Morris Amitay
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Morris J. Amitay (July 5, 1936 – February 10, 2023) was an American lobbyist who was the executive director of the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ) is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. One of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United Stat ...
(AIPAC) (1974–1980), vice chairman of the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), and the founder and treasurer of the Washington Political Action Committee.


Early life and education

Amitay was born in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
on July 5, 1936. Amitay earned his undergraduate degree from
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, his J.D. degree from
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...
(where he wrote his thesis for
Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...
's Defense Policy Seminar) and a Master's degree in Public Administration from
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.


Career

Amitay was a
Foreign Service Officer A Foreign Service Officer (FSO) is a commissioned member of the United States Foreign Service. Foreign Service Officers formulate and implement the foreign policy of the United States. FSOs spend most of their careers overseas as members of U ...
from 1962 to 1969, with assignments in Italy, South Africa and the State Department. In 1981, he founded the Washington Political Action Committee, which through 2018 had contributed almost four million dollars to Israel's supporters in the U.S. Congress. Before taking over AIPAC, Amitay worked in the
U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
and for five years as a legislative aide in the
U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...
, where he "took a lead role in organizing congressional initiatives affecting Israel and Soviet Jewry

Amitay became AIPAC president in 1974, succeeding
Isaiah L. Kenen Isaiah Leo "Si" Kenen (March 7, 1905 – March 23, 1988) was a Canadian-born American journalist, lawyer and philanthropist. He was the founder of the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs (AZCPA), the forerunner of the American Israel P ...
and leading for six years. Amitay transformed AIPAC, making it more aggressive and confrontational. He computerized the AIPAC offices, moved it to Capitol Hill, swelled the office staff from a handful to dozens, and increased the annual budget from $400,000 to $1.2 million. The list of key contacts held by Kenan expanded from hundreds to eleven thousand. Membership increased to over 55 thousand. Amitay appeared as a commentator on a number of national radio and television programs including CNN, National Public Radio, the Lehrer Report, the Voice of America, Fox News and the BBC.


Personal life and death

On July 25, 1977, Amitay's home was the target of a bomb that killed the family dog but caused no other injuries. Amitay resided in Maryland. He died on February 10, 2023, at the age of 86.


See also

*
Lobbying in the United States Lobbying in the United States describes paid activity in which advocacy group, special interest groups hire well-connected professional advocates, often lawyers, to argue for specific legislation in decision-making bodies such as the United Sta ...
*
List of AIPAC officers The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ) is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. One of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United Stat ...


References


External links


Morris J. Amitay, P.C.

Washington PAC website

Washington PAC
at
OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP). ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amitay, Morris J. 1936 births 2023 deaths American lobbyists 20th-century American Jews Columbia College (New York) alumni Harvard Law School alumni Zionism in the United States American Zionists Activists from New York City Harvard Kennedy School alumni American expatriates in Italy American expatriates in South Africa American Israel Public Affairs Committee 21st-century American Jews