The American Jewish Committee is selling its longtime Manhattan headquarters to real estate developer Gary Barnett’s Extell Development for $39 million, the organization confirmed on Thursday.

The sale of the AJC building, which was first reported by the industry publication The Real Deal on Tuesday, appears to be linked to a larger development project two blocks away on Park Ave, though it is not immediately clear how. 

“We took this step with an eye toward both the prudent management of our assets and to maximize our ability to engage in our vital advocacy work on behalf of the Jewish people and Israel,” an AJC spokesperson told eJewishPhilanthropy.

The organization confirmed that it was relocating, but did not say when it would do so or to where, but said it would remain in New York City.

“With that in mind, as we prepare to leave the building that has been our New York home for more than 60 years, we are not going far. We look forward to continuing our work here in New York, including engaging with local elected officials, partner communities and diplomats from around the world as we step into this next chapter,” the spokesperson said.

Ted Deutch, AJC’s CEO, told eJP on Thursday that the group’s longtime office building has served the group well and for decades, but selling the building allowed AJC to move to a “newer, more modern space that will give us the opportunity to host even more events with the consular corps in New York with UN ambassadors and the diplomatic corps there, and from which to engage in our, for our New York office to engage in in local and state politics as well.”

Deutch said that a recent relocation of AJC’s longtime Washington, D.C. office to a space near the White House has provided similar opportunities.

“We are doubling down on our diplomatic work in D.C., that was the decision to move into this larger, nicer space, and we are doubling down to our presence in New York City at a moment when, when the Jewish community in New York — and everywhere around the world, but in New York, in particular — really needs to lean in and show that that that we’re strong, and that we’re not going anywhere,” Deutch said. 

AJC has owned the 165 East 56th St. property since 1959. The building also contains the offices of a number of other Jewish organizations, including the Tikvah Fund, Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Israel Tennis & Education Centers Foundation, among others. AJC confirmed that it informed the other organizations of its intentions to sell as well.

Jewish Insider‘s Marc Rod contributed to this report.

Ed. note: This piece was updated with comments from AJC’s CEO.