American Friends of Ateret Cohanim is a  non-profit organization that supports the projects of Ateret Cohanim in Jerusalem, Israel.  Ateret Cohanim  was established during the Festival of Chanukah in 1977 (Kislev 5738) by Matityahu HaCohen Dan, a young, idealistic veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. The aim of Ateret Cohanim  is to fulfill a generations old dream of rebuilding & securing a United Jerusalem, strengthening our Jewish roots and reestablishing the once thriving Jewish communities that were destroyed by Arab pogroms and the coordinated efforts of Arab countries before 1967.  Ateret Cohanim's projects  are centered around the educational, social and recreational needs of the families living in these areas as well as providing for their inalienable right to live in peace and security in and around the Old City of Jerusalem.