2020 IMPACT REPORT JCRC in 2021: Letter from the JEREMY BURTON STACEY BLOOM DEFENDING Executive Director & President Executive Director President DEMOCRACY Page 5
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JCRC of Greater Boston Kraft Family Building | 126 High Street | Boston, MA 02110 617.457.8600 | jcrcboston.org [email protected] BostonJCRC BostonJCRC 2020 IMPACT REPORT JCRC IN 2021: Letter from the JEREMY BURTON STACEY BLOOM DEFENDING Executive Director & President Executive Director President DEMOCRACY page 5 FIGHTING FOR WE CANNOT YET SAY how our reality will be permanently altered in the wake of the coronavirus and In the pages of this report, you will read about the RACIAL JUSTICE page 7 the enduring crises we have faced this year. But there is one realization from this chapter of the resolve, steadfastness, and care that drove JCRC’s story we’re living through: JCRC’s commitment to fulfilling its mission remains constant. When the work this year. Together, we endeavored to achieve COMBATING pandemic hit, our response was deeply rooted in our understanding of JCRC’s core purpose. JCRC’s vision of a Greater Boston where the policy ANTISEMITISM Our work has proven essential to Boston’s Jewish community time and time again. Throughout priorities of the Jewish community are implemented, & HATRED page 9 the global health crisis and economic downturn, JCRC helped Jewish agencies and local non- and Jewish social service agencies are well-funded. Thank you to every JCRC partner, donor, volunteer, profits secure critical federal, state and local funding to address immediate needs. We combatted and leader who worked with us this year. WORKING FOR rising COVID-related food insecurity, homelessness, and economic devastation. And during the IMMIGRANT simultaneous resurgence of the movement for racial justice, JCRC galvanized the Jewish community Writing this in February 2021, we can’t tell you what JUSTICE page 11 of our region to stand with our partners in the Black community. We committed to dismantling the story will be in a year from now, but we can tell racism and advocated for the social services network, leveraging our partnerships to compel action. you how we’re going to meet the moment: through At every step of the way, the organized Jewish community has stepped in to extend a hand of ADVOCATING FOR our deep, lasting relationships with elected officials, ALL MA RESIDENTS page 13 support and solidarity. interfaith clergy, and civic leaders throughout This year, JCRC transitioned quickly to respond to the evolving needs of the Greater Boston Greater Boston. CONNECTING community, finding innovative ways to mobilize our community members, such as our new TO ISRAEL page 15 virtual Speaker Series, engaging leaders in the community with crucial issues such as Defending We will continue to work collectively for the health Democracy and Combating White Supremacy. and vibrancy of our broader Boston community. We will continue to amplify the broad center of our BUILDING At the same time, JCRC’s commitment to our core mission never wavered. We stayed true to our community and honor the integrity of our civic space. PARTNERSHIPS mandate to create consensus in our diverse community and advocate for the collective needs and We will continue to ensure that we are authentically THROUGH SERVICE page 17 priorities of the Jewish community of Greater Boston. Despite our physical distance, we strengthened representing Jewish concerns in the hardest relationships with elected officials, bolstered partnerships in the interfaith community, advocated on conversations and the moments of crisis that behalf of Israel, and took steps to keep our community secure. impact us all. 1 2 Our Response to COVID As more members of our Greater Boston community struggled to meet basic needs, JCRC worked with our partners to uphold the Above: Governor Charlie Baker. JCRC and GBIO worked directly social safety net and to with Baker’s re-opening task force. promote equitable access to Left: A volunteer at 2Life Communities. resources for Boston’s most vulnerable populations. JCRC’s advocacy and organizing team advocated for our neighbors, fighting to secure resources for OUR RESPONSE TO THE PANDEMIC INCLUDED: those who needed it the most during this time. • Leading the charge with our colleagues across the country and our partners at Jewish Federations of North America to urge Congress to expand the Paycheck Protection Loan (PPP) program for vital nonprofits. After our initial success in making sure that nonprofits were included in the first round of Small Business Administration (SBA) PPP loans, we worked to ensure that the next phase of the legislation calling for an additional $250 billion for the SBA loans was accessible to larger nonprofits and that unemployment insurance was available OUR WEEKLY “TAKE ACTION” to previously ineligible employees in the Commonwealth. We continued to advocate for additional funds to further address community needs in subsequent CAMPAIGN EMAILS provided legislative packages. opportunities for our community to support our partners during the crisis, • Working directly with Gov. Baker’s re-opening task force to make sure that including 72 young adult volunteers Jewish concerns were heard. With our partners in the Greater Boston Interfaith who called and bought groceries for Organization (GBIO), we organized and led a presentation from faith communities residents of residents of Hebrew Senior to the re-opening task force, to ensure that faith communities and house of Life or 2Life Communities. worship were understood as an “essential” part of the fabric of the community and of any successful re-opening. • Helping a food pantry obtain kosher certification for distribution of needed food. • Advocating for day cares, summer camps and preschools to receive funding for PPE and to sustain their operations during the pandemic. • Pivoting to a virtual speaker series to engage leaders in the community on Residents at 2Life communities with their groceries critical issues. 3 4 Defending Democracy We at JCRC believe that no one should be forced to make an impossible choice between protecting their personal health and safety, and their right to vote. JCRC ADVOCATED FOR YES ON 2, The principles adopted by our Council the campaign to adopt for defending democracy guided our OUR WORK TO DEFEND DEMOCRACY INCLUDED: Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) in response to the challenges our country Massachusetts. We educated our faced in conducting a free, fair, and community about how this voting • Working with partner organizations to successfully pass a sweeping new safe election. system enhances democracy, and Elections law, ensuring safe and accessible elections for voters in 2020 across Massachusetts, including vote-by-mail legislation, expanding absentee voting, the benefits of adopting ranked We acted on our commitment to preserving in-person voting, carefully balancing the safety of poll workers and choice voting, including convening upholding a robust democratic voters, minimizing suppressive tactics, and expanding early voting options. an explanatory discussion with process and ensuring that elections • Advocating for immediate federal action and funding to support state and two of the leaders of the campaign, local elections, implementation of these reforms, and ensuring the United Evan Falchuk, campaign chair, and in the Commonwealth reflect the States Postal Service’s capacity and solvency to meet the increased demands Tanisha M. Sullivan, honorary co- diversity of voices in our community. from the COVID-19 pandemic. chair and President of the NAACP • Running a wide-ranging Get Out the Vote campaign to educate our Boston (pictured right). community for the primary and general elections, and shaping the debate on the Massachusetts 4th district congressional race, one of particular interest to the Jewish community, given that it has the largest Jewish population of any seat in New England (with 75,000 Jews). JCRC provided multiple opportunities for the community to learn about the candidates and their positions. • In partnership with the Mass Council of Churches and the Black Ministerial Alliance, we worked directly with municipal officials and law enforcement to be pro-active and prepare clergy for any potential violence after the elections, such as targeting of houses of worship and communities, including our own. • Inviting Director of ACLU’s Racial Justice Program Rahsaan Hall to discuss safe and fair elections, defending democracy in the age of COVID-19 with the JCRC Council. 5 6 Fighting for Racial Justice with our Partners JCRC SPEAKER SERIES SPOTLIGHT Reverend Liz Walker and Bakari Sellers On the work ahead in pursuit of racial justice in our country, and how we as a community can act in support of racial justice and equity. Greater Boston Interfaith Organization Co-Chair REV. LIZ WALKER BAKARI SELLERS Beverly Williams, Councilor Edwards, Tema Smith Roxbury Presbetyrian New York Times Church Bestselling Author and OUR WORK TO FIGHT FOR CNN Commentator RACIAL JUSTICE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM • JCRC successfully advocated with our partners THE CONVERSATION: in the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization to pass a Police Reform bill, which created a system “ A lot of people want this to be a for certifying and decertifying officers (the first moment, but for people like Reverend in the country led by civilians), imposed limits on Walker and myself, this is a movement... the use of force and imposed limits on the use Let’s go out here and push forward of force, chokeholds, and no-knock warrants, these policies together, find the people ban racial profiling and put enforcement powers who want to work with us, and be the behind that ban; and end the requirement of change we want to see.” police officers in schools. -BAKARI SELLERS • We invited Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards of The weeks and months after George Floyd’s to speak with leaders from our network “ We’ve got a lot of work still ahead of member agencies for a candid conversation us, and we do not want to miss this murder were a profound moment in our nation’s about housing and criminal and racial justice. reckoning with our legacy of systemic racism.