America-Israel Friendship League
New York-based non-profit, founded in 1971, that runs delegations to Israel for US officials, clergy and students
| America-Israel Friendship League
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| Type | 501(c)(3) non-profit |
| Founded | 1971 |
| Registration ID | EIN 23-7252135 (US Internal Revenue Service) |
| Location | New York, NY, United States |
| Key people | Eric J. Gertler (chair); Mortimer Zuckerman (honorary president, 2020); Ronald S. Lauder (director) |
| Website | https://aifl.org/ |
The America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL) is a New York-based non-profit, founded in 1971, that says it builds "grassroots support for Israel" through "people-to-people activities". These include leadership delegations to Israel, seminars for pastors and educators, and a youth exchange programme.[1] It sends an annual delegation of US state attorneys general to Israel. AIFL says the January 2020 delegation "occurred in Cooperation with the Government of the State of Israel".[2]
History
According to AIFL's own timeline:[1]
- In 1971 AIFL was formed, "dedicated to the promotion and development of mutual friendship and understanding between the people of the United States and the people of the State of Israel".
- In 1973 it held the first of a series of testimonial dinners celebrating "the bond between the American Labor Movement and the State of Israel".
- In 1982 it began "to support and launch pro-Israel groups, among them Project Interchange", which runs seminars in Israel "for groups of Americans engaged in public life".
- From 1985 to 1990 it ran a journalist exchange funded by the US Information Agency.
- In 2001 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon gave the keynote address at its Partners for Democracy awards dinner.
- In 2013 it "takes a leading role in countering an Israel divestment campaign led by members of the Presbyterian Church", arranging a delegation to Israel for the church's senior clergy.
- In 2015 it began a "Pastor-Educator Seminar" programme, "Why Israel?", to reach "local pastors and Christian educators, the key opinion-makers at the grassroots level".
AIFL says its aim is to show Americans a "contemporary Israel story" beyond the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[1]
Attorneys general delegations
AIFL runs an annual delegation of US state attorneys general to Israel. Its page on the National Association of Attorneys General programme says the January 2020 delegation "occurred in Cooperation with the Government of the State of Israel".[2]
According to leaked Israeli Ministry of Justice documents published by Distributed Denial of Secrets, the Ministry of Strategic Affairs sent talking points for Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's meeting "with the attorneys general from the US" on 1 January 2020. The ministry noted that "this is a delegation arriving within the framework of the 'Concert' initiative" (translated from Hebrew). Concert was the government-funded company formerly called Kela Shlomo. The talking points said that "existing anti-BDS legislation in 27 US-states is an important and necessary tool".[3][4] The leaked documents do not name AIFL, and AIFL's page does not mention Concert. Powerbase has not confirmed that the two refer to the same delegation.
In 2018 Concert's lawyers, Sandler Reiff, had advised that if anyone acting "at the direction of the government/funded by the government" marketed delegations in the United States, "this likely will require FARA registration".[5] AIFL does not appear in the US Department of Justice's lists of active or terminated FARA registrants (checked 21 October 2026).[6]
People
AIFL's website lists Eric J. Gertler, Malcolm Hoenlein and former Israeli UN ambassador Dan Gillerman among its board members.[7] Officers listed in its IRS Form 990 filings include:[8]
| Name | Position | Filing year(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Kenneth J. Bialkin | Chairman | 2017 |
| Joel I. Klein | President | 2017 |
| James S. Gertler | Chairman | 2020 |
| Eric J. Gertler | Chairman | 2021–2024 |
| Mortimer B. Zuckerman | Honorary President | 2020 |
| Ronald S. Lauder | Director | 2018–2024 (most filings) |
| Daniela Rilov | Executive Director | 2016–2017 |
| William H. Behrer III | Interim / Executive Director | 2017–2018 |
| Wayne Firestone | Executive Director | 2019–2021 |
| Sharyn J. Gallatin | Executive Director | 2023 |
Finances
| Year | Revenue | Expenses |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | $1,498,084 | $1,611,210 |
| 2017 | $1,365,062 | $1,311,570 |
| 2018 | $1,486,908 | $1,367,998 |
| 2019 | $1,176,152 | $1,289,201 |
| 2020 | $1,788,583 | $1,336,780 |
| 2021 | $1,125,516 | $1,477,736 |
| 2022 | $1,660,692 | $1,921,421 |
| 2023 | $942,620 | $1,232,625 |
| 2024 | $648,348 | $473,287 |
Source: IRS Form 990 data via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.[8]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 America-Israel Friendship League, About aifl.org, accessed 21 October 2026. AIFL-side.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 America-Israel Friendship League, National Association of Attorneys General aifl.org, accessed 21 October 2026. AIFL-side.
- ↑ Distributed Denial of Secrets, Israel Ministry of Justice ddosecrets.org, 25 July 2024, accessed 21 October 2026. DDoSecrets lists the dataset in its "Cyberwar" category, warning of "an increased chance of malware, ulterior motives and altered or implanted data".
- ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), email from the Ministry of Strategic Affairs with talking points for the Attorney General's meeting with US state attorneys general, 31 December 2019 (Hebrew), Library of Leaks entity 10742808 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
- ↑ Israel Ministry of Justice leak (Distributed Denial of Secrets), Sandler Reiff, memo "MOJ/MSA – SOI – Initial Recommendations" (revised 1 July 2018), Library of Leaks entity 10856394 Library of Leaks, accessed 21 October 2026. Leaked document; authenticity not independently verified.
- ↑ US Department of Justice, FARA eFile, active and terminated registrant lists, accessed 21 October 2026. Official.
- ↑ America-Israel Friendship League, Leadership aifl.org, accessed 21 October 2026. AIFL-side.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 ProPublica, America-Israel Friendship League Inc Nonprofit Explorer, accessed 21 October 2026 (IRS Form 990 data).