Initial funding was provided by Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President of the National Council of Young Israel.
[3] In preparation for the Annapolis Peace summit with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ministers of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s government put forth their view that Jerusalem was negotiable and opened the door to concessions of parts of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, which is considered by many to be Judaism’s holiest site.
As a result, many Jewish leaders around the world who held to a policy of not publicly challenging decisions of Israel's government, have chosen to coalesce around the position: opposing Israeli negotiations which include any discussion of ceding sovereignty over part or all of Jerusalem.
As a first step, the two called for the creation of a body to coordinate and leverage efforts in Israel and the Diaspora to secure Jewish interests in Jerusalem’s future.
The formation of the Coordinating Council for Jerusalem marks the first time since the establishment of the State of Israel that a significant group of American Jewish organizations have created a broad united front to pursue a policy directly involving Israel that is based on an explicit principle that supersedes deference to the sitting Israeli government.