The Institute for Jewish Policy Research (JPR), founded as the Institute of Jewish Affairs, is a London-based research institute and

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...

. It specializes in contemporary Jewish affairs. JPR also runs a public education programme, and has hosted lectures from Chief Rabbi

Lord Sacks Jonathan Henry Sacks, Baron Sacks ( he, יונתן הנרי זקס, translit=Yona'tan Henry Zaks; 8 March 19487 November 2020) was an English Orthodox rabbi, philosopher, theologian, and author. Sacks served as the Chief Rabbi of the United He ...

James Wolfensohn Sir James David Wolfensohn (1 December 193325 November 2020) was an Australian-American lawyer, investment banker, and economist who served as the ninth president of the World Bank Group (1995–2005). During his tenure at the World Bank, he is ...

, Professor Jonathan Sarna and Professor

Zygmunt Bauman Zygmunt Bauman (; 19 November 1925 – 9 January 2017) was a Polish sociologist and philosopher. He was driven out of the Polish People's Republic during the 1968 Polish political crisis and forced to give up his Polish citizenship. He emigrat ...

History

The institute was founded in New York in 1941, under the auspices of the

World Jewish Congress The World Jewish Congress (WJC) was founded in Geneva, Switzerland in August 1936 as an international federation of Jewish communities and organizations. According to its mission statement, the World Jewish Congress' main purpose is to act as ...

and the

American Jewish Congress The American Jewish Congress (AJCongress or AJC) is an association of American Jews organized to defend Jewish interests at home and abroad through public policy advocacy, using diplomacy, legislation, and the courts. History The AJCongress was ...

, as a research institute to provide analysis of political, legal and economic issues affecting Jewish life. The institute's founder Dr Jacob Robinson argued that Jewish leaders, struggling for the interests of the Jewry after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, “were hampered by the lack of up-to-date information on the situation of the Jews and no less by the lack of research into relevant legal and political options.” The IJA was established to bridge the gap. The institute's research focused on the analysis of the political, legal and economic aspects of Jewish life since

. Their reports examined a number of topics including: the situation of Jewish communities in various countries,

anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

, human rights related to minorities and migration, and the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

and its aftermath. The organization was also involved in formulating a postwar policy to secure Jewish rights and freedom internationally. Dr Jacob Robinson, IJA's founder, served as its first director (1941–1947). He was succeeded by Nehemiah Robinson (1947–1964) and Oscar Karbach (1964–1973).American Jewish Archives (2002) A Collection Overview to the World Jewish Congress Records. 1918-1982 (bulk 1940-1980). Manuscript Collection No. 361. Accessed on-line at: http://americanjewisharchives.org/collections/ms0361/ms0361.html#seriesC on 8.8.2014 In the late 1940s, the organization, together with WJC's Political Department, was engaged in the preparation of reports submitted to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

and other organizations. The institute moved to London in 1965,archiveshub.ac.uk
Papers of the Institute of Jewish Affairs
/ref> and was refounded as the Institute for Jewish Policy Research in February 1996. In 1996 it was reestablished in London as Institute for Jewish Policy Research.

Structure

It is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

under English law and it exists to provide "policy-related research and analysis for individuals and organizations concerned with the enhancement of contemporary Jewish life." Its honorary president is

Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, (born 29 April 1936) is a British peer, investment banker and a member of the Rothschild banking family. Now mostly retired, he has held many important roles in business, finance ...

,JPR: Governance
/ref> its chairman is Stephen Moss, and its executive director is Dr Jonathan Boyd. Previous directors of the institute include Professor

Barry Kosmin The Institute for the Study of Secularism in Society and Culture (ISSSC) is located at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. ISSSC was established in 2005 to advance the understanding of the role of secular values and the process of seculari ...

, and Antony Lerman.

References

External links

JPRGuide to the Institute of Jewish Affairs Collection
at the

American Jewish Historical Society The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation an ...

, New York, NY
A Collection Overview to the World Jewish Congress Records
at American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati, OH

History

Structure

See also

References

External links

Further reading

Publications and projects