The Origins of the Israel Lobby in the US
America’s Role in the Creation of the State of Israel
by ALISON WEIR Counterpunch
American Council for Judaism
The Origins of the Israel Lobby in the US
By Alison Weir | CounterPunch | March 21, 2014
The immediate precursor to today’s pro-Israel lobby began in 1939[i] under the leadership of Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver, originally from Lithuania. He created the American Zionist Emergency Council (AZEC), which by 1943 had acquired a budget of half a million dollars at a time when a nickel bought a loaf of bread.[ii]