***A citation following an organization's name denotes which book and which page[s] the organization is mentioned. For example, the American Jewish Committee is mentioned in Book 3, pages 5, 9, 19, 30, 34, 38, 39, 46, 54, 57 and is noted as (3:5, 9, 19, 30, 34, 38, 39, 46, 54, 57).
American Jewish Committee 
(3:5, 9, 19, 30, 34, 38, 39, 46, 54, 57)
www.ajc.org
The American Jewish Committee protects the rights and freedoms of Jews the world over; combats bigotry and anti-Semitism and promotes human rights for all; works for the security of Israel and deepened understanding between Americans and Israelis; advocates public policy positions rooted in American democratic values and the perspectives of the Jewish heritage; and enhances the creative vitality of the Jewish people. Founded in 1906, it is the pioneer human-relations agency in the United States. The American Jewish Committee has always been guided in its work by the inspiration of American democratic ideals and Jewish ethical values. Read their booklet entitled "Celebrating 350 Years of American Jewish Life".
American Jewish Congress (3:7, 19, 26, 30, 35, 50, 54)
http://www.ajcongress.org
The AJC was founded in 1918 by Rabbi Stephen S. Wise and other Jewish leaders in response to the condition of the Jews in Europe following World War I; to 1920, when the United States domestic agenda was added to overseas concerns; to the present day, the American Jewish Congress has been deeply involved in the most significant issues facing the Jewish community here at home and worldwide.
The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (3:5, 31, 34)
www.jdc.org
Since 1914, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. (JDC) has served as the overseas arm of the American Jewish community. Their mission is to serve the needs of Jews throughout the world. Read about their history and programs at this site.
Anti-Defamation League (3:8, 9)
http://adl.org/
The Anti-Defamation League was launched in 1913 in response to rampant anti-Semitism and discrimination against Jews. The goal is to stand up for the core values of America against those who seek to undermine them through word or deed. Of particular note is the ADL's Curriculum Connections, a collection of original lesson plans and resources that help K-12 educators integrate multicultural, anti-bias, and social justice themes into their curricula.
AVODAH: The Jewish Service Corps
http://avodah.net
AVODAH is a year-long program combining front-line anti-poverty work, Jewish study, and community building. There are wonderful sources on Jewish teachings on social justice on this site.
B'nai B'rith (1:57, 78)
http://bnaibrith.org
B'nai B'rith monitors and advocates on behalf of a wide range of Congressional issues, including concerns about Social Security, Medicare, and prescription drugs; continued U.S. government support for Israel; and effective homeland security strategies. This site focuses on these issues facing Americans, highlighting Jewish perspectives and concerns.
Brandeis University
Since its founding in 1948, Brandeis is the youngest private research university, as well as the only nonsectarian Jewish-sponsored college or university in the country. The University is named for the late Justice Louis Dembitz Brandeis of the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Chapel of Four Chaplains
The Chapel of Four Chaplains is a non-profit organization established to encourage cooperation and selfless service among all people. The Chapel exists to further the cause of "Unity Without Uniformity," and does not purport a particular theology or doctrine. Rather it is a symbol of strength found in unity with one another and with God. See also the Four Chaplains Commemorative U.S. Postage Stamp-The Original First Stamp Design.
The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life
http://coejl.org/
The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) deepens the Jewish community's commitment to the stewardship of creation and mobilizes the resources of Jewish life and learning to protect the Earth and all its inhabitants. View the "Learn", "Celebrate" and "Take Action" sections for information on Jewish environmental resources.
Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI)
The Foreign Policy Research Institute brings the insights of scholarship to bear on the development of policies that advance U.S. national interests. They try to add perspective to events by fitting them into the larger historical and cultural context of international politics. See the FPRI Footnotes newsletter article in Vol. 13, No. 4, April 2008 "Ten Things Students Need to Know About the Origins of Israel and Palestine."
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) (2:35-37)
As the oldest international migration and refugee resettlement agency in the U.S., HIAS was started in New York City by a group of Jewish immigrants who found sanctuary in the United States after fleeing persecution in Europe, HIAS offered food, shelter and other aid to countless new arrivals. Since its founding in 1881, HIAS has assisted more than four and a half million people in their quest for freedom. This includes the million Jewish refugees it helped to migrate to Israel (in cooperation with the Jewish Agency for Israel ), and the thousands it helped resettle in Canada, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere.
The Immortal Chaplains Foundation
http://www.immortalchaplains.org/home.htm
The Immortal Chaplains Foundation perpetuates the legacy of the four 'Immortal Chaplains' whose example of love for others, without regard to race, religion or creed, acknowledges the potential for human compassion. Celebrating the Interfaith Action of Rabbi Goode, Rev. Fox, Father Washington and Rev. Poling who, on February 3, 1943 during World War II, gave their life jackets to others on the sinking troopship 'USS Dorchester ' and joined arms in common prayer. "If they can die together, can't we live together?" Their story was presented on National Public Radio: Sacrifice and Reconciliation: A Memorial Day Special, May 16, 2002.
The James Earl Chaney Foundation
The James Earl Chaney Foundation is dedicated to protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans. They are committed to the right of equal protection and treatment under law. They believe in a government that respects the rights of all Americans--equally and without bias in regard to race, creed, religion, ethnicity and sexuality. See also Freedom Summer.
The Jewish Coalition for Service
The mission of the Jewish Coalition for Service is to inspire everyone in the Jewish community to dedicate a part of their lives to full-time, hands-on volunteer service. The Coalition accomplishes this goal by:
1) Helping members of the Jewish community find full-time volunteer programs and by helping programs find high quality volunteers,
2) Developing a national movement of the alumni of Jewish service programs and mobilizing their capacity to expand the field,
3) Acting as a resource for Jewish professionals and lay leaders to foster growing interest in Jewish service, and
4) Providing a collective framework in which programs can address shared challenges of organizational and resource development.
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs
http://www.jewishpublicaffairs.org
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) is the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community and serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 123 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations. The mandate is expressed in two, interrelated goals: 1. to safeguard the rights of Jews here, in Israel, and around the world; and, in order to accomplish that, 2. to protect, preserve, and promote a just American society, one that is democratic and pluralistic. This site focuses on issues facing Americans through a Jewish perspective.
Jewish Labor Committee
The Jewish Labor Committee is an independent secular organization that helps the Jewish community and the trade union movement work together on important issues of shared interest and concern. The Jewish Labor Committee was formed in February, 1934, by Yiddish-speaking immigrant trade union leaders, and leaders of such groups as the Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring, the Jewish Labor Bund, and the United Hebrew Trades, in response to the rise of Nazism in Germany.
The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (3:5, 18-21, 42, 52, 71-72, 75, 76)
The Reconstructionist Movement has three components: a synagogue arm -- the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF); a rabbinical college -- the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC); and an association of rabbis -- The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association (RRA). Founded in 1955, the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation serves more than 100 congregations and havurot spread across North America.
Jewish War Veterans of the USA
http://www.jwv.org
Since its founding in 1896, the Jewish War Veterans of the USA (JWV) has served as the patriotic voice of American Jewry. The organization was founded as the Hebrew Union Veterans Association, partially to refute a widely circulated article by Mark Twain that labeled American Jews as unpatriotic and unwilling to fight in the country's wars. Organized initially by men who served in the Union Army and Navy during the Civil War, its membership has subsequently included Jewish military personnel who answered the call in all of the U.S. military engagements from 1861 through today's War in Iraq. In veterans' affairs, the JWV fights for veterans' benefits, and supports veterans' rights legislation. As a Jewish organization, JWV actively opposes anti-Semitism, supports Israel and speaks out on domestic and foreign policy issues affecting the Jewish people. They also document and preserve the contributions of American Jewish soldiers at the National Museum of American Jewish Military History. Read how the JWV works to preserve history by viewing the new JWV Timeline-1896 to the Present Over A Century of Patriotic Service and read fascinating articles in the JWV magazine.
MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger
MAZON allocates donations from the Jewish community to prevent and alleviate hunger among people of all faiths and backgrounds. On this site you can learn about hunger and the Jewish community’s efforts to find a long-term solution.
Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture
The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, the only international body dedicated solely to advancing Jewish cultural activities, was established by Nahum Goldmann in 1965 with reparation funds from the Government of West Germany. Through its various programs, the Foundation has played a central role in the dynamic recovery and growth of the Jewish people in the post-World War II period, fostering remarkable cultural creativity and assuring the continuity of Jewish civilization.
National Council of Jewish Women
http://www.ncjw.org
The National Council of Jewish Women is a volunteer organization that has been at the forefront of social change for over a century. Inspired by Jewish values, NCJW takes a progressive stance on issues such as child welfare, women's rights, and reproductive freedom. View "NCJW Thru Time". The section entitled "Programs" provides information and insight on critical national and international issues.
National Conference for Community and Justice
http://www.faithandvalues.com/fg_profiles/NCJ.asp
Prominent leaders in the Christian and Jewish communities founded the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ in 1927, as The National Conference on Christians and Jews). This dedicated human relations organization was created to address the hate that threatened to divide the nation over Alfred E. Smith's campaign for president that same year. In 1934 NCCJ established April 29th as Brotherhood Day, to address society's relationships as citizens. Within 5 years, a day would not be enough, thus it would become Brotherhood Week. In 1945, they began conferences for college and high school students to help improve interracial relations.
The National Conference of Shomrim Societies
http://www.nationalshomrim.org/page2.html
This is the site of The National Conference of Shomrim Societies. They are comprised of Shomrim Chapters from all over the United States for the purpose of joining together our Jewish Brothers and Sisters in the Police, Firefighting, Law Enforcement, and other Public Service fields. To learn more, view the section on "History".
National Conference on Soviet Jewry (3:62-66)
The mission of NCSJ is to advocate on behalf of Jews in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States & Eurasia is to safeguard the individual and communal political rights of Jews living in the former Soviet Union and to secure their religious and political freedoms. NCSJ, as mandated by the organized American Jewish community, seeks to assure the right of Jews to emigrate from the former Soviet Union without impediment, monitors and combats anti-Semitism in the successor states, and aims to assure full access to Jewish tradition, education, culture and communal life for Jews who remain in the former Soviet Union.
National Council of Young Israel (3:15, 17-18)
The National Council of Young Israel (NCYI), founded in 1912, serves as the national coordinating agency for nearly 150 Orthodox congregations. Originally created to combat the wave of assimilation by providing a palatable synagogue experience that was user friendly to newly arrived immigrants and their subsequent generations, the goal of NCYI is to broaden the appeal of the traditional community synagogue as the central address for Jewish communal life by providing educational, religious, social, spiritual and communal programming.
The National Foundation for Jewish Culture
http://www2.jewishculture.org/about
The NFJC believes that we are in the midst of a Jewish cultural renaissance in America. When you can see feature films reflecting the Jewish experience in your local cineplex, attend readings of new Jewish writing in your local bookstore, listen to new Jewish music in downtown jazz clubs, visit thousands of Jewish websites on the Internet, take courses in Jewish Studies on college campuses across the country-- there can be little doubt that we are in a Golden Age of Jewish Culture unlike any in the 4,000-year history of the Jewish people.
The National Foundation for Jewish Culture (NFJC) is the leading advocate for Jewish cultural creativity and preservation in America. Since 1960, it has nurtured new generations of writers, filmmakers, artists, composers, choreographers and scholars. The NFJC's national and international conferences, partnerships with local communities and institutions, and sponsorships of annual grants and awards in the arts and humanities bring the best of Jewish culture to the Jewish community and the American public.
National Jewish Coalition for Literacy
The National Jewish Coalition for Literacy is the organized Jewish community's vehicle for mobilizing volunteer tutors and reading partners for at-risk children in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Our mission is to bring the skills and the concerns of America's Jews to bear on the scandal of illiteracy by effecting a dramatic increase in the organized Jewish community's involvement in the fight against illiteracy and in the number of Jews involved in that fight.
National Jewish Democratic Council
Founded in 1990, the National Jewish Democratic Council is the national voice of Jewish Democrats. Informed by a commitment to those values shared by the Democratic Party and the vast majority of American Jews - including the separation of church and state, a strong US-Israel relationship, and reproductive freedom - NJDC's singular set of priorities includes:
National Republican Jewish Coalition
Since 1985, the Republican Jewish Coalition (formerly the National Jewish Coalition) has been the voice for Jewish Republicans. The RJC was founded to be a permanent Jewish presence in the Republican community and a credible Republican presence in the Jewish community. As the bridge between the Jewish community and Republican leaders, the RJC earned the trust of the Reagan and Bush administration officials, national and state legislators, and party leaders. The RJC works to sensitize Republican decision makers in government and the party to the concerns of the Jewish community, while at the same time articulating Republican ideas and policies in the Jewish community.
The North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ)
The North American Conference on Ethiopian Jewry (NACOEJ) is a grass-roots, non-profit organization founded in 1982 with four mandates:
1) To help Ethiopian Jews survive in Ethiopia.
2) To assist them in reaching Israel.
3) To aid in their absorption into Israeli society.
4) To preserve their unique and ancient culture.
Read about Ethiopian Jewry's rich history and how you can assist them in both Ethiopia and Israel.
The Orthodox Union (3:7, 14-15, 16-17, 41-43, 52-53, 58, 69, 73, 75, 76-77)
http://www.ou.org
The Orthodox Union, the central address and national spokesman for 1,000 Orthodox synagogues in the United States, a not-for-profit educational, outreach and social service organization which serves the burgeoning North American Jewish community. See "IPA/Public Policy" and learn about The Institute for Public Affairs, the Orthodox Union's public policy arm that works to protect Jewish interests and freedoms by providing government officials with informative policy briefings, advocating legislative and regulatory initiatives, and coordinating our constituency's grass-roots political activities. The IPA works to bring the unique perspective of Jewish law and tradition to bear upon the widest range of public policy issues confronting American society at-large.
Religious Action Center
http://www.rac.org/
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) has been at the hub of Jewish social justice and legislative activity in the nation's capital for over 40 years. In the "Advocacy Resources " you can learn about more than seventy issues areas, ranging from Israel and Soviet Jewry to economic and civil rights. Use this section to find descriptions of RAC's position on any number of topics, as well as listings of publications, press releases, and programs to help you understand the issues and get involved.
Ritualwell.org
http://www.ritualwell.org/index.html
The creators of this site envision a world fully inclusive of women, men, and children, their voices, and the range of their experiences, biological, communal, and personal. They strive toward a Judaism that names, embraces, and, when appropriate, sanctifies those experiences. They also believe that protecting the earth, working for peace, fighting against racism, striving toward economic justice, and fighting for human rights are feminist causes. Wherever possible, they provide links to organizations working on these causes so that your ritual, be it a baby naming or a seder, can fully encompass your vision of the world.
SocialAction.com
SocialAction.com is published by Jewish Family & Life!, an award-winning publisher of on-line magazines, the print journal Sh'ma, and JFL Books. Launched in November 1999, their mission includes these goals:
Society for Humanistic Judaism
Humanistic Judaism embraces a human-centered philosophy that combines the celebration of Jewish culture and identity with an adherence to humanistic values and ideas. Humanistic Judaism offers a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life. It was established by Rabbi Sherwin T. Wine in 1963 in Detroit, Michigan, and has grown into a worldwide movement.
The Union for Reform Judaism (1:70-77
and 2:
24, 58, 65, 70, 78
and 3:5, 7, 8, 16-17, 19-20, 21, 35, 40-43, 50, 52-53, 58, 72, 73, 74-75, 76, 79)
www.urj.org
The Union for Reform Judaism, the central body of the Reform Movement in North America, was founded in Cincinnati in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. It has grown from an initial membership of 34 congregations in 28 cities to more than 900 congregations in the United States, Canada, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. It is the largest Jewish movement in North America and represents an estimated 1.5 million Jews. The Union provides leadership and vision to Reform Jews on spiritual, ethical, and political issues. Of special interest are the sections on "Resources" and "Learning" for a unique perspective of Reform theology and tradition on personal and public policy issues confronting American society at-large. See also Reform Judaism.
United Jewish Communities (2:70, 75)
http://www.ujc.org/
United Jewish Communities (UJC) represents 156 Jewish Federations and 400 independent communities across North America. Through the UJA Federation Campaign, UJC provides life-saving and life-enhancing humanitarian assistance to those in need, and translates Jewish values into social action on behalf of millions of Jews in hundreds of communities in North America, in towns and villages throughout Israel, in the former Soviet Union, and 60 countries around the world. View "Social Action/Advocacy" to learn how UJC Washington works to ensure that the voice of the Jewish Federations is a prominent force in health and human service policy decisions.
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (3:16-17, 40-43, 49, 50, 52, 73, 74-75, 76, 79)
The United Synagogue, founded in 1913, is the association of Conservative congregations in North America. The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism promotes the role of the synagogue in Jewish life in order to motivate Conservative Jews to perform mitzvot encompassing ethical behavior, spirituality, Judaic learning, and ritual observance.
The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring
This site provides information about The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring, which is "dedicated to fostering Jewish identity and participation in Jewish life, among its members, through Jewish, especially Yiddish, culture and education, friendship, mutual aid, and the pursuit of social and economic justice". One of the main goals of the organization is "to preserve the unique beauty of Jewish and Yiddish culture so that our rich legacy does not disappear into the 'melting pot' of America. As a result, The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring is the chief--the preeminent--advocate of Yiddish cultural activity".
