The possibility of merging the American Jewish Committee and the American Jewish Congress has been the topic of high-level talks between the two Jewish defense organizations.
The talks, the most recent of which was this past Sunday, have been constructive but not conclusive, according to participants on both sides.
“While we have made good progress, it would be premature to draw any conclusions,” said Henry Siegman. Siegman is due to retire at the end of this year as executive director of the AJCongress.
Both sides hope to be able to present an initial proposal to their boards by June.
The merger discussions follows years in which the two organizations, originally fierce ideological rivals, have become increasingly strapped for funds and similar in purpose. The AJCommittee was founded in 1906 and the AJCongress in 1922.
Alfred Moses, president of the AJCommittee, said that if the merger goes through, “there should be some savings of administrative costs.”
But the real benefit, he said, would be “to have a larger, more influential organization.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
