| Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations | |
| Type: | 501(c)(4) |
| Status: | nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters: | 633 Third Avenue, New York, New York, US |
| Coordinates: | 40.7497°N -73.975°W |
| Membership: | 50 |
| Leader Title: | Chair |
| Leader Name: | Harriet P. Schleifer[1] |
| Leader Title2: | Chief Executive Officer |
| Leader Name2: | William C. Daroff |
| Leader Name3: | Malcolm I. Hoenlein |
| Leader Title3: | Vice Chair |
| Leader Name4: | Stephanie Hausner |
| Leader Title4: | Chief Operating Officer |
| Subsidiaries: | Conference of Presidents Fund 501(c)(3) |
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP; commonly Presidents' Conference) is the umbrella organization for the American Jewish community. Comprising 50 national Jewish organizations, it was founded in 1956 to develop a consensus voice among Jewish organizations, especially to the U.S. government.
The Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations is the American Jewish community's unofficial umbrella organization.[2] Since the 1970s, the chairperson of the Conference of Presidents has assumed the role of de facto spokesperson for the American Jewish community on international affairs, especially on matters related to Israel. Its authority is generally based on its ability to development consensus among the largest Jewish organizations, and therefore it claims to speak on behalf of the majority of affiliated American Jews.[3]
The Conference of Presidents was formed when Jewish groups felt a need to respond to the perceived tilt of the Eisenhower administration away from Israel. In 1954, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Henry Byroade attempted to intimidate Israel, B'nai B'rith president Philip Klutznick invited the leaders of 16 American Jewish organizations to meet in New York City as the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. In March 1955, the conference had 20 members and met in Washington, D.C. to discuss the Middle East. The 1955 conference was the first public forum that enabled the American government to hear the opinions of the largest representative body of American Jews after World War II. At the forum, the Conference of Presidents declared its goals as three-fold: 1) the defense of American and the welfare of its people, 2) the spread of freedom and attainment of peace throughout the world, and 3) the attainment of peace, development, and security for the people of Israel in their ancestral homeland.
In the early years, the Conference of Presidents, like other coordinating agencies such as the Council of Jewish Federations, the Jewish Welfare Board, and the Synagogue Council of America, operated mainly as coordinating bodies with no powers of coercion over their constituent members. However, these groups were able to forge unprecedented levels of cooperation largely because there was a strong consensus about the Jewish communal agenda.
By the 1970s, the Conference of Presidents and AIPAC assumed overall responsibility for Israel-related lobbying within the Jewish communal landscape. The Conference of Presidents was responsible for speaking to the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, while AIPAC dealt mainly with the legislative branch.
For its first 30 years, the organization was headed by Yehuda Hellman. After Hellman's death in 1986, Malcolm Hoenlein became chairman. Hoenlein took a much stronger role in shaping US policy, especially within the executive branch.[4] By 1990, the group grew to 48 members and 8 official observers. By then, its mission was to "strengthen the US-Israel alliance and protect and enhance the security and dignity of Jews abroad."
On February 12, 2009, the conference's leaders met with Pope Benedict XVI in order to re-assert the importance of Jewish–Catholic relations in the wake of the controversy over negationist comments made by Society of St. Pius X bishop Richard Williamson.[5]
On August 4, 2019, William Daroff was announced as Hoenlein's successor as CEO.[6] The Conference of Presidents co-organized the March for Israel on November 14, 2023. Daroff claimed that more than 290,000 people attended the rally, making it "the largest pro-Israel gathering in US history".[7]
Progressive Jewish groups have floated leaving the Conference, particularly after the Conference declined to extend membership to liberal group J Street in 2014. In 2023, progressive group The Workers Circle withdrew from the Conference over what The Workers Circle claimed as policy differences. CoP CEO William Daroff stated that The Workers Circle owed $15,000 in membership fees and had not raised any concerns prior to its announcement. Other left-leaning Jewish groups expressed that they would remain in the Conference.[8]
In December 2008, the conference presented Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and his government as a whole, with its inaugural "International Leadership Award" for his support for Israel. Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice-chairman of the conference, stated that the award was given to express the group's appreciation for Canada's "courageous stands" to boycott the Durban II anti-racism conference. He also praised Canada's "support for Israel and [its] efforts at the U.N. against incitement and ... the delegitimization [of Israel], where they have taken a role in the forefront."[9]
In December 2008, the conference asked President George W. Bush to pardon Jonathan Pollard, a former US navy analyst who was sentenced to life in prison in 1987 for spying for Israel. Malcolm Hoenlein stated that Pollard should be pardoned on humanitarian grounds, adding that "It's time that he be released. He has expressed remorse."[10] Pollard, who was branded as a traitor in the US but considered a hero in Israel, was released in November 2015, almost thirty years from the day when he was arrested.[11] Pollard was scheduled to speak to members of the Conference in January 2016 in New York. US Representatives Jerrold Nadler and Eliot Engel, to discuss efforts to lighten Pollard's parole conditions, in which both congressmen have been actively involved.[12]