AJC Mourns Passing of Hyman Bookbinder, Legendary Advocate

NEW YORK, July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC mourns the passing today of Hyman Bookbinder. He headed the global advocacy organization's Washington office for 19 years.

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"Bookie was a cherished colleague, legendary advocate, invaluable mentor, and dear friend," said AJC Executive Director David Harris. "The impact of his advocacy efforts, the relationships he built with ethnic, faith and political leaders, and his tireless passion to serve the Jewish people will forever leave an indelible mark on American society and beyond."

During his 19-year tenure as AJC's Washington Representative, Bookbinder was widely considered the dean of Jewish representatives on Capitol Hill. He regularly briefed Members of Congress, many of whom were personal friends, published op-ed articles in The New York Times and Washington Post, testified before House and Senate committees, and was sought after for comment by print and broadcast media.

Born in 1916, Bookbinder retired in 1986 but continued to serve as AJC's Washington Representative Emeritus until his passing.

By the time Bookbinder joined the AJC staff in 1967, he was well experienced in the Washington political arena, navigating the halls of Congress and the Administration. He previously worked for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers and the AFL-CIO, in President Kennedy's Commerce Department, and as a key aide in President Johnson's war on poverty, working in the Office of Economic Opportunity. He also served as director of the Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Foundation.

But, it was at AJC that Bookbinder felt most at home to pursue his passion for the causes dearest to the Jewish people – defense of Israel, civil rights, social policy, Holocaust remembrance, and Soviet Jewry.

"I have always insisted that our community's involvement in the broad issues of social justice is not at the expense of our Jewish concerns – that, in fact, our explicitly Jewish interests and our so-called universal issues are mutually reinforcing," said Bookbinder.

Bookbinder was appointed by President Carter to serve on the commission that would lead to establishing the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. He served on the boards of a number of other organizations.

Bookbinder authored a personal memoir, Off the Wall: Memories of a Public Affairs Junkie. He co-authored in 1987 the book, Through Different Eyes, a series of debates on Arab-Israeli peace with James G. Abourezk, former U.S. Senator and founder of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Bookbinder received many honors during his lifetime. He was the first recipient, in 1994, of the National Jewish Democratic Council's Hubert H. Humphrey Humanitarian Award. He also received the Four Freedoms Award from the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute in 1989.

Indeed, his humanitarianism came to the fore in his daily interactions and work. Writing in his memoir, Off the Wall, Bookbinder said:

''If it should be true that in my lifetime I have helped even one Jew or one Haitian or one Pole escape persecution; if I have helped even one ghetto youngster escape poverty; if I have helped one daughter of a Tennessee shirtmaker get to play on her own piano...If these things are indeed true, then all that is left to say is I thank God that I was given some opportunities to help make life a little easier, a little sweeter, a little more secure, for some fellow human beings."

"Bookie deeply cherished the democratic values at the foundation of the United States that benefited his Polish immigrant parents and so many others from countries around the world," said Harris. "Thanks to Bookie's tireless efforts, American society is that much better for Jews and all minorities who call the this country home."

"Bookie was blessed to have his beloved wife, Ida Levick, by his side till the very end. What an extraordinary woman and what a special relationship they had," concluded Harris. "AJC expresses its heartfelt condolences to her, as well as to Bookie's daughters and grandchildren. Their loss – and our loss as a nation and people – are immeasurable."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee