AJC Supports IsraAID Relief Efforts in India

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Aug 29, 2018, 11:13 ET

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization, is supporting IsraAID relief efforts in Kerala, India following devastating monsoon rains that have displaced more than 1 million people and caused hundreds of deaths.

"Consistent with our Jewish values to assist those in need and our longstanding partnership with India, we are pleased to join with IsraAID in delivering much needed humanitarian relief during this crisis," said Shira Loewenberg, director of AJC's Asia Pacific Institute (API).

Kochi (also known as Cochin), a port city in the southwest of Kerala state, was for centuries home to a thriving Jewish community that supported numerous synagogues. The beautiful Paradesi synagogue, constructed in 1567, still has a regular congregation and attracts tourists as a historic site.

AJC has supported IsraAID: The Israel Forum for International Humanitarian Aid over the years in responding to a number of humanitarian crises in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. "IsraAID, our partner, often is one of the first non-governmental groups to reach the site of a disaster, no matter the distance from Israel, and provide urgently needed assistance," said Loewenberg.

For over a quarter-century, AJC's API has promoted Israeli and American ties with India. Senior AJC leaders regularly visit India to meet with the country's top officials, and with Indian diplomats in New York, Washington, D.C. and across the United States.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee