Refusnik advocacy
In 1971,Harris worked as an English teacher in Moscow through a program with the American Field Service. During his time in the Soviet Union,Harris first became involved with Jewish refuseniks. Shortly after his arrival in Russia,Harris was arrested by Soviet authorities. After a stint in Helsinki,Harris joined the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). [2]
In 1974 and again in 1981,he was detained by Soviet authorities and,on the first occasion,was expelled from the country. In 1987,Harris was asked by the Jewish community to be the national coordinator for Freedom Sunday [4] for Soviet Jewry [5] —the 1987 demonstration in Washington that drew over 250,000 participants,the largest Jewish gathering in American history. [6]
American Jewish Committee
In 1979,he began working for the American Jewish Committee (AJC). [7] [8] In 1981,he left the AJC to take a position at the National Coalition Supporting Soviet Jewry. In 1984,he returned to the AJC and became head of its Washington,D.C. office in 1987. Beginning in 1990,Harris was the executive director and then the CEO of the AJC. [9]
Harris is a leading Jewish advocate [10] [11] [12] who meets with world leaders [13] [14] [15] to advance Israel's diplomatic standing and promote international human rights and inter-religious and inter-ethnic understanding. [16] [17]
Harris was central to the emigration of over one million Jews from the Soviet Union. [18] [19] [20] [21]
For 16 years,Harris was involved in the successful struggle to repeal the controversial "Zionism is racism" resolution (United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3379) [22] adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1975,only the second time in UN history a resolution was repealed. He spearheaded the AJC's successful campaign to change Israel's status [23] at the United Nations as the only nation ineligible to sit on the Security Council [24] and to include it in one of the United Nations' five regional groups.
On behalf of AJC,Harris has been involved in a number of humanitarian initiatives [25] in response to natural and man-made disasters,including in the Balkans,Middle East, [26] Africa,Asia,Latin America and the United States.
Harris has testified [27] before the United States Congress in both the House and the Senate on several occasions regarding the Middle East,NATO expansion,Russian [28] and Soviet affairs,and anti-Semitism,as well as before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights and the French Parliament.
In 2008,Harris spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos at a plenary session entitled,"Faith and Modernization." [29]
He retired in October 2022,replaced by Florida Congressman Ted Deutch. [30] [31]
