The American Zionist Council (AZC) was an Israeli lobby group founded in 1949. It represented nine nationwide Zionist organizations in matters related specifically to Zionism, following the establishment of Israel. It was founded as a tax-exempt umbrella organization of American Jewish groups, which focused on Israel and included the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), Hadassah, and other Zionist organizations active in the United States. It acted as an umbrella group for public relations, outreach, and lobbying on Capitol Hill. Between 1951 and 1953, its Washington representative was Isaiah L. Kenen.
Kenen organized the unincorporated American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs (AZCPA) in 1951. AZCPA was primarily a "public relations" organization, emitting numerous news releases. In 1954, AZC divested itself of AZCPA "because its leaders did not want to use tax-exempt funds for lobbying." Following its independence, AZCPA began involving American Jewish organizations not formally committed to Zionism in order to increase its credibility and separate itself from AZC's role as a middleman for the Israeli government. These efforts met with success, with AZCPA able...
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