1987
The Freedom Sunday Rally, organized by David Harris— AJC’ s then-Washington representative and later AJC CEO from 1990-2022— brings 250,000 people to Washington, D. C., on the eve of a summit between Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev and U. S. President Ronald Reagan. The march to demand freedom for Soviet Jews becomes one of the largest Jewish rallies in U. S. history. In the ensuing years, more than a million Jews emigrate from the Soviet Union.
Yesterday I had 250,000 people in my backyard saying,‘ Let my people go.’ Until you do what they want, nothing will happen.
President Reagan, speaking to Gorbachev, following the rally
1992
Japan reverses itself by ending compliance with the Arab boycott of Israel. It attributes the policy change to AJC. A top Japanese official credits“ five years of patient diplomacy by AJC” with ending the embargo and enhancing Japan’ s ties with Israel.
46 SHAPE A NEW FUTURE: AN OVERVIEW OF AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE