2008 Board:

President & GOALS Chair:       Jay Umansky
Vice Presidents:                          Harlie Frankel and Robert Cohn 
Corresp Sec'y:                             Susan Bayer
Recording Sec'y:                         Sydell Shayer
Treasurer:                                     Marvin Beckerman

AJCongress has had a presence in the St. Louis area for many decades.  We continue to defend the principle of the
separation of church and state.  We have representatives on the Jewish Community Relations Council
(see their web site at www.jcrcstl.org); its current president, the multi-talented Lenny Frankel, sits on our board.
Robert Cohn of the St. Louis Jewish Light (see www.stljewishlight.com) , like Lenny a former president of this chapter,
continues to serve our board.

National and International:

Learn More about American Jewish Congress here

Five subjects comprise the core of our agenda:

• Safety and security of Israel and the world Jewish
  community, especially in the face of worldwide
  terrorism.
  
  
• Fighting to eradicate the new anti-Semitism, which
  threatens Jews everywhere.
  
  
• Preserving religious freedom in the United States
  through separation of Church and State.
  
  
• Energy independence and stopping the flow of
  petrodollars that fund terrorism.
  
  
• Supporting moderate Muslim countries and prominent
  individuals who oppose radical Islam and believe in
  "enlightened moderation" as the message of Islam.

Local:

Locally, we regularly host the Jacobs’  Lecture. we support the Jewish Book Festival, the Jewish Film Festival, and countless other local Jewish events.  Members of our Board serve actively and with distinction on the Jewish Community Relations Counsel. Among other issues we have been addressing, Darfur, threats of proposed amendments presented at the United Methodist Conference dealing with divestment from companies doing business with Israel, and local approaches to the threat posed by a nuclear Iran, to name a few.

We sponsor GOALS, Gateway Older Adult Legal Services Project.
Founded in January of 1979, GOALS provides free legal services to the indigent elderly, regardless of religious affiliation, here in the St. Louis Metropolitan area.  Our President, Jay Umansky, was the first legal intern for the project and remains as the Chair of the program today.  Thousands in our area have benefited from GOALS, now entering its thirtieth year!

In coordination with the Law School at Washington University, the AJ Congress hosts an annual Constitutional Conference. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2007