Anglo-Jewish Association

The Anglo-Jewish Association was a British organisation originally founded for the protection of Jewish rights in developing countries by diplomatic means. Its objectives and activities were patterned after those of the Alliance Israélite Universelle. It was established in 1871 when its first president was Jacob Waley; five Jewish MPs were vice presidents. By 1900 it had 36 branches, 14 in British colonies. In 1871 it was instrumental in securing the creation of the Rumanian Committee and in 1882 collaborated in establishing the Russo-Jewish Committee. From 1881 it cooperated with the Board of Deputies of British Jews in the Conjoint Foreign Committee.

The AJA undertook educational work among 'under-developed' Jewish communities, maintaining schools in Baghdad, Aden, Mogador, Jerusalem, and other places. In 1893 it became associated with the direction of the Jewish Colonization Association. As its president, Claude Montefiore condemned the Balfour Declaration. After the Board of Deputies became overwhelmingly Zionist in 1940, the AJA, under Leonard J Stein became a rallying point of non-Zionist sentiment; as a result, ostensibly because it was not a democratically elected body, its representation on the Joint Foreign Committee was reduced and then abolished. After the establishment of the state of Israel it modified its attitude to Zionism. It published the Jewish Monthly (1947-1952), and the AJA Review (1944-1955), which was superseded by the AJA Quarterly.