Editing AIJAC (section)

===Origins===
The Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC) was founded in 1997 through the merger of two earlier Jewish organisations: '''Australia-Israel Publications''' (AIP) and the '''Australian Institute of Jewish Affairs''' (AIJA). The Melbourne-based Australia-Israel Publications had been founded in 1974 by Robert ("Bob") Zablud and Isador Magid to present pro-Israel perspectives in the media and political debate through its monthly journal, the ''Australia-Israel Review''.{{sfn|Reich|2004|p=198}} AIP had been established by the [[Zionist Federation of Australia]] (ZFA) and the [[Executive Council of Australian Jewry]], the two peak representative bodies of the [[Australian Jews|Australian Jewish]] community, to educate the Australian public about the Middle East in response to growing public criticism of [[Israel]].{{sfn|Rutland|2004|p=40}} Under the leadership of Magid and later [[Mark Leibler]], AIP became the best resourced Australian Jewish organisation. During the 1980s, the organisation expanded with the establishment of full-time southern and northern directors in 1982 and of a director of public affairs in 1987.{{sfn|Reich|2004|p=198}}

The second organisation, AIJA, had been founded in 1984 by the Melbourne businessmen [[Isi Leibler]], Richard Pratt, and Mark Besen. AIJA's purpose was to conduct and encourage research into issues of concern for the Australian Jewish community.{{sfn|Reich|2004|pp=198-199}}{{sfn|Markus|2004|p=120}} AIJA's activities have also included organising several key conferences relating to antisemitism, Jewish education and the National Outlook Conferences, as well as producing research studies on various topics.{{sfn|Rutland|2004|pp=40-41}} In 1984, AIJA organised an international conference on antisemitism that hosted several prominent guests including Australian [[Chief Rabbi]] Sir [[Immanuel Jakobovits, Baron Jakobovits|Immanuel Jakobovits]], [[Abraham Foxman]] of the [[Anti-Defamation League]], Special Counsel to the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations]] Allan Gerson, Israeli academics [[Itamar Rabinovich]] and [[R.J. Zwi Werblowsky]], and [[B'nai B'rith]] lobbyist [[William Korey]].{{sfn|Markus|2004|p=120}} During its history, AIJA attracted more funding from major businessmen and philanthropists than ECAJ.{{sfn|Rutland|2004|pp=40-41}}

After Isi Leibler settled in Israel in 1995, he came to believe that the Jewish community needed a more effective advocacy group. Following negotiations, AIP and AIJA merged in 1997 to form AIJAC, which became the main Jewish public advocacy group in Australia.{{sfn|Rutland|2004|p=41}}