. Click the white box that says “Add Subject Matter” and then select “HB 2723”

2. Click the white box that says “Add Position” and then select “Opponent” (Double check to make sure you selected the correct option).

3. Click the blue “Add Position” button

Step 4: Fill out the “Testimony” section by clicking only “Record of Appearance Only”

Step 5: Select box next to “I Agree to the ILGA Terms of Agreement”

Step 6: Select “I’m not a robot” and then click “Submit Witness Slip”

That’s it...you’ve registered your opposition to this anti-Israel bill!

03/27/2026

Any effort to fight antisemitism is doomed to fail if we take a one-size-fits-all approach and lump antisemitism in with other forms of hate.

At a time when antisemitism has reached record levels in this country and Jews are the target of most religion-based hate crimes, we need specific solutions to address the concerns and fears of the Jewish community. That includes a whole-of-society approach to tackle antisemitism, which includes law enforcement, the education system, the business community and local government.

After all, the hate that antisemitism breeds starts with Jews but inevitably spreads to other faiths and minorities.

03/05/2026

AJC Chicago joined fellow Jewish community leaders on March 4 at a press conference calling on City of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to implement recommendations from the Chicago Commission on Human Relations to address rising antisemitic hate crimes in Chicago.

Alongside partners including Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago and Anti-Defamation League, Chicago alderpersons, and local rabbis, AJC Chicago Regional Director Sarah van Loon highlighted the Commission’s July 2025 Hate Crimes Report, which found a 58% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes, even as incidents targeting most other groups declined.

Following public hearings that included testimony from Jewish Chicagoans, the Commission issued recommendations to strengthen protections for the Jewish community. At the press conference, van Loon urged the Mayor to act without further delay to ensure the safety and security of Jewish Chicagoans.

03/02/2026

Last week, AJC Chicago Marshall Society members gathered for our quarterly Cocktails & Conversation program featuring Joel Braunold, Managing Director of The Center Project, with an update on Israel, Gaza, and the region through the lens of President Trump's 20-Point Plan.

If you'd like to take part in these exclusive conversations, please email [email protected] to get connected!

02/20/2026

AJC Chicago was honored to attend the celebration of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia! We are grateful to have such a strong relationship with the General Consulate of Republic of Serbia in Chicago and Consul General Marko Nikolić.

02/18/2026

Members of AJC Chicago’s Diplomatic Outreach Committee (DOC) met with Regina Jurkowska, Consul General of Poland, and Vice Consul Oskar Gradziel to discuss Poland’s relationship with Israel and the importance of countering rising global antisemitism. Thank you Polish Consulate in Chicago for taking the time to meet with us!

02/10/2026

AJC Chicago leadership met with Tatjana Telic, Consul General of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Vice-Consul Darja Bugarin. Our discussion topics included Bosnia and Herzegovina's relationship with Israel and the need to counter rising global antisemitism.

Address

Chicago, IL

Telephone

+13122518800

Website

http://www.ajc.org/chicago

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