American Jewish Committee, Australian group enhance ties

NEW YORK, June 29 (JTA) — The American Jewish Committee is teaming up with the Australia/Israel and Jewish Affairs Council to enhance its work in southern and eastern Asia. AJCommittee has already been active in Asian countries, but this new partnership will “enhance our efforts in that part of the world,” said Jason Isaacson, who heads AJCommittee’s Washington office. Each organization will remain fully independent as they collaborate on Jewish communal and international policy issues of common interest. The two will “gather and share information for the good of both communities,” Isaacson said. The two organizations plan to work together in research, publications, conferences and exchange programs. AJComittee will be represented in the joint projects through its Asian and Pacific Rim Institute, which is directed by Isaacson. While the Jewish communities in southern and eastern Asia are relatively small, ranging from only 100 in South Korea to about 4,500 in India, the joint activities of AJCommittee and the Australian group are very important, Isaacson said. Concerns about the area include the region’s relations with Israel, and the growing economic might of several Asian countries and their ties to the Arab world. The Australia link is the AJCommittee’s second such international partnership. The organization has already established ties with the Institute for Jewish Policy Research, an international research and policy organization based in London.