JCPA BOARD MANUAL 2020-2021 September 2020 Dear JCPA Leader: Congratulations! I am excited to be working with you at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA). We know the JCPA will benefit greatly from your involvement and insight. We appreciate your commitment to advocating on behalf of the community relations field. As a JCPA Board Member, your responsibility is to steer JCPA’s strategy and vision, as well as to provide financial support and general fiduciary oversight. As a member of the board, we expect you to be active in helping us face the challenges that lie ahead by regularly participating in JCPA board meetings as well as the annual conference. Additionally, we urge you to join our task forces and committees.
Perhaps most important is your serving as an advocate for the JCPA with your local JCRC and Federation. Because we are proud of the work we do and the services we provide to your community, we need your voice to spread the word and strengthen ties with Federation, Foundations and other donor prospects.
Our board manual provides you with key organizational documents, including the JCPA’s organizational structure, by-laws, and contact information for the board of directors, staff, and member agencies. Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the contents.
We hope that you will feel free to contact either of us or any member of the JCPA staff with your thoughts on issues as well as suggestions for how we can work better together. Your demonstrated commitment to the JCPA agenda is a great asset to us, and we are honored to have you as a partner in this work.
Sincerely,
Michael Fromm David Bernstein JCPA Chair JCPA President TABLE OF CONTENTS
About the JCPA Jewish Council for Public Affairs: The Power of the Network ...... 2 JCPA Committees and Task Forces 2020-2021 ...... 5 JCPA Talking Points ...... 7 Sphere ...... 12 Member Agencies ...... 13 JCPA Brochure ...... 15 Public Policy Priorities ...... 17 JCPA Delegates Assembly ...... 20 Policy Adoption Process Overview ...... 22
JCPA Board Information Bylaws ...... 25 Board Expectations ...... 39 Officer Expectations ...... 40 Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards ...... 41
About Community Relations JCRC 101 ...... 43 What Are the Key Functions of Jewish Community Relations and What is a JCRC’s Unique Role? ...... 47 Jewish Community Relations and Jewish History: A Tradition From Biblical Times to the Present- By Rabbi Doug Kahn ...... 48
Operational Information Staff ...... 55 Board Directory ...... 56 Office Closings ...... 63 Jewish Holidays 2019-2021 ...... 64
Resources/Reading Materials JCPA 75th Anniversary Timeline ...... 67 Seventy-Five Years Later, National-Local Jewish Community Relations Still Key to Jewish Wellbeing ...... 88 Why it’s time to Strengthen Jewish Community Relations ...... 90 The Jewish Community Relations Imperative ...... 92 My Fellow Jews: Get in the Fight ...... 94 The Jewish Community is Facing Unprecedented Challenges. Here’s How We Move Forward ...... 96 Dear Jewish Community – Here’s What To Do Now ...... 98
About the JCPA
1 Jewish Council for Public Affairs: The Power of the Network
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the national umbrella for more than 125 local Jewish Community Relations Councils and 16 national Jewish agencies. Our mandate is to advance the interests of the Jewish people; support Israel’s quest for peace and security; to promote a just American society; and advocate for Human Rights around the world. Backed by an unparalleled capacity to mobilize grassroots Jewish activism, we convene the organized Jewish community on key issues. We then identify and develop policies, strategies, and programs for our network.
What is the Mission of JCPA? JCPA was created in 1944 to safeguard the rights of Jews and to deter anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world. We do this through vigorous engagement in the public sphere sharing the Jewish voice and values on policy and legislative matters at the local, state and national level. More than 75 years later, this mission is as relevant as ever, as we lead the field in outreach to legislators, ethnic, faith, racial, and civic leaders. JCPA’s work is based on the principles that Jewish community is best able to promote its own interests when it works in common cause with others. By building a Jewish community consensus and working in coalition with others JCPA successfully protects and promotes the interests of the American Jewish community.
What Makes JCPA Unique from Other Jewish Organizations? JCPA reflects a unique and inclusive partnership of national Jewish organizations and local Jewish communities. It convenes the “common table”, or “Delegate Assembly,” around which member agencies meet to identify issues, articulate positions, and develop strategies, programs and approaches designed to advance the public affairs goals and objectives of the community relations network. We do this through an open, representative, inclusive, and consensus-driven process, allowing all voices to be heard. Collectively, this network reaches and represents many hundreds of thousands of diverse Jewish people at the grassroots level around the country.
JCPA Priorities: Educate, Advocate and Mobilize JCPA leads the field in responding to emerging policy concerns and to current events. Our motto is to educate, advocate, and mobilize. We develop strategies, programs, and work with communities to share best practices. We also assist communities in their substantive work, as well as with their organizational concerns. JCPA acts as the national community relations vehicle. We advocate and represent the Jewish community relations l field on its priority interests.
JCPA’s Focus Areas Include: • Reengaging the Jewish community in today’s civil rights concerns with a focus on the crises of criminal justice reform and protecting voting rights. • Ensuring strong intergroup relations, with a strengthened emphasis on relationships with the Muslim and Black communities. • Israel advocacy focusing on achieving peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, with the goal of two states for two peoples, and a strong U.S. - Israel relationship. • Ensuring a strong community relations field by advocating for, and providing ongoing support to, community relations professionals, chairs, organizations, and by promoting the field’s impact. • Advocating for JCPA’s public policy agenda and priorities in Washington D.C.
2 JCPA also partners on major initiatives that are piloted within the organization and then maintain a partnership relationship. Some of these include:
Who are JCPA’s members? The JCPA’s national member agencies are: Anti-Defamation League; American Jewish Congress; B’nai B’rith; Hadassah; Jewish Labor Committee; Jewish War Veterans; Jewish Women International; National Council of Jewish Women; ORT America; Orthodox Union; Rabbinical Assembly; Reconstructionist Rabbinical College; Jewish Federation of North America; Union for Reform Judaism; United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism; and Women’s League of Conservative Judaism.
The JCPA’s local member agencies include 125 Jewish Community Relations Councils or Committees (JCRCs) around the country. Most of those JCRCs are part of their local Jewish Federation. The others are independent agencies affiliated with their local Jewish Federation.
JCPA National Convenings
Annual National Conference Hundreds of community relations leaders come together to network, strategize, hear from experts, and participate in national policy setting. We empower participants to carry out their work nationally and locally.
Delegates Assembly The Delegates Assembly (DA) is the highest deliberative body on public policy matters for the community relations network. Its purpose is to oversee and set new public positions and priorities for the community relations field through a resolutions process. The Delegates Assembly is charged with educating, advocating and mobilizing the community relations network on major issues of the day.
JCPA Board Meetings JCPA holds Board meetings in person and virtually throughout the year.
Webinars Using the latest platforms, JCPA hosts a range of webinars on issues and professional development featuring leaders on topics of interest to the Jewish community relations field.
3 Mission to Israel Through high-level meetings, education, and exploration, our Mission ensures that our leaders are well- equipped to help the community relations field be effective and nuanced advocates for Israel.
JCPA Communications
Sign-up for JCPA E-Updates Stay informed on important public affair issues, action alerts, trainings, and more! Sign up at jewishpublicaffairs.org.
Follow us on Social Media Facebook.com/thejcpa Twitter.com/@thejcpa
4 JCPA Committees and Task Forces 2020-2021
JCPA will be implementing its work through both on-going standing Committees and shorter term Task Forces. These bodies will be chaired by JCPA board members and will be a place for active involvement by JCPA leadership, National Agencies, JCRCs, and select experts in the field. They will focus on four general areas: Policy and Program priorities, Leadership & Engagement, Governance, and Fiduciary responsibility. If you are interested in joining a committee please contact Haya Luftig at [email protected].
• Standing Committees - JCPA Standing Committees address ongoing issues, such as public policy, finance and development. The Chairs of these Committees will serve a three-year term.
• Task Forces - Each Task Force will have a different life cycle depending on its mission and the time frame of meeting its intended goal. The need for the Task Force will be reviewed at every Board meeting and should comport with JCPA's policy priorities at any given time. The Chair(s) will be in their position for the term of the Task Force but no longer than three years.
Development Committee Chair, Harvey Luft The development committee is tasked with driving our development strategies while simultaneously assisting with some of JCPA’s development work.
Finance Committee Chair, Jon Ellis The finance committee is tasked with providing financial oversite to the board, both around budgeting, and fiscal operations.
Policy Advisory Committee Co-Chairs, David Bohm and Corey Shapiro, Vice-Chair, Susan Abravanel This committee provides oversight on JCPA’s education and policy, advocacy, and coalition work nationally and locally, responds to emerging issues and oversees the resolution process and Delegates Assembly content.
Criminal Justice Reform Task Force Co-Chairs, Bruce Turnbull and Faye Taxman This Task Force oversees the JCPA criminal justice reform initiative which aims to engage the Jewish community in today’s civil rights movement to end mass incarceration in partnership with the Black community and those who have been impacted.
JCRC Chairs Initiative Co-Chairs, Shelley Nicely Groff and Walter Spiegel This Initiative convenes JCRC Chairs together on a regular basis so they can enhance their leadership skills, network, share best practices, and grapple with current events.
JCPA National Conference Co-Chairs, Harold Goldberg and Debra Cohen
5 This committee organizes JCPA’s national conference which is the annual convening of community relations network and the Delegates Assembly including content, promotion, and fundraising programs.
Nominating Committee Chair, Cheryl Fishbein This Committee is responsible for ensuring a fair and efficient nomination process.
6 JCPA Talking Points
JCPA’s Unique Value Proposition
● JCPA was created 76 years ago, in 1944 to deter antisemitism in the United States by convening the diverse Jewish community and engaging them in building a just and pluralistic America in common cause with other faith, racial, ethnic and civic leaders. By building trusted relationships with others we can share our Jewish values of justice and fairness. ● Today, the community relations field is a thriving and vibrant network made up of 125 JCRC and 16 national agencies and numerous partners including the four denominations of religious Judaism. Its mandate is as relevant today as it was 76 years ago as we are facing many new challenges and an uptick in Antisemitism. ● The Jewish community has increased its influence over the decades by speaking in a unified and consensus-based voice. JCPA is the only organization that convenes the diverse Jewish community nationally and locally to set policy and strategy domestic and foreign policy in the United States. Our unified positions are well received by policy makers and has helped to shape significant policy in the United States. ● JCPA is the highest deliberative policy making body in the Jewish community. ● JCPA is a strategic think tank and advisory hub. Our work is not only in response but also in identifying emerging issues and setting a strategy and course of action to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people and then mobilizing the grassroots. Our method is based on many years of experience and relationships. ● JCPA’s unique value proposition is that we are the only place that brings together the 4 streams of religious Judaism in the United States to work out differences to achieve consensus policy. We have the quickest ability and flexibility to mobilize the large grassroots community to action. ● JCPA works to ensure the center of the Jewish community and to keep the community in dialogue and working together for the common good and to deter antisemitism. ● JCPA is parallel and organized similarly to NAACP, Urban League, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (LCCHR), and League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) among others. While some may say they are outdated, they, like JCPA, are seeing a resurgence of relevance, membership and need. ● There is a growing inter-generational change of leaders in the United States in the Jewish community and non-Jewish community and the emerging leaders don't know each other, haven’t built trust, and are not proximate. There is a strategy needed to bring these leaders into relationships around trust and shared common vision. ● JCPA differs from JFNA as it does not represent a lobbyist organization that brings millions of dollars into its system rather a value-based consensus voices from the diverse Jewish community - Republican and Democrat - Reform to Orthodox. ● JCPA is the main network for many of our national agencies to interact and work closely with other Jewish groups. ● JCPA and the network is known and respected among policy makers and other non-Jewish groups as an organization that has vetted the issues with diverse communities.
7 JCPA's Work
● JCPA carries out its work in 4 areas: Ensuring a strong JCRC network; acting as a national JCRC educating, advocating, and mobilizing around national policy; leadership; and convening the network.
JCRC Network
● The network is made up of 11 independent JCRCs, 80 JCRCs that have 1-3 staff and are a committee or department of its Federation, and the rest are individual Federatoin professionals who have JCRC work as part of their work portfolio. ● Over the past four years JCPA has seen a resurgence in the JCRCs field. More than 10 JCRCs have been created or re-energized. More than 80 JCRCs have new directors in the past 5 years. ○ JCPA has created resources, playbook and foundational materials for the field. ○ Onboards each person individually, holds annual newish JCRC Directors orientations, supports new JCRCs with starting up their committees and strategic planning. ○ JCPA run a virtual annual professional institute annually. ● JCPA holds bi-weekly JCRC professional meeting with 60-80 professionals in attendance. ● On emerging issues JCPA prepares background information, holds strategy calls with directors, and webinars and zoom calls with experts. JCPA prepares guidelines, toolkits, and other resources to ensure the JCRC director is the leader and most informed person at their table locally. ● JCPA recognizes the importance of JCRC Chairs in leading the community relations work locally. We hold a JCRC Chairs initiative that includes bi-monthly virtual meetings, in-person meetings at the JCPA conference, networking opportunities and individual assistance as needed. ● JCPA regularly engages with the JCRC Directors association that helps to ensure that JCPA is on target with the needs of the JCRCs and provides guidance and input on initiatives and staff at the annual JCPA association meeting where 50 plus JCRCs attend. ● JCPA had done a lot of education on Israel 101 for new directors, and also works closely with the Israel Action Network (IAN). ● JCPA just created a new database for collecting programming and best practices from the field.
JCPA Leadership Track
● Developing leaders of tomorrow is an important part of JCPA’s work. JCPA is the only place in the Federation system for young leaders to have a voice in public policy and societal concerns. ● In the past 6 years we have trained more than 50 emerging leaders in community relations bringing them to Poland and Israel, as well as our national conference. (We took off 2019 because of the GA in Israel). JCPA has launched an alumni program for this group. ● JCPA has expanded its emerging leader program to ensure that its conference provides a venue for young leaders in the Jewish community. Last year we received a three-year grant to pilot a program at our conference which we have begun with Avodah, Repair the World, and Moishe House.
8 ● JCPA provides leadership opportunities for local leaders who want to be involved in national policy advocacy through its policy advisory committee, national network on criminal justice reform, participation in our conference, Israel mission, domestic issues-based missions, etc. ● JCPA has run an Israel mission for many years. Each year we have approximately 30 people on the mission. That includes 8-10 Frank Fellows, board members, JCRC lay and professionals, and others interested in the mission. We are the only national Israel mission that brings Jewish leaders to Israel to explore social, economic, and political issues to ensure our understanding of the nuance and complexities so we can be effective advocates at home. ● JCPA runs national issue-based on policy leadership missions such as bringing 50 people representing 20 communities on a civil rights missions and an immigration mission to the Arizona - Mexico border of 26 people representing 14 communities. These fact-finding missions help to move forward our issue-based policy in the field. ● JCPA runs a professional institute for JCRCs professionals around the country and oblates new staff.
JCPA policy advocacy work
● JCPA works as a national JCRC monitoring congressional legislation and working in coalitions in common cause with other civil rights, faith, and civic leaders on priorities. ● JCPA’s work is set by resolutions that creates policy and a policy advisory committee that sets policy priorities, monitors and carries out advocacy on issues, including responding to current day issues. ● JCPA’s began to increase the field to mobilize around domestic policy issues and engage in progressive circles in 2016. There were several reasons. ○ Learned from IAN that we need to re-engaging on progressive issues to not leave a vacuum for others to bring in antisemitism and antiIsraelism sentiment. ○ Many of the gains made by JCPA were being unraveled. ○ Build relationships with emerging leaders ○ Work in common cause ○ Our identity was becoming too Israel focused that got in the way of relationships in some progressive circles. ● Until 2017, JCPA had a Washington office. When the office was closed we increased our work., JCPA’s senior VP goes to DC once a month to show up in person in coalitions and run meetings, and JCPA organizes advocacy meetings. ● JCPA is a founding member of Leadership Conference on civil and human rights and the WISC (Washington Interfaith Staff coalition) which are still very active in. ● JCPA policy priorities for the past few years are: criminal justice reform, domestic human needs - ending poverty, immigration, religious liberties criminal justice reform. Other issues have been gun violence prevention, reproductive rights, Rohingya genocide. ● JCPA continues to work on Israel. We have been strong advocates on anti-BDS resolution, antisemitism related bills, and we regularly speak out on Israel related matters such as supporting the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem or speaking out about concerns related to the nation-state law.
9 ● We regularly brief the field on current day issues so they understand the different positions, the nuances, and our stances based on our policy. ● JCPA priorities are often set by current day issues such as the unraveling of the US immigration system by the Administration. Other times we see an emerging-issues and we educate and evangelical the Jewish community to be involved on the issue such as criminal justice reform. ● Sometimes the issue is handled at a grasstops level such as religious liberties, and sometimes we mobilize the field such as separation of families or SNAP. ● Over the past three years we have had three fly-in advocacy days in addition to our Conference. We have brought more than 50 leaders to Washington to advocate with Representatives and Senators. ● JCPA launched a criminal justice reform initiative in 2016 and received a three-year grant in 2017. We have engaged 24 JCRCs who are doing advocacy on reform, launched two state level coalitions, and a national network of Jewish experts. JCPA i also a a partner of the Ending Mass Incarceration (EMI) initiative bringing together faith voices on criminal justice reform. ● JCPA is launching a voting rights initiative in honor of Congressman John Lewis to prioritize voting rights and civil rights, including the reauthorization of voting rights act. ● JCPA regularly sends out action alerts, backgrounders, webinars, august toolkits, and creates candidate guidelines and other necessary materials and resources for the field.
JCPA Convening
● JCPA convenes a national conference. It is the only conference on domestic policy issues and Israel from a US perspective. It brings together 300 people annually from all national organizations and JCRCs to grapple with current issues of the day, learn, network, and set policy. ● JCPA’s Delegate Assembly is the highest deliberative body in the Jewish community. It convenes the delegates who are made up of 1 professional and 1 lay leader from each member agency, except for JFNA which has 5 representatives toset policy and vote on resolutions. Policies are prepared through a specific resolutions policy that involves all member agencies. ● JCPA convenes the Washington Representative bi-monthly which is made up of all Jewish organizations that have a Washington DC office. The meetings usually b ring together 25-30 reps to network together. ● JCPA is the main network for many of our 16 national agencies on policy and they are very engaged with our work. JCPA regularly convenes the agencies around major issues to work together and share/leverage resources. ● In addition to the national agencies, JCPA works very closely with a number of issues based organizations that attend our meetings and are part of our network such as Israel Policy Forum (IPF), Mazon, HIAS, Hazon, ALLMEPS, etc. ● JCPA is the founding member of the Jewish social justice roundtable.
JFNA and JCPA relationship
● JCPA and JFNA government affairs staff have a good relationship. There is a lot of communication both one and one and through the Washington Reps group. Where we can work
10 together we do, such as joint sign-on letters, comments, amicus briefs. JCPA always offers and usually sends out or amplifies JFNA action alerts to our network. ● When the IAN went to JFNA it created a lot of confusion. They wanted to lead the community relations field using our methodology and claim most issues were under IAN. Also they took the JCPA expert on interfaith and then added his portfolio to JFNA even though it was still JCPA’s work. ● JCPA highlights JFNA work at our conferences. ● Federations and JCRCs still continue to support JCPA.
11 JCPA Sphere
JCPA Chair
Board of Directors
Delegates 16 Jewish Assembly Social Justice National Organizations Organizations
JCPA
Israel Conference Advocacy of Presidents Organization
Non-Jewish JCRCs Community Influencers
Federations
Legislators Media Grassroots
12 16 National Member Agencies
125 Local Jewish Community Relations Council Members
Atlanta Jewish Community Relations Council Greensboro Jewish Federation Augusta Jewish Federation Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council Baltimore Jewish Council JCRC of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, Sonoma, Birmingham Jewish Federation Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties Charleston Jewish Federation Jewish Center and Federation of the Twin Tiers Chicago Jewish Community Relations Council Jewish Community Alliance of Northeastern Pennsylvania Columbia Jewish Federation Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine Columbus Jewish Federation Jewish Community Board of Akron Erie Jewish Community Council Jewish Community Federation of Canton Federation of Jewish Philanthropy of Upper Fairfield Jewish Community Federation of Louisville County Jewish Community Federation of Richmond Flint Jewish Federation Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Greater Miami Jewish Federation Committee
13 Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston Jewish Federation of New Mexico Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Phoenix Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington Jewish Federation of Northeastern Pennsylvania Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Jewish Federation of Omaha Dakotas Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County Jewish Community Relations Council of New York Jewish Federation of Peoria Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis Jewish Federation of Pinellas & Pasco Counties Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut Jewish Federation of Greater Portland Jewish Federation of Atlantic and Cape May Counties Jewish Federation of Reading, PA Jewish Federation of Broome County Jewish Federation of San Antonio Jewish Federation of Broward County Jewish Federation of San Diego County Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts Jewish Federation of Silicon Valley Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County Jewish Federation of Central New York Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona Jewish Federation of Chattanooga Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey Jewish Federation of Cincinnati Jewish Federation of Springfield, Illinois Jewish Federation of Cleveland Jewish Federation of St. Joseph Valley Jewish Federation of Collier County Jewish Federation of the Bluegrass Jewish Federation of Cumberland County Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley Jewish Federation of Danbury Jewish Federation of the North Shore Jewish Federation of Delaware Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region Jewish Federation of Dutchess County Jewish Federation of Tulsa Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut The Federation, Jewish Communities of Western CT Jewish Federation of El Paso Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts Jewish Federation of Fort Worth and Tarrant County Jewish Nevada Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor JEWISHcolorado Jewish Federation of Greater Austin Knoxville Jewish Alliance, Inc. Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo Memphis Jewish Federation Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation, Inc. Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas Milwaukee Jewish Federation, Inc. Jewish Federation of Greater Dayton North Louisiana Jewish Federation Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines Raleigh-Cary Jewish Federation Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford Savannah Jewish Federation Jewish Federation of Lane County Tampa JCC & Federation, Inc. Jewish Federation of Greater Long Beach & West Orange The Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island County The Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County United Jewish Federation of Greater Stamford, New Caanan Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and Darien Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans United Jewish Federation of Princeton, Mercer, Bucks County Jewish Federation of Greater Oklahoma City United Jewish Federation of Tidewater Jewish Federation of Greater Orange County United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando York Council of Jewish Charities Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia Youngstown Area Jewish Federation Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo Jewish Federation of Jacksonville Jewish Federation of Lane County Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties Jewish Federation of Madison Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee
14 National Convenings Membership
Together, JCPA’s network represents hundreds of thousands of diverse Jewish people around the country. The Power of the Network 16National Jewish Organizations E B R • Anti-Defamation League • Rabbinical Assembly L A C E T • American Jewish Congress • Reconstructing Judaism I • B’nai B’rith • The Jewish Federations N • Hadassah of North America G • Jewish Labor Committee • Union for Reform • Jewish War Veterans Judaism J
C • Jewish Women International • United Synagogue of
• National Council of Jewish Conservative Judaism P Women • Women’s League for A • ORT America Conservative Judaism • Orthodox Union Annual National Conference - Hundreds of community relations leaders come together to network, strategize, hear from experts, and 125 Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs), participate in national policy setting. We empower participants to JCPA board members, volunteers, and donors carry out the their work nationally and locally.
Fall and Spring Meetings - JCPA sponsors national education and Connect with JCPA strategy meetings in the fall and spring as part of our annual Board meetings. Sign up for our newsletters, action alerts, and trainings www.jewishpublicaffairs.org Educate • Advocate • Mobilize Webinars - Using the latest platforms, JCPA hosts a range of webinars on issues and professional development, such as our thejcpa @thejcpa Backed by an unparalleled capacity to mobilize CRCast, a bi-monthly webcast featuring leaders on topics of interest grassroots activism, we convene and advocate on behalf to Jewish activists. Jewish Council for Public Affairs of the Jewish community on key issues of the day. 25 Broadway, Suite 1700 Mission to Israel - Through high-level meetings, education, and New York, NY 10004 exploration, our Mission ensures that our leaders are well-equipped (212) 684-6950 to help the community relations field be effective and nuanced advocates for Israel.
Copyright © 2019 Jewish Council for Public Affairs. All rights reserved. 15 About JCPA Strengthening the Community Program Highlights Relations Field JCPA is the national hub of the community relations network, We develop all of our programming with the motto • Support for JCRCs - JCPA ensures a strong community representing 125 local Jewish community relations councils “Educate, Advocate, and Mobilize.” (JCRCs) and 17 national Jewish agencies, including all four relations field within the Jewish Federation system, which denominations of religious Judaism. Together we promote a just houses the majority of JCRCs as departments or agencies. JCPA leads the community relations field in addressing priority and pluralistic American society, Israel’s quest for peace and areas of concern by innovating and developing strategies, security, and human rights around the world. • Professional Development - JCPA provides ongoing policy programs, and approaches designed to advance our network’s support, education, and training to serve and strengthen public affairs goals at the local, state, and national levels. For 75 years, JCPA has been the organized Jewish community’s community relations professionals and lay leaders. primary convener and consensus-builder, community relations Civil and Human Rights - We are reengaging the Jewish powerhouse, and policy advocate. JCPA works to secure • Frank Family Institute for Emerging Leaders - JCPA community in criminal justice reform, voting rights, and fighting American Jews’ future and create a more just world by: administers a Fellowship program for rising community genocide abroad. relations leaders with travel to JCPA’s conferences, Poland BUILDING consensus on today’s most pressing issues and Israel. Relationship-Building - We ensure strong intergroup relations. DEVELOPING powerful intergroup partnerships A Trusted Voice in D.C. ADVOCATING as a trusted voice with policymakers Support for Israel - We advocate for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and a lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians MOBILIZING the Jewish community to action JCPA advocates on behalf of our network for its policy agenda and with two states for two peoples. priorities in Washington, D.C., and addresses other domestic and How We Accomplish Our Mission international issues as they arise by: Initiatives
• Convene the Jewish community to develop policy on key • Advocating on key legislation and policy. JCPA pilots initiatives on important areas of need for the issues and vet emerging ones. community relations field that often roll out to be independently • Convening the Washington representatives of Jewish administered while remaining part of the JCPA family. • Serve as the national representative of our network’s public organizations. policy platform as a trusted voice with policymakers and Israel Action Network fights the delegitimization of Israel and influentials. • Educating and activating our network to mobilize on priority Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) efforts. concerns. • Build powerful partnerships with diverse racial, ethnic, Resetting the Table provides resources and training to promote civic, and faith leaders to work in common cause. • Partnering with national coalitions like the Washington civil discourse both in the Jewish community and in the wider Interreligious Staff Community (WISC) Working Group, community. • Mobilize our grassroots network on important national, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and state, and local issues. other issue-based coalitions. Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL) addresses issues such as climate change, energy conservation, • Provide leadership opportunities for both lay and Some of our recent policy priorities include criminal justice and environmental protections. professional leaders. reform, immigration and refugees, voting rights, church-state separation, health care, and support for Israeli-Palestinian • Support our JCRCs by aggregating best practices and coexistence programs. developing pilot programs. Learn more at www.jewishpublicaffairs.org/issues.
Please consider making a generous donation to JCPA to make our important work possible. Visit www.jewishpublicaffairs.org/donate. 16 2020
PUBLIC POLICY POSITIONS
THE JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS (JCPA) is the umbrella body of the Jewish community relations field, representing over 125 local Jewish community relations councils and 16 national Jewish agencies, including the four denominations of religious Judaism. Together our network builds consensus on behalf of the entire Jewish community to promote a just and pluralistic American society, advocate for human rights around the world, and support Israel’s quest for peace and security. JCPA convenes its network to deliberate key issues and identify and develop policies, strategies, and programs. Through this network, we have an unparalleled capacity to mobilize grassroots Jewish activism in order to achieve a more just world.
We have prepared the following overview of our positions on issues we anticipate receiving national attention in 2020 to assist the community relations field in responding to future events in the policy arena.
17 DOMESTIC POLICY
Immigration Rooted in Jewish values and traditions, for over 75 years JCPA has advocated for a compassionate federal immigration, asylum, and refugee system that balances national security concerns with the protection of civil and human rights. Our highest priority is fighting to end family separation and detention, advocating instead for effective and humane alternatives. JCPA continues to advocate for higher refugee admissions and a fair and generous asylum system that upholds due process. We support legislation that provides a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and a permanent solution for those with Temporary Protected Status, while opposing the rollback of child welfare standards and the criminalization of migrants and asylum seekers. We believe that to be effective, border security and enforcement must be evidence-based, consistent with humanitarian values, and part of a broader reform package that upholds refugee and asylee protection, family reunification, and economic opportunity.
Civil Rights JCPA is committed to protecting and advancing civil rights for all Americans. We will continue to focus on protecting individuals from discrimination on the basis race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, and disability. JCPA will also advocate for new policies to address bullying, including proactive measures to combat future incidents and create a safe environment. We will work with the executive branch to ensure that civil rights statutes—such as the Hate Crimes Prevention Act and updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act—are implemented and enforced.
Criminal Justice Reform The U.S. currently incarcerates a quarter of the world’s prisoners despite comprising only 5% of the population. Beginning in the 1970s, our prison population skyrocketed, disproportionately impacting people of color and contributing to poverty, income inequality, and family instability. The U.S. keeps people behind bars at great social and financial expense. JCPA advocates for bipartisan legislation that would meaningfully reduce mandatory minimums, eliminate racial disparities, and provide greater support for rehabilitation and reentry.
Voting Rights The cornerstone of democracy is the election process and the right of every eligible citizen to cast a meaningful ballot for a candidate they choose. In 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act, which weakened enforcement, allowing many states to adopt new, restrictive voting laws that disenfranchise segments of the voting population, particularly communities of color. JCPA is committed to ensuring fair and representative elections, advocating for measures that would expand early and absentee voting, protect against voter ID requirements, and restore voting rights to millions of formerly incarcerated people. We will also work to ensure a fair and accurate 2020 Census, which determines political representation and apportionment.
Religious Liberty As a religious minority, Jews have a special stake in ensuring the U.S. remains committed to both freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Since its founding, JCPA has worked to find an appropriate balance between religious liberty and other civil rights when they clash. JCPA will continue to fight efforts to repeal or weaken the Johnson Amendment, which would bring partisan politics into nonprofits and houses of worship. While we are sensitive to questions of individual conscience, we are equally concerned about governmental policies that may lead to discrimination. JCPA will closely monitor legislation and regulations regarding government funding for social services by religiously-affiliated organizations. Where such funding is authorized, it must have appropriate safeguards to prevent First Amendment violations and protect employees’ religious freedom without leading to discrimination or infringing on program beneficiaries’ rights
Poverty and Food Insecurity JCPA works to build a more just and equitable society. We strongly support raising the minimum wage, ensuring access to affordable health care and housing, and expanding eligibility for the Earned Income and Child Tax Credits. We remain committed to ensuring broad eligibility and robust funding for critical social safety net programs, such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or “food stamps”), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). To lift the next generation out of poverty, we also support full funding for child nutrition programs. JCPA will also continue to advocate for policies that help empower older adults to live healthier, more independent lives free from poverty. 18 Climate Change Climate change is an international security threat and one of the defining issues of our time. Climate change is already increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events, exacerbating armed conflict and unprecedented global migration, and threatening the biodiversity on which humans depend. JCPA will continue to advocate for policy that promotes energy independence and reflects our values of protecting Creation. By supporting policies that promote renewable energy and other clean energy innovations, we can reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil while protecting the environment and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Education Education is one of the most important determinants of lifetime earnings, social mobility, and health outcomes. Yet our nation’s public schools are chronically underfunded and underperforming, especially within low-income and rural communities. The problems that afflict our education system begin early, starting with the inaccessibility of affordable, high-quality preschools. Increasing the availability and affordability of early childhood education is one of the surest ways to close the achievement gap.
Economic Growth JCPA believes that Congress and the Administration can boost the economy by creating pathways to sustainable, long-term employment. The government should invest in infrastructure, schools, hospitals, renewable energy, and technological innovation in order to ensure long-term economic and employment growth. JCPA supports targeted employment and job retraining assistance to specific geographic regions and populations that may be struggling economically, including low-income individuals, women, people of color, people with disabilities, seniors, veterans, youth, and the long-term unemployed.
INTERNATIONAL POLICY
Israeli-Palestinian Peace JCPA works to promote a strong, vibrant Israel that is committed to peace, and continues to encourage the U.S. government to pursue a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian-Arab conflict through diplomacy. Our organization strongly advocates for two independent, democratic, and economically-viable states: the Jewish state of Israel and a Palestinian state, coexisting in peace and security. This vision can only be achieved through direct negotiations. Unilateral attempts to achieve Palestinian statehood through United Nations action are counterproductive. JCPA’s network unanimously endorsed efforts to promote Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, and we will continue to urge Congress to fund such initiatives.
International Humanitarian and Refugee Crises JCPA supports the vigorous protection of human rights as an integral part of U.S. foreign policy, especially in situations involving genocide, mass atrocities, and sweeping population shifts due to displacement by violence and persecution. We will continue to raise awareness and advocate for the U.S government and international community to hold the Burmese military accountable for perpetrating a genocide against the Rohingya people. JCPA also believes that the U.S. and the international community must respond to today’s unprecedented refugee crisis, which has displaced over 68.5 million people. With the most sophisticated resettlement program in the world, the U.S. should increase annual admissions of refugees, while maintaining the rigorous security screenings that are integral to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
International Terrorism JCPA encourages Congress and the Administration to implement strong U.S. policies to counter international terrorism, including state-sponsored terrorism. The U.S. government must work with our allies to implement comprehensive strategies to prevent and respond to terrorism, including freezing the assets of groups and individuals that have been linked to terrorism, strengthening international cooperation on weapons control, and halting nuclear proliferation.
19 JCPA Delegates Assembly
The JCPA Delegates Assembly is the highest deliberative body on public policy at JCPA, which is made up of representatives from JCPA’s membership organizations. Its purpose is to oversee and set new public policy positions and priorities for the community relations field through a resolutions process.
The Delegates Assembly is charged with educating, advocating and mobilizing the community relations field on major issues of the day. It is a thought leader for the community relations field. It will be responsible for identifying emerging issues and developing recommendations for the field. The Policy Advisory Committee is a committee of the Delegate Assembly, and is responsible for the implementation of resolutions, policy priorities, and programming Task Forces may be created as needed to tackle emerging, time sensitive issues.
Membership is made up of JCPA Member Agencies (all dues paying JCRCs and National Agencies), and ten members at large appointed by the JCPA Chair. Each JCRC may elect a lay leader to be their annual representative to the Delegates Assembly. The representative will focus on local engagement and communication of the Delegates Assembly to the local community and vice versa. The aim is to ensure a strong local-national connection. This position is separate from the JCRCs participation in voting. The 16 national agency representatives may elect two representatives to the Delegates Assembly
The Delegates Assembly comes together twice a year at a minimum – the main resolutions voting session will be an in-person meeting held in conjunction with JCPA’s annual conference.
JCRC Delegates Assembly Representative Job Description
The JCRC Delegates Representative will represent their JCPA Member Agency (dues paying JCRC) to the JCPA Delegates Assembly. This person will help to be a local advocate and ambassador for the organization on policy, advocacy, and communications. The Representative will also share best practices, programs, and policy needs with the Delegates Assembly.
Specifically, the Representative will:
• Participate either in person or virtually in JCPA convenings including 2-3 Delegates Assembly meetings throughout the year. The representative will work on our action requests as needed. • Translate what is happening at JCPA to your local JCRC Boards and Federations. • Share perspectives and best practices of local community with JCPA as needed.
20 Policy and Government Relations • Participate on calls to be briefed on the latest information on JCPAs policy concerns. Share this information with local JCRC leaders as needed. • Ensure strong relationships with Senators and Congressman to help share policy positions, and to have lines of communication for national strategy and advocacy efforts. • Engage in advocacy efforts and help mobilize the local communities in coordination with your JCRC Director and Chair as needed.
Communications: • Develop relationships with the local Jewish paper, and the Federation communication team, and make sure that the local communities know about the work of JCPA and education and advocacy opportunities. • Ensure that local participation in national JCPA activities are shared with the local communities, share press releases and provide local quotes. • Ensure that community members have opportunities to participate in JCPA webinars and educational calls. • Help to recruit local delegation attendees to attend JCPA’s national conferences.
Requirements:
To be a JCRC Representative they should be available to participate in the national annual in- person convenings. The ideal person would have held a leadership position with the JCRC or be a young leader with an expertise in policy and/or communications.
21 JCPA Policy Adoption Process Overview
Each year, JCPA convenes its network of 16 national agencies and 125 Jewish community relations councils to identify and build consensus on today’s most pressing matters through our resolutions process. Adopted resolutions become Jewish community relations policy. By participating in JCPA's resolution setting process, your leadership has the opportunity to set national policy for the Jewish community. Resolutions form the backbone of JCPA and help guide the work of the network at the local and national levels.
Our JCPA website hosts a compendium of the resolutions adopted by JCPA’s network. This compendium of resolutions, along with new resolutions adopted at the JCPA Annual Conference, influence and drive the work of our professional staff, our task forces, and our affiliate members. Our adopted resolutions guide our collective actions and serves as a menu of issues for our field to prioritize and activate around. The compendium is available at http://www.jewishpublicaffairs.org/policy-compendium.
It is here that the “real fun” actually unfolds. In a convention-type setting that uses a proportionate, consensus-based voting system for decision-making, a setting characterized by controlled chaos, healthy debate and compromise, these resolutions are put to a vote by our membership.
Each year, our Task Forces and Member Agencies develop and submit suggested resolutions to be debated at our annual conference. Throughout the ensuing months leading up to the Town Hall, experts and wordsmiths review these proposed resolutions before they are drafted, by consensus agreement, into resolutions that are formally presented at the conference, and in a convention-type setting that uses a proportionate, consensus based voting system for decision- making, characterized by controlled chaos, healthy debate and compromise, these resolutions are put to a vote by our membership.
Some of our recent policy priorities include health care, immigration and refugees, voting rights, church-state separation, and support for Israeli-Palestinian coexistence programs. Learn more at www.jewishpublicaffairs.org/issues.
Important Dates and Deadlines
• Eight Months Prior to Conference JCRCs and national agencies submit suggestions for resolution topics. To check if JCPA has existing policy on your topic, we encourage you to review JCPA’s policy compendium.
• Seven Months Prior to Conference JCPA notifies member agencies whether or not their topics were chosen for resolutions and explains next steps.
• Five Months Prior to Conference Sponsoring agencies submit their draft resolutions by December 5. Each resolution must have at least three of the required five cosponsors.
• Four Months Prior to Conference JCPA sends draft resolutions for all member agencies to review. We encourage all member agencies to schedule time to go over the
22 draft resolutions with their leadership and submit revisions, comments, and other feedback to JCPA by Months end.
• Three Months Prior to Conference Member agencies submit feedback on the draft resolutions, which JCPA compiles and shares with the resolution sponsors.
• Two Months Prior to Conference Sponsors submit revised resolutions to JCPA for Policy Advisory Committee review and approval.
• One Month Prior to Conference JCPA sends the field the final draft resolutions that will be debated and voted on at JCPA’s national conference. Remember to schedule time for your leadership to vet the resolutions prior to the conference.
• JCPA Conference Member agencies vote on the resolutions during JCPA's national conference.
JCPA’s Policy Compendium
JCPA’s Policy Compendium is an encyclopedic compilation of the Jewish community relations network’s more than 75 years of policy. Organized by issue, each section provides an overview of JCPA resolutions, making it easy to locate different topics and search for key words.
As a member of the network, you can use our policy language word-for-word as your own or tweaked to best suit your needs. Many of our JCRCs find this particularly useful when a new or controversial issue crops up. Resolutions represent vetted consensus positions from the 125 JCRCs and 16 national agencies, so they may be helpful in settling policy disagreements, determining your position on a particular issue, and circumventing the need to relitigate policy issues.
Once you have found the relevant policy, you can locate the source in parentheses at the end of the paragraph or section. If you would like to obtain the full text of a resolution, please do not hesitate to reach out to staff or email us at [email protected].
Each year, we update the Compendium to include newly adopted resolutions. You can always find the most recent version on our website.
23 JCPA Board Information
24 BYLAWS
AMENDED AND RESTATED April 23, 2018
Adopted: April 23, 2018 Effective: June 1, 2018
(212) 684-6950 ♦ [email protected] ♦ www.jewishpublicaffairs.org
25 JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of the corporation shall be the Jewish Council for Public Affairs1 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "JCPA").
ARTICLE II
Purpose
Section 1.
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the national voice for local Jewish Community Relations Councils (“JCRCs “or “CRCs”), and a number of national Jewish agencies. Our mandate is to, among other things, advance the interests of the Jewish people; to support Israel’s quest for peace and security; to promote a just American society; and advocate for human rights around the world. Backed by an unparalleled capacity to mobilize grassroots Jewish activism, we convene the organized Jewish community on key issues. We then identify and develop policies, strategies, and programs for our network.
1 A Not-for-Profit corporation of the State of New York.
26 ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1.
Member Agencies.
The constituents of the JCPA are national organizations and local community relations and public affairs councils or committees. Such national and local entities by joining JCPA become constituents of the JCPA and subject to the terms of these Bylaws. Constituents are designated as national member agencies, community member agencies, or national professional association members.
Section 2.
National Agencies or National Professional Associations.
National member agencies or national professional associations shall be admitted to membership by vote of the Board of Directors. Applications for membership are evaluated by a membership committee, which reports its recommendations to the Board of Directors, where final action is taken by majority vote. The membership committee shall consider the applications based upon guidelines approved by the Board of Directors. All national member agencies of the JCPA as of the date of the adoption of these Bylaws remain national member agencies subject to the terms of these Bylaws.
Section 3.
Community Member Agencies.
A local public affairs or Jewish community relations council (“JCRC”) or committee, to be eligible for membership, must be representative of the community served, and satisfy such other criteria as the Board of Directors may, from time to time, determine. Applications for membership are evaluated by a membership committee, which reports its recommendations to the Board of Directors, where final action is taken by majority vote. The membership committee shall consider the applications based upon guidelines approved by the Board of Directors. All local public affairs or JCRCs or committees which are member agencies of the JCPA as of the date of the adoption of these Bylaws remain as such agencies subject to the terms of these Bylaws.
Section 4.
Federation.
The Jewish federation system shares a commitment to the survival and enhancement of Jewish life. The Jewish federation system also shares that commitment with the national and local member agencies of the JCPA. The federations also share the public affairs goals and commitments of the national and local member agencies of the JCPA. The Jewish Federations of North American
27 (“JFNA”) or its successor, as the convenor of the national federation system, represents the diversity within the federation system.
Section 5.
Good Standing.
A member of the JCPA may be determined as not in good standing, as a result of the failure of the member to abide by its obligations as provided in these Bylaws and in accordance with the guidelines approved by the Board of Directors. The determination that a member is not in good standing shall be made by a two-thirds vote of the members of the Board of Directors present at a meeting designated for such purpose; notice of such proposed action shall be given at least ten days in advance of the meeting. A member not in good standing shall not be entitled to participate in voting or other processes of the JCPA, as determined by the Board of Directors or Plenum.
ARTICLE IV
Board of Directors
Section 1.
The Board of Directors serves as the highest governing body of the JCPA and has the following responsibilities:
Section 2.
The Board of Directors serves as the highest governing body of the JCPA and has the following responsibilities:
a. determining the mission of the JCPA consistent with these Bylaws and helping to implement policies of the JCPA and its priorities;
b. providing strategic oversight of and guidance to JCPA professional leadership, ensuring that the JCPA has a viable strategy and is meeting its goals;
c. electing Officers of the JCPA;
d. reviewing and approving an annual budget for the JCPA;
e. reviewing the actions of the Officers and other representatives of the JCPA from time to time to assure proper performance of their duties and responsibilities;
f. approving the terms of employment, including any renewals, modifications or extensions, of the President of the JCPA;
g. reviewing and approving or rejecting any policy or policies adopted by the Delegate Assembly; provided, however, that a two-thirds majority of the whole membership of the Board is required to reject any such policy or policies; and
28 h. assisting the Officers and other representatives of the JCPA in fund-raising efforts.
Section 3.
The Board of Directors is composed of: a. Up to twenty-five (25) persons who are nominated to serve by the Nominating Committee of the JCPA and elected by the Board and who may be lay members of national agencies or community representatives. This number shall include up to two (2) persons selected as appointees to the Board by the Chair. b. The current Chair and all past Chairs of JCPA. c. The Chair or appointed representative of the JCRC Directors Association d. The Executive Committee
Section 4.
Elections - Nominations. A nominating committee chair shall be appointed by the chair of the JCPA. A nominating committee shall be appointed by the chair of the nominating committee in concert with the Chair of the JCPA and shall be approved by the Board of Directors and shall nominate members of the Board as provided herein. The nominating committee shall also nominate Officers as provided in Article VI, section 1.
Section 5.
Each member of the Board of Directors has one vote.
Section 6.
Eligibility.
Criteria for membership to the Board of Directors may be established by the Board of Directors from time to time.
Section 7.
At the discretion of the Chair of a meeting of the Board or any of its committees or subcommittees, members may participate by means of conference telephone or similar communications equipment where such device allows all persons participating in the meeting to hear each other at the same time.
Section 8.
The term of each member of the Board of Directors shall be for two (2) years, and a member of the Board may serve up to two (2) consecutive terms. These term limits shall not apply to the members of the Executive Committee, who serve on the Board by virtue of serving on the Executive
29 Committee. The term of the Executive Committee shall be set forth in Article 6, Section 3. The term of Chair Appointees will be the same as the term of the Chair. However, for the first year after these Amended and Restated By-laws are adopted, the terms of all continuing members of the Board of Directors shall be for one (1) year and the term limit of two consecutive terms shall not apply for this initial one-year term, meaning that this initial term shall not count as a “term” for term limit purposes.
The term of the Board of the Directors is from June 1 through May 31.
Section 9.
Meetings of the Board of Directors may be held on such dates and times as shall be determined by the Chair, or by the request of at least twenty (20) percent of the Board of Directors, and written notice of each meeting shall be given to each member of the Board of Directors at least ten (10) days prior to the date of each meeting. Such notice shall also state the purpose(s) of each meeting. The Board of Directors may take action in lieu of a meeting, either by written consent signed by all of the Directors or by participation in a conference call where all members present may hear and speak to all other members and any action taken by unanimous written consent or via a video or teleconference shall have the same effect as a meeting.
At any meeting of the Board of Directors, a quorum shall be present if at least a majority of the Directors are present, either in person or via video or teleconference. Any action of the Board of Directors shall be by majority vote of those voting when a quorum is present except as provided in Article IX, Section 1 regarding amendments to these Bylaws.
ARTICLE V
Delegate Assembly
Section 1.
The Delegate Assembly shall serve as the primary deliberative body within JCPA on public policy. It will adopt policy positions, oversee education, formulate programs, and recommend priorities for the community relations field.
Section 2.
The Delegate Assembly will be chaired by the Chair of JCPA or such other person as the Chair may appoint. If the Chair appoints someone else to chair the Delegate Assembly, that person shall also serve on the Executive Committee as a separate officer of JCPA.
Voting Members.
a. The voting members of the Delegate Assembly shall be comprised of representatives from every dues paying JCRC or CRC member of JCPA, and national agency members.
b. Each voting JCRC or CRC may appoint one lay leader and one professional to serve as members of the Delegate Assembly;
30 c. Each national agency may appoint up to two (2) members, who may be lay leaders or professional staff, to serve on the Delegate Assembly;
d. The Jewish Federations of North America may appoint up to five (5) persons, who may be lay or professional staff persons, to serve as members of the Delegate Assembly;
e. The Chair may appoint up to ten at-large members
Section 3.
Member Agencies will need to nominate or reconfirm appointees every two (2) years. At-Large Members shall serve at the pleasure of the Chair.
Any Delegate Assembly member can be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Board of Directors.
Section 4.
The Delegate Assembly shall meet at least two (2) times per year and may meet at such other times as the Chair may determine. Meetings of the Delegate Assembly may be held in person or by other means available under applicable law. The process for adopting policies and resolutions, including required votes and methods for reviewing and deliberating proposed resolutions shall be adopted by the voting members of the Delegate Assembly from time to time, but in no event less than ninety (90) days prior to a voting session, except in cases of emergency matters, at which time the voting members of the Delegate Assembly may adopt special procedures.
A quorum for the Delegate Assembly shall be reached if at least forty (40) percent of votes are present, either in person or by proxy.
Section 5.
Written notice for each meeting of the Delegate Assembly shall be given at least sixty (60) days prior to the date of such proposed meeting. The notice shall state the purpose(s) of the meeting. A member of the Delegate Assembly may attend a meeting in person or by proxy.
Section 6.
Voting.
All votes at any meeting of the Delegate Assembly are based upon the member agencies number of representatives on the Delegate Assembly (except as provided below), and in the case of community representatives, that community’s allocated votes. Each community member may determine how to exercise its votes. The federation system receives 23 votes, to be exercised by the JFNA designated representatives to the Delegate Assembly. Each national member agency or national professional association shall receive that number of votes, not more than 23, as determined by the Board of Directors as part of the resolution of admission to membership of such national member agency. Each JCRC or CRC receives votes as determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with the Jewish population of the community as determined by the records of the JFNA or its successor, in accordance with the following schedule:
31 Community Population Ranges Number of Votes
Fewer than 5,000 2 5,000 - 14,999 4 15,000 - 24,999 6 25,000 - 39,999 8 40,000 - 74,999 10 75,000 - 99,999 12 100,000 - 124,999 14 125,000 – 149,999 16 150,000 – 199,999 18 200,000 - 249,999 20 250,000 - 299,999 22 300,000 - 399,999 24 400,000 - 499,999 26 500,000 - 599,999 28 600,000 - 699,999 30 700,000 - 799,999 32 800,000 - 899,999 34 900,000 - 999,999 36 More than 1 million 38
ARTICLE VI
Officers and Executive Committee
Section 1.
The JCPA's officers shall consist of a Chair, five (5) Vice Chairs, a Treasurer, a Secretary, the immediate two Past Chairs and the President. The Chair is the chief presiding officer of the JCPA; the Chair is the presiding officer of the Delegate Assembly (except as otherwise provided in Article V, section 2), the Board of Directors, and the Executive Committee. The President of the JCPA serves at the pleasure of and with a title designated by the Board of Directors and implements the JCPA’s. The remaining officers shall have such duties as are prescribed for them by the Chair. The nominating committee may select a First Vice Chair who shall start serving at the beginning of the second or last year of the Chair’s term with responsibilities designated by the Chair and shall be a voting member of the Board of Directors. The selection of a First Vice Chair shall not affect the number or status of the other sitting officers. The First Vice Chair may serve concurrently as another officer.
For the initial year after these Amended and Restated By-laws are adopted, and for transition purposes, the number of Vice-Chairs shall be set at eight (8) and then reduce to five (5) as set forth above.
32 Section 2.
Elections and Nominations.
The chair of JCPA shall be elected for one two-year term; the Board of Directors shall have the right, with the approval of the nominating committee, to extend the term of a Chair for up to one additional year. The nomination of Chair, Vice Chairs, Secretary and Treasurer shall be presented to the Board of Directors by the nominating committee, with its recommendations from the submittals made to the nominating committee by the JCPA’s member agencies, members of the Board of Directors, or members of the nominating committee itself. Guidelines for the nomination of officers may be adopted from time to time by the Board of Directors.
Section 3.
Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of the JCPA, and up to two (2) Chair’s Appointees and may perform such duties and have such responsibilities as the Board of Directors may, from time to time, designate. Further, the Executive Committee is authorized to act in the name and on behalf of the Board of Directors if an emergency exists or if the Board of Directors cannot be convened within a given amount of time and the Officers determine that action needs to be taken. Each member of the Executive Committee shall be entitled to one (1) vote.
Executive Committee Term
The term of the Executive Committee is from June 1 through May 31. Vice chairs and the secretary and treasurer may be elected for two (2) consecutive two-year terms. The term of Chair Appointees will be the same as the term of the Chair.
Section 4.
A meeting of the Executive Committee or any of its committees or subcommittees may be held by means of video or telephone conference or other such communications system whereby all persons participating in the meeting can engage in discussion with each other.
Section 5.
Vacancies
In the event that the position of any officer, other than the President, shall become vacant for any reason, the Chair may select a successor who shall serve until the next regular or annual meeting of the Board of Directors, at which time an election will be held to fill the remainder of the term, if any. In the event the position of President shall become vacant for any reason, the Executive Committee shall appoint an acting President to serve until a replacement can be selected.
33 ARTICLE VII
Indemnification
Section 1.
The JCPA shall indemnify any person who was or is a party, or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the JCPA) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee, representative or agent of the JCPA, or who is or was serving at the request of the Council as a director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee, representative or agent of another council, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorney's fees), judgments, fines and amount paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, and appeal therefrom, if such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the best interests of the JCPA, and with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful, provided that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable for gross negligence or willful misconduct in the performance of his or her duty to the JCPA, unless, and only to the extent that the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability, but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses as the court shall deem proper.
Section 2.
Any indemnification under this Article (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the JCPA only as authorized in the specific case, upon a determination that indemnification of the director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee, representative or agent is proper in the circumstances because he or she has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in Section 1. Such determination shall be made by the Board of Directors by a majority vote of a quorum consisting of directors who were not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, or if such a quorum is not obtainable, or even if obtainable, if a quorum of disinterested directors so directs, by legal counsel regularly retained by the JCPA (whether or not such counsel is a member or director of the JCPA), or if such counsel fails or refuses to do so, by independent legal counsel, whether or not such counsel is a member or director of the JCPA.
Section 3
Expenses incurred in defending a civil or criminal action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the JCPA in advance of the final disposition of such action, or proceeding, and appeal therefrom, as authorized by the Board of Directors in the specific case, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of the director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee or agent to repay such amount, unless it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is entitled to be indemnified by the JCPA as authorized in this Article. If any person entitled to indemnification hereunder shall choose to participate in the defense of any such claim and such election does not conflict with any representation provided by JCPA under any applicable policy of insurance, then all expenses relating to such participation by the indemnitee, including legal fees, witness or expert expenses or any other
34 costs or expenses of any kind shall be solely borne by the indemnitee and JCPA shall have no obligation or liability for any of such costs or expenses.
Section 4.
The indemnification provided by this Article shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification may be entitled under any agreement, vote of members or disinterested directors, or otherwise, both as to action in his or her official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office and shall continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee, representative or agent and shall- inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such person.
Section 5.
The JCPA may purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee, representative or agent of the JCPA or who is or was serving at the request of the JCPA as a director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee, representative or agent of another council, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the JCPA would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under the provisions of this Article.
Section 6.
If the JCPA has paid indemnity or has advanced expenses under this Article to a director, officer, committee member, trustee, employee, representative or agent, the JCPA shall report the indemnification or advance in writing to the Board of Directors with or before the notice of the next meeting of the Board.
Section 7.
It is the intention of the JCPA, as expressed in this Article, to indemnify the parties described herein to the fall extent allowed by New York law as it now or hereafter exists. If any provision of this Article is found by a court to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be construed and reformulated by the court in such a way as to make the Article valid and enforceable to the maximum extent possible. Any invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this Article shall attach only to such provision and shall not affect or render invalid or unenforceable any other provisions of this Article, these Bylaws, or any other agreement or instrument.
ARTICLE VIII
Task Forces and Committees
Section 1.
The essential processes of the JCPA are carried forward through the work of task forces and standing committees These task forces and standing committees may be established by the Chair or
35 the Board of Directors from time to time and shall have such duties and responsibilities as may be given to them by the Chair or Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX
Public Policy Formulation, Implementation and Publication
Section 1.
Consensus and Dissent.
In the determination of public policy positions, the JCPA continues to be guided by the principle of broad based, constituency driven consensus. JCPA determinations, decisions and public statements are not binding on individual member agencies, and, correlatively, no member agency can block a public action or statement by the JCPA. In the interest of diversity of views, public dissents by member agencies are permitted and noted, as are abstentions or other means to record that an agency does not participate in a particular discussion or decision. Moreover, on a matter that any of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, or the Union for Reform Judaism, or their successors, chooses to define as an issue of religious conviction, that body can require that the proposed statement or action not be taken in the name of the JCPA. The community members of the Board of Directors then will determine whether to proceed with the statement or action in the name of an "ad hoc community caucus." Should a decision be made by community members to go forward subsequent to the exercise of the "religious exception" described in this Article IX, Section 7, the letterhead to be used for the "ad hoc community caucus" will not be confused with the JCPA’s letterhead, and a new letterhead will be used by the ad hoc community caucus with respect to each such issue. Only local member agencies, national member agencies or national professional association member agencies that explicitly request to be listed on this occasion will be printed on the stationery with such letterhead. Neither the name of the JCPA nor the names of the JCPA’s national member agencies or national professional association member agencies will be used in disseminating or publicizing statements or actions of the ad hoc community caucus unless the agencies explicitly have requested that their names be included. New strategies and tools for recognizing and respecting diversity shall be developed to assure that both public affairs effectiveness and community cohesion are maintained.
ARTICLE X
Amendments
Section 1.
These Bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors by the affirmative vote of at least two thirds of the Directors present, when a quorum is present, provided that notice of each proposed amendment shall be provided to the Directors at least ten days before the date of such meeting. These Bylaws may also be amended at any annual meeting of the members conference by a majority vote of all the members present and acting, provided that notice
36 of each proposed amendment shall be mailed to all member agencies at least ten days before such meeting.
ARTICLE XI
Miscellaneous
Section 1.
Rules of Order.
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised, shall govern the JCPA in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws or not subject to rules of order which otherwise may be adopted by the JCPA.
Section 2.
Communication.
Where permitted by law, notices from the JCPA, including but not limited to meeting announcements and proposed amendments to these bylaws, may be made by reliable means other than postal mail such as facsimile device and e-mail communication.
Section 3.
Subject to New York Law.
These Bylaws are subject to the laws of the State of New York and shall be binding except to the extent that they may be contrary to such laws.
Adopted JCPA Plenum - Fort Lauderdale, FL, February 1998
Amended JCPA Plenum - Washington, DC, February 2002 JCPA Board – Chicago, IL, June 2002 JCPA Plenum – Baltimore, February 2003 JCPA Board – New York, October 2004 JCPA Plenum – Washington, DC 2005 JCPA Board – New York, October 2008 JCPA Board – New York, June 2009 JCPA Board – New York, October 2010 JCPA Board - New York, October 2013 JCPA Board - Chicago, June 2015
37 JCPA Plenum – New York, April 2018
Section 4.
Effective Date.
The effective date of these amended and restated bylaws will be June 1, 2018.
38 JCPA Board Expectations
The mission of JCPA is to lead, support, shape, coordinate and represent the Jewish community relations movement in order to advance the interests of the Jewish people, support Israel’s quest for peace and security, and promote a just American society and world.
As the highest leadership body of the organization and to satisfy its fiduciary duties, the board is responsible for:
• determining the mission and purposes of the organization; • selecting and evaluating the performance of the President & CEO; • strategic and organizational planning; • ensuring strong fiduciary oversight and financial management; • fundraising and resource development; • approving and monitoring JCPA’s programs and services; • enhancing JCPA’s public image; and • assessing its own performance as the governing body of JCPA.
Each individual board member is expected to:
• know the organization’s mission, policies, programs, and needs; • faithfully read and understand the organization’s financial statements; • serve as active advocates and ambassadors for the organization and fully engage in identifying and securing the financial resources and partnerships necessary for JCPA to advance its mission; • leverage connections, networks, and resources to develop collective action to fully achieve JCPA’s mission; • give a meaningful personal financial donation, or raise the funds from others • help identify personal connections that can benefit the organization’s fundraising and reputational standing, and can influence public policy • prepare for, attend, and conscientiously participate in board meetings • participate fully in one or more committees
Further, board members are expected to:
• follow the organization’s bylaws, policies, and board resolutions, • sign an annual conflict-of-interest disclosure and update it during the year if necessary, as well as disclose potential conflicts before meetings and actual conflicts during meetings; and • maintain confidentiality about all internal matters of JCPA.
39 JCPA Officer Expectations
The mission of JCPA is to lead, support, shape, coordinate and represent the Jewish community relations movement in order to advance the interests of the Jewish people, support Israel’s quest for peace and security, and promote a just American society and world.
The JCPA Executive Committee are the Officers of the Board of directors, and as such act as advisors to the JCPA Board Chair. This includes but is not limited to strategic guidance and acting for the Board when it is not meeting.
As the highest leadership body of the organization and to satisfy its fiduciary duties, the board is responsible for:
• determining the mission and purposes of the organization • selecting and evaluating the performance of the President & CEO • strategic and organizational planning • ensuring strong fiduciary oversight and financial management • fundraising and resource development • approving and monitoring JCPA’s programs and services • enhancing JCPA’s public image • assessing its own performance as the governing body of JCPA
Each individual board member is expected to:
• know the organization’s mission, policies, programs, and needs • faithfully read and understand the organization’s financial statements • serve as active advocates and ambassadors for the organization and fully engage in identifying and securing the financial resources and partnerships necessary for JCPA to advance its mission • leverage connections, networks, and resources to develop collective action to fully achieve JCPA’s mission • give a meaningful personal financial donation, or raise the funds from others • help identify personal connections that can benefit the organization’s fundraising and reputational standing, and can influence public policy • prepare for, attend, and conscientiously participate in board meetings • participate fully in one or more committees
Further, board members are expected to:
• follow the organization’s bylaws, policies, and board resolutions • sign an annual conflict-of-interest disclosure and update it during the year if necessary, as well as disclose potential conflicts before meetings and actual conflicts during meetings • maintain confidentiality about all internal matters of JCPA
40 Basic Responsibilities of Nonprofit Boards
1. Determine the organization’s mission and purpose. A statement of mission and purposes should articulate the organization’s goals, means, and primary constituents served. It is the board’s responsibility to create the mission statement and review it periodically for accuracy and validity. Each individual board member should fully understand it.
2. Select the chief executive. Board’s must reach consensus on the chief executive’s job description and undertake a careful search to find the most qualified individual for the position.
3. Support the chief executive and review his or her performance. The board should ensure that the chief executive has the moral and professional support he or she needs to further the goals of the organization. The chief executive, in partnership with the entire board, should decide upon a periodic evaluation of his or her performance.
4. Ensure effective organizational planning. As stewards of the organization, boards must actively participate with the staff in an overall planning process and assist in implementing the plan’s goals.
5. Ensure adequate resources. One of the board’s foremost responsibilities is to provide adequate resources for the organization to fulfill its mission. The board should work in partnership with the chief executive and developmental staff, if an, to raise funds from the community.
6. Manage resources effectively. The board, in order to remain accountable to its donors and the public, and to safeguard its tax-exempt status, must assist in developing the annual budget and ensuring that proper financial controls are in place.
7. Determine, monitor, and strengthen the organization’s programs and services. The board’s role in this area is to determine which programs are the most consistent with the organization’s mission, and to monitor their effectiveness.
8. Enhance the organization’s public standing. An organization’s primary link to the community, including constituents, the public, and the media, is the board. Clearly articulating the organization’s mission, accomplishments, and goals to the public, as well as garnering support from important elements of a comprehensive public relations strategy.
41 About Community Relations
42 JCRC 101
What is a JCRC? A Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), whether an independent agency or a committee of its Federation, serves as the convener of the Jewish community, its various organizations and varying viewpoints. The JCRC’s primary role is to serve as the representative voice of the organized Jewish community to the general community on issues of interest and concern to the Jewish community. JCRCs also play a critical role in mobilizing the Jewish community when warranted.
JCRC structures vary: In some communities, the JCRC is a representative body, comprised of formal representatives of local chapters of national Jewish organizations and of local Jewish institutions. In other communities, the JCRC is made up of at-large representatives who, ideally, represent a cross-section of the Jewish community even as they serve as individuals. Some communities use a hybrid of these two models.
JCRC agendas also vary, depending on national, state and local concerns. These issues – largely informed by the JCPA policy agenda – include: Israel advocacy, anti-Semitism, poverty & social justice, and criminal justice reform. JCRCs engage in other important issues which relate to the health of our democratic society such as immigration, public education, hate crimes, civil rights, intergroup relations and separation of church and state. Communities’ level of engagement will often depend on local circumstances.
Structural Models JCRCs come in a variety of forms and range in size from one part-time staff member to thirty staff. Today, most JCRCs are committees of their Federation. There are also JCRCs that are independent JCRCs – that is separate 501(c)(3) organizations. The independents vary in community size from New York to Indianapolis so there is no specific correlation between community size and the type of JCRC.
CRC Committees of Federation Generally, when a CRC is a committee of a federation it has some agreement with the federation regarding which policy decisions require ultimate approval by the federation board. (There are varying degrees of autonomy). In practice, the day-to-day agenda of CRC Committees and Independent JCRCs is very similar. Two general differences: 1) How members of the CRC are appointed or elected; and 2) supplemental fundraising.
Independent JCRCs usually have more formal processes for the selection of members whereas CRC Committees may be asked by a federation executive to include specific individuals on the CRC. Also, CRC committees are generally constrained from raising funds. Their budgets are an itemized part of the overall federation budget.
43 Independent JCRCs Independent JCRCs are generally very close to their federations but legally separate 501(c)(3) institutions and policy decisions rest with the Board of the JCRC. Most (not all) independent JCRCs are housed in the local federation building and receive a significant portion of their budget from the federation. Independent JCRCs are free to fundraise and do so to varying degrees – often for special projects or initiatives.
Governance Models The classic JCRC governance model consists of a council comprised of representatives of member organizations and synagogues and often an equal number of at-large representatives. It is this model that has led to JCRCs being described as the umbrella body for the organized Jewish community on public affairs issues, speaking on behalf of x number of Jewish institutions.
In addition, many JCRCs have a Board of Directors – a smaller body – that has the authority to act in between council meetings and serve as the fiduciary body for the JCRC (particularly relevant for independent JCRCs.) In turn, there could be an Executive Committee comprised of the officers and the immediate past president (or chair) of the JCRC. It is important that the Board largely be drawn from Council members so that there is strong trust among the internal decision-making bodies.
There is often much more ability to identify particular skillsets and people with those skillsets willing to serve for positions on a Board of Directors than on a large council.
In recent years, as the number of consensus issues processed by JCRCs has diminished, there has been a trend of reducing the number of Council meetings during the year (often from monthly to quarterly), and utilizing the freed up time for outreach events for the broader Jewish community (townhall meetings, forums, etc.) Boards typically meet monthly (often with one month off during the summer).
A JCRC MISSION- Educate/Advocate/Activate A Jewish Community Relations Committee (JCRC), if in house, is the government affairs and public policy arm of their Jewish Federation. A JCRC represents the Federation and its agencies on public affair issues to the community at large. A JCRC is an umbrella committee/agency that engages with the community at large, and with local organizations and congregations, on social, political and humanitarian issues that affect Jews and Jewish values on a local, national and global level.
44 Specifically, a JCRC: • Spearheads the development of the public policy agenda at the local, state and national level and vets and educates on issues and current events to foster understanding and cooperation within the Jewish community; • Advocates these views with legislators and all levels of government as well as for public resources to support the activities of their Federation and partnership agencies, Israel’s safety and security, and other issues of priority concern; • Builds relationships and mutual understanding with ethnic, racial, faith-based, and civic groups on these matters; • Harnesses the power and resources of the Jewish community in supporting its social justice agenda; and • Promotes through education and action, strong protection and support for Israel and the Jewish people at home and throughout the world. • Works in the areas of Israel and World Affairs, government relations, and community partnerships. • Informs and educates the Jewish community on current events and public policy matters of interest, and networks and builds various coalitions with the community-at-large to further common interests. • Serves as a clearing house for new issues, has a rapid response capability, and takes immediate action in support of the Jewish community and Israel. • Rallies the community to action!
A JCRC’s programmatic work focuses on the following major areas: • Israel & World Affairs • Government Relations • Community Partnership Initiatives – Civic outreach, social justice and humanitarian affairs
In each area, a JCRC carries out its work through standing committees, programs, and councils. In addition, numerous issues and events unfold throughout the year where JCRC members till need to take leadership.
About a Jewish Community Relations Committee/Board (housed within a Federation)
An in-house JCRC Committee/Board is responsible for the JCRC’s policy setting and governance, vetting new and emerging issues, and providing overall guidance to sub-committees and lay leadership on matters of public policy and outreach/messaging to the non-Jewish community.
Setting the Public Policy Agenda A JCRC public policy agenda is usually informed by two national organizations – the Jewish Federation of North America Washington Office (JFNA) and the Jewish Council for Public
45 Affairs (JCPA). JCPA convenes JCRC’s around the country and other Jewish communal groups to set priorities. A JCRC acts as the local convener of these groups and helps to carry out their work at the local level.
• JFNA public policy priorities are set with input from all the Federations and agency executives around North America with the aim of ensuring that Federal and State legislation does not harm the system while they help to leverage government dollars and policy to help the most vulnerable and the day to day operations of our charities and work. o Policy examples include: emergency food and housing (FEMA dollars), Older Americans act and aging in place, incentives for charitable giving and supporting interests of non-profits, helping the Jewish community alleviate poverty, strong support for Homeland security, advocating on behalf of persons with disabilities and/or mental illness.
• JCPA public policy priorities are set by JCRCs and Jewish communal groups that help to reflect priority issues for the community relations field, Israel, and safety and security of the Jewish people. o Policy Examples include: countering the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, support for Israel and a two-state solution, criminal justice reform and voting rights, religious liberties, immigration, human safety net, gun violence prevention, elections, and ending genocides around the world
• Local JCRCs set their own priorities based on Partnership initiatives and other opportunities and concerns that arise. o Initiatives may include: election programming, legislative breakfasts, meetings with legislators, encouraging people to vote, mobilizing the community to take action, missions to DC, state government, and counties.
46 What Are the Key Functions of Jewish Community Relations and What is a JCRC’s Unique Role?
• To educate and advocate on the issues of vital concern to the organized Jewish community – consistent with the course of and demands of Jewish history in the diaspora
• To serve as the representative body that approximates what we call the organized Jewish community and that enables us to both protect and define the broad tent
• To maintain a credible and transparent process to determine what those issues are that rise to the level of meeting the bar – “affecting the conditions under which Jews, as individuals and a community, can flourish here and abroad” – to build consensus on those issues, and to develop and implement a strategy based on those consensual views
• To determine when we have credibility to speak and act, and when it’s important for Jewish voices to be represented though not necessarily through the JCRC
• To hold the center (“nuanced impactful activism”) while balancing the two sides of the issues ledger (universal and particularistic)
• To multiply our impact (American Jews constitute 2% of the population) by seeking common cause with like-minded groups on specific issues – whether through long-standing or ad hoc coalitions
• To be the one-stop shop for managing the community relations issues that arise in the Jewish /community
• To serve as the exemplar of civil discourse in our community
• To mobilize our community while continuing to balance behind-the-scenes and in-front-of- the scenes strategies and tactics
• To map the key influentials and institutions throughout the community and engage in relationship-building as the foundation on which JCRC activism is based
• To take a constant read of the temperature and the trends within the community and beyond and formulate strategies based on them – while serving as the eyes and ears for the community on potentially explosive issues
• To utilize the JCRC skillset developed for advocacy to engage actively in government relations work in assisting Jewish agencies seeking government grants
Ultimately, to serve as the voice of the Jewish community to the non-Jewish community while remembering to actively and regularly inform key Jewish communal leadership of the important work of JCRC
47 Jewish Community Relations and Jewish History: A Tradition from Biblical Times to the Present by Rabbi Doug Kahn
When discussing the history of Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) I generally talk about CRCs coming into existence in the aftermath of the Holocaust…as a result of a central failure of American Jewry – not silence during the Holocaust but rather weakness due to the absence of a united community voice and strategy.
JCRC’s historic mission – to safeguard the conditions under which Jews as individuals and a community can flourish here and abroad – was tied to two post-Holocaust convictions: 1) our community is much stronger to the extent that we can speak with a united voice on critically important issues…think mobilizing our community to fight the initiative to ban circumcision in recent times; and 2) the conditions that help protect Jews are synonymous with the civic values of American society (separation of religion and state; quality public education; equal opportunity).
The larger reality is that from the moment that Jews have lived in the Diaspora, i.e. as a minority dependent for survival on the government in power, CRC work has taken place.
An early example of CRC work – by which I mean representing the vital public affairs interests of the organized Jewish community to the key influentials in the broader community – can be found in Moses and Aaron’s face-to-face meetings with Pharaoh.
But perhaps a better example from the Biblical period of asserting the interests of the community to key leaders in the broader community was Esther’s intervention with Ahashuarus to prevent the extermination of the Jews. Well-placed (to say the least) to plead on behalf of the Jewish community interests, the community relations effort went well not only because of the merit of the case but because a relationship had already been built. (How true it is to this day the difference in reception when there is a prior relationship built on trust as compared to when no such relationship has existed).
Analyzing the different models of leadership is outside the scope of tonight’s discussion but worthy of its own evening. I simply wanted to illustrate the continuity of community relations work from the beginning of the Diaspora experience through today.
I often speak of the elasticity of JCRC’s advocacy efforts – ranging from diplomacy to community mobilization…and that range can also be found in our history.
Indeed, in every country, in every period of Jewish history the role of the Jewish community in representing its interests to the key decision-makers and government leaders in the general society has been crucial to protecting our status.
The first Jews arrived in America in 1654 when a group of 23 Jews fleeing from Recife, Brazil arrived in New Amsterdam. Peter Stuyvesant, employed by the Dutch West India Company, wrote to the company’s management on September 22, 1654,
48 “The Jews who have arrived would nearly all like to remain here, but learning that they (with their customary usury and deceitful trading with the Christians) were very repugnant to the inferior magistrates, as also to the people having the most affection for you; the Deaconry also fearing that owing to their present indigence they might become a charge in the coming winter, we have for, the benefit of this weak and newly developing place and the land in general, deemed it useful to require them in a friendly way to depart, praying also most seriously in this connection, for ourselves as also for the general community of your worships, that the deceitful race – such hateful enemies and blasphemers of the name of Christ – be not allowed to further infect and trouble this new colony.”
In response to his desire to keep the Jewish settlers out, the Directors responded on April 26, 1655,
“We would have liked to effectuate and fulfill your wishes and request that the new territories should no more be allowed to be infected by people of the Jewish nation, for we forsee there from the same difficulties which you fear, but after having further weighed and considered the matter, we observe that his would be somewhat unreasonable and unfair, especially because of the considerable loss sustained by this nation, with others, in the taking of Brazil, as also because of the large amount of capital which they still have invested in the shares of this company…”
A classic community relations success story– Jewish investment in the Dutch West Indies Company and therefore connections with its Directors thwarted Stuyvesant’s planned eviction. To put it differently, the moment the first Jews arrived in the U.S. was the moment of the first Jewish community relations effort in the new land. Note the dual impact – both financial/business relationships and an awareness of Jewish history and suffering – an awareness born of proximity - were factors in the decision.
Fast forward to December 17, 1862. On that day General Ulysses S. Grant signed General Order 11 mandating the total expulsion of “the Jews, as a class” from an area corresponding with what is today Northern Mississippi, Kentucky and Western Tennessee within “twenty four hours,” without trial or hearing.
One Cesar Kaskel tried to contact President Abraham Lincoln, writing a telegram protesting “this inhuman order, the carrying out of which would be the grossest violation of the Constitution and our rights as citizens under it, which will place us…as outlaws before the whole world.” With the help of Congressman Gurley of Ohio he got an appointment to see Lincoln in the White House. Lincoln appeared not to know about the order but Kaskel brought documentation and provided a first-person account of evictions. Lincoln evidently responded, “And so the children of Israel were derived from the happy land of Canaan?” Kaskel reportedly sad, “Yes, and that is why we have come unto Father Abraham’s bosom, asking for protection.” Lincoln replied, “And this protection they shall have at once.” He then revoked the General Order. Similar examples of protesting anti-Semitism and discrimination abound.
The work of the JCRC is, in fact, an embodiment of Jewish historical imperatives as well as core Jewish values. There has been no day when we have not had to work vigilantly to protect our community’s interests. That is no less true in this country which – first through the doctrine of the Judeo/Christian
49 ethic and now through the doctrine of pluralistic democracy – has afforded Jews unparalleled opportunities to be equally visible and engaged in both a thriving Jewish communal life and in the broader society. And that is why – to this day – our community has remained passionately protective of the key institutions that have helped enable our success and security in America – from public schools to the health and strength of our democratic institutions.
And, there has been no day when we have not sought to affirm core Jewish values that parallel our history.
Historically we never spoke much about the Jewish values that infuse our work on a daily basis – not because there was a reason not to but rather because they were implied. But I think knowing just how our work affirms core Jewish values is both important and a unifying message even among people with different political beliefs.
There are so many values one could point to. I will focus on some of those that we began to articulate more consciously in the wake of our first strategic plan. I believe that six of those values live in our daily work.
#1) Btselem Elokim – “All human beings are created in God’s image.” From the book of Genesis, we have inherited the revolutionary principle that all human beings are created in the image of God – and therefore inherently equal – a principle that undergirds our efforts to advocate for equal opportunity for all. In the Talmud, the point is driven home dramatically in the following incident.
(Sanhedrin 74a) “A man came to the sage Raba and asked: “The non-Jewish ruler of my city ordered me to murder a fellow Jew and if I fail to do so he will murder me. What should I do? “Raba replied, “allow yourself to be killed rather than commit murder. Who says that your blood is redder than that of the other fellow?”
Particularly in America, where we have consistently stood shoulder to shoulder with other minority groups seeking an end to discrimination and full equal opportunity, our community has been given the extraordinary gift of being able to operationalize this value. There is perhaps no greater example than the contribution our community has made to the civil rights movement, most recently in support of same-sex civil marriage.
The principle should be understood today both in its moral dimension – as the underpinning of democracy, individual rights and equal opportunity – and as a mandate to speak up with others are discriminated against or denied their rights. The oft heard JCRC phrase, “if one group is discriminated against we are all threatened,” is really derived from this value.
#2) Kol Yisrael Arervim Zeh La Zeh – All in the House of Israel are Responsible for One Another. The source of this text is the following:
Lo, it is written, "They shall stumble over one another" (Leviticus 26:37) -- one because of the iniquity of the other. This teaches us that all Israelites are responsible for one
50 another! [An Israelite is punished] if it is in his power to prevent [a sin] and he doesn't prevent it.
Talmud, Shevuot 39a-b
We take it for granted – as part of the core of our being – that if Jews in Ethiopia faced certain extinction we have to help, or if Israel is in trouble we must respond. The same was true during the Soviet Jewry movement. It is also true in how we self-organize as our community to take care of the poor, the elderly, and others in need.
Yet, the reality is that mobilizing the community to help co-religionists threatened elsewhere in the world is not automatic. Indeed, I have often been struck by the silence of other religious denominations whose brothers or sisters have been threatened somewhere in the world. But for Jews, perhaps because we are so keenly aware of our small numbers and perhaps because of the painful lessons we have learned, there is no choice. And, it is JCRC’s duty to lead the way for our community to protect our people whenever and wherever they are threatened.
#3) “Im Any Ani Li Mi Li? Uch She’ani Le’atzmi Mah Ani? Ve Im Lo Achshav, Ay Matai?” “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I, and if not now when?”
Tying together the first two principles, this well-known quote from Hillel contained in Pirke Avot in the Mishnah, makes clear that communal self-reliance is a necessity – the reality is that we care the most about our own fate, and at the same time if we turn too far inward (or circle the wagons), our status becomes diminished. “What am I” is a way of asking…whether in narrowing our focus we ourselves become less significant within the community.
What is particularly interesting to me is how often we have affirmed our Jewish particularity through universal actions. One example that comes to mind is when we organized a group of 20 adults to help rebuild a church in the South that had been burnt to the ground during a series of horrible arson attacks. The group went to Alabama during Chanukah – celebrated Chanukah, prepared latkes for the church members…most of whom never met Jews before, participated in a church-led Bible study injecting Jewish understanding of the text, and guest-taught in the religious school one Sunday. They left to rebuild a church; they came back as re-energized Jews.
Yet another example is when a march was organized in Georgia to protest disenfranchisement of African-Americans. We were contacted to find a rabbi who would walk hand-in-hand with African American ministers. The relationship that was built on that march between the Rabbi of Temple Emanu-El who agreed to go because it was an “if not now when” moment and the Minister of Third Baptist Church led to the “Back on Track” joint tutorial program between Emanu-El and Third Baptist Church that built significant bridges between our two communities. Our work on human trafficking, on combating genocide in Sudan, and on numerous issues is largely motivated by this core value as well as the next one.
#4) Lo Ta’amod Al Dam Rey’echa. “Do Not Stand Idly By.” Leviticus 19:16
51 Maimonides understood this commandment to mean that anyone who is in a position to save a life is obligated to do so. Specifically, he stated that one who sees a person drowning or beset by thieves or by a wild animal and can save the person by himself or can get others to save him, and does not do so, is in violation of this commandment.
This powerful commandment is particularly relevant for JCRC both because of the echoes of Jewish history – we have seen the consequences of standing idly by – and because of our mandate to rally our community in the face of any crisis.
Whenever we step in to fight injustice – whether perpetrated against Jews in the form of an anti- Semitic incident or against others – we do so because we take to heart the meaning of this commandment. I am very proud of JCRCs when we have engaged human rights issues that otherwise might not have been on our agenda – from Bosnia to international debt relief, attacks on the Bahai community, the issues I just mentioned – because we knew our voice might make a difference.
#5) Tikkun Olam – Repair of the World.
The term Tikkun Olam could be related to the other core values. As an expression it is traced to the 16th century kabbalistic teachings of Rabbi Isaac Luria. Luria “taught that in the process of creating the universe, God sent forth a pure divine light that could not be contained by the ‘vessels” into which it flowed.” There was an explosion scattering broken sparks of holiness throughout the universe. In a broken universe, Luria taught, it is our duty to repair – tikkun. “We are to find holy sparks and reunite them with their divine source.”
In more general terms, there is a sense that Tikkun Olam is connected with the voice of our prophets challenging us to improve the world.
For JCRC, Tikkun Olam is realized through programs such as our Jewish Coalition for Literacy – and it is clear that this value strikes a very strong chord among Jews who, in many cases, are involved with the Jewish community primarily as a result of their passion for social justice. JCRCs, to my mind, bring together members of the community for whom Tikkun Olam involvement is a true act of altruism and for whom Tikkun Olam is a necessary act of self- interest. Part of a JCRC’s strength is derived from the fact that both impulses meet at the same point – action to help our community.
#6) Mipnei Darchei Shalom – For the sake of peace.
This is a fascinating expression found in the Talmud and other Jewish legal codes. For example, in the Talmud (Gittin 61a) it states:
“Our sages taught: We provide sustenance for the non-Jewish poor together with the Jewish poor, and visit the sick of the non-Jews with the sick of the Jews, and bury the dead of the non-Jews with the Jewish dead, mipnei darchei shalom (for the sake of peace).
52 When one looks at the context of some of these examples, including a discussion in Maimonides’ Mishneh Torah about whether to return objects lost by a non-Jew, it is clear that the term “for the sake of peace” does not refer so much to the notion of peace or even the active development of good relations as it does to the effort to avoid enmity.
The fact that we reach out to other communities – both to build bridges and to minimize misunderstandings – is absolutely consistent with the true intent of “mipnei darchei shalom.” “We build goodwill” – means we observe the mitzvah of mipnei shalom – through Jewish Coalition for Literacy, Project Homeless Connect, and many other initiatives. In some ways, I think that each of the values I have discussed could be a JCRC motto…and this one, somehow even more so.
When you look at our JCRC, I think it’s fair to see the echoes of our history and the imperative of these values woven through our daily work.
One final note. When I first thought about preparing these remarks I planned to focus on examples of Jewish history that illustrate the extent to which the practice of Jewish community relations has been inseparable from the Diaspora experience.
As my work evolved, I found myself equally drawn to the fact that the practice of Jewish community relations is also inseparable from core Jewish values. I confess that my not-so- hidden agenda is to 1) encourage our members to recognize that whatever disagreements there might be on a particular issue, there are both historical and moral imperatives that unite us and bring us around this table; and 2) give perspective to newer members on where our work fits in – both historically and today.
JCRC as an institution may be 70 years old. As the embodiment of living Jewish history and values its work is as old as our first interaction as Jews with the non-Jewish community.
53 Operational Information
54 thejcpa @thejcpa
David Bernstein President and CEO Direct: 212-689-3208 Cell: 301-452-8136 [email protected]
Glenn Dubin Melanie Roth Gorelick Chief Operating Officer Senior Vice President Direct: 212-532-7436 Direct: 212-684-6953 Cell: 212-517-1972 Cell: 917-331-4428 [email protected] [email protected]
Haya Luftig Tammy Gilden Vice President Associate Director, Policy, Direct: 212-684-6954 Advocacy, and Communications Cell: 914-419-1278 Direct: 646-525-3609 [email protected] Cell: 510-872-2440 [email protected]
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55 JCPA Executive Committee 2020-2021
Michael Fromm David Bohm Chair Secretary Reading St. Louis
Home: (610) 374-4442 Home: (314) 889-7135 Work: (610) 374-4442 Work: (314) 889-7135 Cell: (484) 256-4441 Cell: (314) 749-9065 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Jon Ellis Harold Goldberg Treasurer Vice Chair Tampa Silicon Valley
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Suellen Kadis Karen Kasner Vice Chair Vice Chair Cleveland New York
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Shelley Niceley Groff David Steirman Vice Chair Vice Chair Miami San Francisco
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56 JCPA Executive Committee 2020-2021
Cheryl Fishbein Susan Turnbull Past Chair Past Chair New York Washington, D.C.
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David Bernstein President and CEO JCPA
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57 JCPA Board of Directors 2020-2021
Marie Abrams Susan Abravanel Past Chair Member Louisville Washington, D.C.
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Vivian Bass Michael Bohnen Member Past Chair Washington, D.C. Boston
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Rabbi Neal Borovitz Michele "Cookie" Hymer Blitz Member Member New York Washington, D.C.
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Debra Cohen Dr. Leonard A. Cole Member Past Chair Houston Northern New Jersey
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58 JCPA Board of Directors 2020-2021
Ruth Cole Leslie Dannin Rosenthal Member Member Northern New Jersey MetroWest
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Dr. Conrad Giles Lois Frank Past Chair Past Chair Detroit Atlanta
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Samuel Kaplan Jacqueline Levine Member Past Chair Washington, D.C. MetroWest
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David Luchins Lynn Lyss Member Past Chair New York St. Louis
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59 JCPA Board of Directors 2020-2021
Lindsey Mintz Theodore Mann Observer Past Chair JCRC Directors Association Philadelphia
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Michael Newmark Julie Oreck Past Chair Member St. Louis The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA)
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Jeff Pasek Susan Penn Member Member Philadelphia Northern New Jersey
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Joseph Rafalowicz Corey Shapiro Member Member New York Louisville
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60 JCPA Board of Directors 2020-2021
Arden Shenker Natalie Silverman Past Chair Member Portland, OR Springfield, IL
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Walter Spiegel Dr. Steve Stone Member Member Cincinnati Springfield, IL
Home: (513) 761-9256 x 2220 Home: (217) 546-7282 Work: (513) 761-9256 x 2220 Cell: (217) 553-7546 Cell: (513) 509-9216 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Andrea Weinstein Adam Weiss Past Chair Member Dallas Santa Barbara
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Jordan Weiss Randy Whitlatch Member Member Detroit Pittsburgh
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61 JCPA Board of Directors 2020-2021
Renny Wolfson Marc Zucker Member Member Cleveland Philadelphia
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62 2020 Office Schedule- Office Closings
September 28 Yom Kippur Closed
October 8 Erev Shmini 3:30 Closing October 9 Atzeret Shmini Closed Atzeret November 26-27 Closed Thanksgiving December 25 Closed Christmas Day
2021 Office Schedule- Office Closings
January 1 New Year’s Day Closed
January 17 Martin Luther King Day Closed
February 15 President’s Day Closed
March 29 Passover Closed
May 17-18 Shavuot Closed
May 31 Memorial Day Closed
July 5 Independence Day Closed
September 6 Labor Day Closed
September 7-8 Rosh Hashanah Closed
September 15 Erev Yom Kippur 1:30 Closing September 16 Yom Kippur Closed
October 20 Erev Sukkot 3:30 Closing October 21-22 Sukkot Closed
October 27 Erev Shmini Atzeret 3:30 Closing October 28-29 Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah Closed
November 25-26 Thanksgiving Closed
December 24 Christmas Day Closed
63 Jewish Holidays 2020-2021
All holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date specified in the tables below.
Holidays begin at sundown on the evening before the date specified.
Rosh Hashana Sep 19-20, 2020 Sept 7-8, 2021 is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holidays or Yamim (ראש השנה) Rosh Hashanah Noraim ("Days of Awe"), celebrated ten days before Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is observed on the first two days of Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar.
Yom Kippur Sept 28, 2020 September 16, 2021 Also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for the ,(יוֹם כִּ פּוּר) Yom Kippur Jews. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy Days.
Sukkot Oct 3-9, 2020 Sept 21-27, 2021 is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei. It is one (סוכות) Sukkot of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Jews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.
Shmini Atzeret Oct 10, 2020 Sept 28, 2021 is celebrated on the 22nd day of the month of Tishrei. In the (שמיני עצרת) Shemini Atzeret Diaspora, an additional day is celebrated, the second day being separately referred to as Simchat Torah. In Israel and Reform Judaism, the holidays of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are combined into a single day and the names are used interchangeably.
Simchat Torah Oct 11, 2020 Sept 29, 2021 is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public (שִׂמְ חַת תורָ ה) Simchat Torah Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle. Simchat Torah is a component of the Biblical Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, which follows immediately after the festival of Sukkot in the month of Tishrei).
Chanukah Dec 11-18, 2020 Nov 29-Dec 6, 2021
also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday ,(חנוכה) Hanukkah commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights and days, starting on the 25th day of Kislev.
Tu B’Shvat Feb 10, 2020 Jan 28, 2021 is a minor Jewish holiday, occurring on the 15th day of the Hebrew (ט״ו בשבט) Tu B'Shevat month of Shevat. It is also called "The New Year of the Trees."
64 Purim Mar 10, 2020 Feb 26, 2021 is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the (פּוּרִ ים) Purim ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther.
Pesach Apr 9-16, 2020 Mar 28-Apr 4, 2021 commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed (פֶּ סַ ח) Passover from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which is in spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays.
Yom HaShoah Apr 21, 2020 Apr 8, 2021 Holocaust Remembrance Day, is observed as Israel's day of ,(יום השואה) Yom HaShoah commemoration for the approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the Holocaust as a result of the actions carried out by Nazi Germany and its accessories, and for the Jewish resistance in that period. In Israel, it is a national memorial day and public holiday.
Yom HaZikaron Apr 28, 2020 Apr 14, 2021 Israeli Memorial Day. Although Yom Hazikaron is normally observed on the 4th of Iyyar, it may be moved earlier or postponed if observance of the holiday (or Yom HaAtzma'ut, which always follows it) would conflict with Shabbat.
Yom HaAtzma'ut Apr 29, 2020 Apr 15, 2021 Israeli Independence Day. Commemorates the declaration of independence of Israel in 1948. Although Yom HaAtzma'ut is normally observed on the 5th of Iyyar, it may be moved earlier or postponed if observance of the holiday (or Yom HaZikaron, which always preceeds it) would conflict with Shabbat.
Lag B’Omer May 12, 2020 Apr 30, 2021 is a Jewish holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of the Counting of the (ל״ג בעומר) Lag B’Omer Omer, which occurs on the 18th day of the month of Iyar. One reason given for the holiday is as the day of passing of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Modern Jewish tradition links the holiday to the Bar Kokhba Revolt against the Roman Empire (132-135 CE). In Israel, it is celebrated as a symbol for the fighting Jewish spirit.
Yom Yerushalayim May 22, 2020 May 10, 2021 is an Israeli national holiday commemorating (יום ירושלים) Yom Yerushalayim or Jerusalem Day the reunification of Jerusalem and the establishment of Israeli control over the Old City in June 1967.
Shavuot May 29-30, 2020 May 17-18, 2021 is a Jewish holiday that occurs on the sixth day of the month of (שבועות) The festival of Shavuot Sivan. Shavuot commemorates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah to the entire Israelite nation assembled at Mount Sinai.
Tish'a B'Av Jul 30, 2020 Jul 18, 2021 is an annual fast day in Judaism, named for the ninth (תשעה באב) Tisha B'Av or the Ninth of Av day (Tisha) of the month of Av in the Hebrew calendar. The fast commemorates the destruction of both the First Temple and Second Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred about 655 years apart, but on the same Hebrew calendar date. Tisha B'Av is never observed on Shabbat. If the 9th of 65 Av falls on a Saturday, the fast is postponed until the 10th of Av. Resources/ Reading Materials
66 1944–2019 Celebrating 75 Years of Community Relations & Advocacy 67 THE POWER OF THE NETWORK Celebrating 75 Years of Jewish Unity and Advocacy
FOR 75 YEARS, JCPA has been the organized Jewish community’s primary convener and consensus-builder, community relations powerhouse, and policy advocate. JCPA is a network of 125 Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) and 17 Jewish national agencies, and the only body that represents the four denominations of religious Judaism. Together, we and our network advocate for a just and pluralistic society, global human rights, and Israel’s quest for peace and security.
CONSENSUS-BUILDER. JCPA convenes the national network to build consensus on important policy issues, so that we can present a unified front when engaging with policymakers and other diverse communities. We believe, and our successes throughout our history demonstrate, that when the Jewish community comes together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
POWERFUL INTERGROUP PARTNER. Since its inception, JCPA has given meaning, context, and power to the concept of “community relations.” Community relations is the strategy we use to achieve our network’s goals by building relationships with diverse racial, ethnic, and faith leaders, as well as public officials and other nonprofits. Through constant nurturing over the years, we have grown these relationships into powerful partnerships, enabling us to work in common cause and build bridges that bring our communities together. Community relations is also a source of grassroots activism, enabling local Jewish communities to mobilize in partnership with other faith and minority communities on issues of common concern.
TRUSTED VOICE WITH POLICYMAKERS. JCPA was founded on the belief that to secure our people’s future, the Jewish community must actively engage in American public life. By giving voice to Jewish values of fairness and justice, we could help make society better for everyone, including Jews. To this end, JCPA, a trusted voice among policymakers, advocates for the network’s consensus policy positions and educates the public.
Over the decades, JCPA’s work has strengthened the Jewish community while helping to build a more just society. As we look to the future and the ever-mounting challenges we face, such as polarization inside and outside the Jewish community, resurgent populism and xenophobia, and growing anti- Semitism, it is important to reflect on all that we have achieved over the decades. We can use our past experience as a roadmap to guide us through future challenges.
— 1 — 68 OUR STORY
In 1944, when anti-Semitism was rampant and the dark days of the Holocaust threatened the very existence of the Jewish people, a group of Jewish leaders created the National Community Relations Advisory Council (renamed the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in 1997) as an umbrella body of the community relations field. The objective of this new group would be to secure American Jews’ future by actively engaging in American public life, working in common cause with other communities, and giving voice to Jewish values of fairness and justice. Together, these four national Jewish agencies—the American Jewish Congress, American Jewish Committee, Jewish Labor Committee, and Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith— and 14 Jewish community relations councils were joined together at the Council of Jewish Federations and Welfare Funds’ General Assembly to form what would become a thriving network that continues to grow. Today, JCPA represents 125 Jewish community relations councils (JCRCs) and 16 national Jewish agencies, including the four denominations of religious Judaism.
Throughout its 75 years, JCPA has been at forefront of progress in the United States. Its achievements include In 1944, advancing the civil rights movement; shifting public there were opinion on racism, homophobia, and anti-Semitism; 14 community freeing Soviet Jewry; fighting genocide and other relations councils. atrocities; and countering efforts to delegitimize By 1964, there Israel while maintaining public support for the Jewish were 75. State. These successes are not just dates on a calendar. Today, there Each triumph was the result of years—even decades—of are 125. continuous consensus- and coalition-building, public education, advocacy, and mass mobilization.
“Opposition to all forms of discrimination or segregation based on race, religion, color or national origin is inherent in our religious heritage and the prophetic tradition and is a cardinal tenet of Jewish community relations.”
— Joint Program Plan, 1955
— 2 — 69 A JUST AND PLURALISTIC SOCIETY OUR STORY
Advancing Civil Rights and Civil Liberties for All People
From the beginning, JCPA has prioritized the advancement of civil rights Top left: From the left: for all Americans, working extensively on desegregation, voting rights, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cleveland ending discrimination in housing, education and employment. JCPA’s anti- Robinson (labor discrimination work evolved over the decades, expanding to encompass organizer), Rabbi Joachim not just racial and religious discrimination, but also that based on gender, Prinz (American Jewish Congress); Joseph L. gender identity, and sexual orientation. Rauh (lawyer), Whitney Through extensive educational, legal, and legislative campaigns with Young (National Urban League), Roy Wilkins partners in the Black community, JCPA and its member agencies helped (NAACP), Walter Reuther achieve many of the landmark victories of the Civil Rights Movement. (United Auto Workers), A. During the 1950s and 60s, JCPA worked extensively on desegregating schools Philip Randolph (Negro and housing, building public support and pressure for busing, affirmative American Labor Council), and Arnold Aronson action, and the elimination of “redlining,” a discriminatory financial practice (JCPA) at the March on that kept communities of color locked in poverty. Washington, 1963. With the conviction that the struggle for civil rights could be won only Top right: Martin Luther King, Jr. and civil rights through coalition, JCPA and the NAACP joined together in 1950 to leaders, including JCPA’s cofound the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights as a clearinghouse Arnold Aronson and and coordinating body for all civil rights lobbying—modeled after JCPA, Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith’s Benjamin which also housed and staffed the Leadership Conference in its early years. Epstein, with Attorney Through this coalition, JCPA fought hard for—and helped win—critical General Robert F. Kennedy civil rights legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed and Vice President Lyndon segregation in public accommodations and employment, the Voting B. Johnson, 1963. Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which prohibits discriminatory practices such as redlining.
— 3 — 70 Left: NAACP President Derrick Johnson with JCPA leaders, including JCPA Executive David Bernstein, Senior Vice President Melanie Roth Gorelick, Policy Committee Co-Chair Magda Schaler- Haynes, Criminal Justice Task Force Co-Chairs Bruce Turnbull and Renny Wolfson, IAN Executive Geri Palst, and advisor Jim Johnson, 2017. Right: The AIDS Memorial Quilt, 1987.
With many of the key legislative and legal battles won, beginning in the late 1960s, JCPA shifted FOUNDING OF THE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE its focus to eliminating racial discrimination In 1950, JCPA, the NAACP, and the Brotherhood of across health care, housing, food insecurity, and the Sleeping Car Porters (the first Black labor union) wealth accumulation. Though legally prohibited, cofounded the Leadership Conference on Civil discrimination persisted across society. JCPA Rights. In the Leadership Conference’s early years, JCPA housed and staffed it, with JCPA’s Program remains steadfast in its commitment to fighting Director serving as its second-in-command. JCPA this discrimination today. remains an active member in the organization, now Protecting the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of considered the premier civil rights coalition. the most important civil rights victories, remains a priority as more states have moved to suppress voting orientation, and disability as protected classes. in recent years. A 2013 Supreme Court decision struck Passing federal and state hate crimes laws as down a key enforcement measure of the Voting Rights well as anti-discrimination legislation remain Act, allowing states with a history of voter suppression important goals of JCPA’s domestic agenda. to change voting laws with no federal oversight. In 2016, JCPA and its members passed a resolution to A strong advocate for equal rights for women, elevate this issue, calling on the Jewish community JCPA has long fought for reproductive rights, to oppose such measures and devote more time and affordable family planning, equal pay, and resources to getting people out to vote. protections against gender-based violence at home and abroad. JCPA lobbied for the 1994 Violence In the latter half of the 20th century, JCPA added Against Women Act, and is currently calling for its sexual orientation and gender identity to its reauthorization. Despite numerous setbacks over nondiscrimination advocacy agenda, working to the years, JCPA continues to push back against balance religious liberty with rights and protections ongoing local, state, and federal efforts to chip for the LGBTQI+ community. In the 1980s, JCPA away at reproductive rights1 and health services. helped organized the Jewish and interfaith In the courts, JCPA has filed joint amicus briefs in communities to address the growing AIDs epidemic support of contraceptive coverage in employer- and prevent discrimination based on HIV status. based insurance plans. In the legislature, JCPA has JCPA also built public support for repeal of “Don’t worked to defeat harmful measures that curtail Ask, Don’t Tell” in 2010. More recently, we spoke legal abortion access and endanger women, such as out against the proposed ban on transgender people the Hyde Amendment, Global Gag Rule, and efforts serving in the military. to defund Planned Parenthood. By the late 1990s, JCPA and its partners were pushing for the passage of hate crimes legislation, The Orthodox Union does not, as a matter of long-standing winning victories like the 2009 Hate Crimes policy, join with JCPA in resolutions concerning reproductive Prevention Act, which added gender, sexual choice, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
— 4 — 71 Top left: JCPA Criminal Justice Manager Roy Waterman addresses interfaith leaders during an advocacy day on bail reform in Columbus, organized by the Cleveland CRC. Top right: Interfaith action on Capitol Hill, 2017.
Reforming the Criminal Helping the Most Vulnerable Justice System Beginning in the 1980s, JCPA expanded its Despite significant progress in advancing equality for portfolio to poverty, health care, food insecurity, all, racism and inequality in the United States persist, and economics, recognizing that racial and particularly in the criminal justice system. JCPA first economic disparities persisted despite significant came to this issue in 1968, when it passed a resolution civil rights achievements. In the 2000s, JCPA endorsing the recommendations of the National fought for state and federal anti-hunger Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, which, legislation, organizing Food Stamp Challenges and among other things, called for a review and reform Hunger Seders on Capitol Hill to highlight the need of law enforcement practices in Black neighborhoods for greater assistance. In 2007, JCPA launched a to eliminate abuse, provide fair and effective national interfaith poverty initiative urging local, mechanisms for addressing grievances, and end the state, and national leaders to advance anti-poverty “dual standard of law enforcement” that heavily legislation and programs that provide food, policed Black communities but failed to protect them. housing, health care, education, and employment training assistance. Shortly thereafter, in the 1970s, the U.S. prison population skyrocketed as a result of the War on Partnering with other faith communities, JCPA Drugs, disproportionately impacting people of color and its network have helped secure passage of and contributing to poverty, income inequality, and numerous bills increasing funding for social safety family instability. Recognizing this as a national net programs and expanding access to health care, crisis, JCPA passed numerous resolutions addressing including the Affordable Care Act. JCPA remains various aspects of criminal justice reform. A 2015 committed to ensuring quality health care for resolution spurred JCPA to launch an initiative all; robust funding for social safety net programs to reengage the Jewish community in civil rights like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the work with Black and Latino partners at the state Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and national levels. JCPA continues to push for (SNAP, or “food stamps”) and its supplement for bipartisan legislation that would meaningfully Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Temporary reduce mandatory minimums, eliminate racial Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Free disparities, and provide greater support for and Reduced School Lunch Program; housing and rehabilitation and reentry. home heating assistance; and a living wage.
— 5 — 72 Advocating for Immigration Reform JCPA’s immigration work began in 1946, with the fight to repeal the racist national origins quotas, which kept out many Jews—including those fleeing the Holocaust—and other “undesirables” like Asians, Catholics, Italians, Greeks, Poles, and Slavs. In 1952, JCPA formed an unaffiliated committee to carry out this work and by 1955 had organized a national coalition of civic associations, labor groups, and Christian organizations. For a decade, the coalition lobbied, leafleted, and wrote articles until quotas were finally repealed by the Immigration Reform Act JCPA Senior Policy Associate Tammy Gilden speaks at a of 1965. Over the next several decades, JCPA pushed rally in support of Dreamers, 2018. for legislation to increase legal immigration, support newcomers, and provide safe haven to refugees. reform as new and worsening crises. We have filed In the mid-2000s, JCPA and HIAS organized the joint amicus briefs opposing every iteration of Immigration Nation initiative to build public the Muslim Travel Ban and continue to organize support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Jewish advocacy in support of Dreamers and higher which p assed the Senate in 2013, but ultimately refugee resettlement caps, while fighting to end failed in the House. family separation and detention, the rollback of Over the last two years, JCPA has renewed its child health and welfare standards, and the overall commitment to compassionate immigration criminalization of migrants and asylum-seekers.
Preventing Gun Violence Driven by a belief in the sanctity of life, JCPA has long fought for gun violence prevention, which a white supremacist made “personal” in 1999, when he opened fire with a submachine gun at the Los Angeles JCC, wounding five people. The shooting spurred decades of Jewish advocacy to end mass shootings and other types of gun violence, which have reached epidemic levels: Americans are now 25 times more likely to be killed by guns and eight times more likely to kill themselves with From the left: Parkland student activists Jaclyn a gun than people in other developed countries. Corin, Ryan Deitsch, and Matt Deitsch with Rabbi Joel Meanwhile, 2017 was the deadliest year on record Mosbacher, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, and JWI for mass shootings in the U.S. and gun-related Executive Lori Weinstein at JCPA2018. homicide remains the leading cause of death among Black teens and adults, ages 15-34. communities and law enforcement. Over the next JCPA’s long fight for gun control originally began four decades, JCPA would repeatedly return to the in 1968, in response to what the agency saw as scourge of gun violence, building consensus within “self-feeding reciprocity” of violence between Black the Jewish community to support commonsense
— 6 — 73 regulations—all while pushing back against once again brought the Jewish community and our “repressive” crime control measures. allies together to fight against hate and violence at the state and national levels. Based on a JCPA has supported a wide range of legislative comprehensive 2013 resolution that included calls efforts designed to limit unfettered access to for measures like universal background checks and firearms such as the Brady Handgun Violence better mental health care, in 2018, JCPA penned Prevention Act and the Assault Weapons Ban. an open letter to Congress, with all four streams of Nevertheless, the work to address rampant gun religious Judaism, calling for strong measures to violence remains ongoing, with frequent high- end gun violence. At the same time, we continue profile shootings, such as Sandy Hook, Orlando, to support the field’s state-level advocacy, where Charleston, Las Vegas, and, most recently, at the much can be done. Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, which has
Ensuring Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State
As a religious minority, Jews have a special stake in strengthening the United States’ commitment to both freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Beginning in 1946, JCPA played a leading role in a decades-long campaigns to eliminate religious instruction, practices, and observances in public schools, as well as oppose government funding for parochial schools. With its partners, JCPA helped defeat Congressional attempts to overturn the Supreme Court’s rulings in Engle vs. Vitale (1962) and Abington vs. Schempp (1963) that voluntary prayer and mandatory bible reading in public schools were unconstitutional. At the same time, JCPA also worked to protect religious liberty, advocating for religious protections in federal lawmaking and in the workplace. Throughout the Former JCPA Executive Larry Rubin with the Pope, 1998. 2000s, JCPA worked with a broad coalition of faith groups to successfully challenge religious displays and symbols on public property. NATIONAL CONVENINGS Religious liberty issues have become more complex Every year, JCPA convenes in recent years as the positions of many religious hundreds of community relations leaders conservatives now conflict with nondiscrimination to network, strategize, learn from experts, laws, particularly for LGBTQI+ people. JCPA and set national policy. In the proceeding continues to balance civil rights with religious months, JCPA solicits policy resolutions liberty, working to defeat repeated attempts to from around the country, which the undermine anti-discrimination protections while at network then vets and votes on at our the same time, defending the Johnson Amendment, national conference. which keeps campaign politics out of nonprofits and Houses of Worship.
— 7 — 74 GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS
Preventing Genocide and Mass Atrocities In the aftermath of the Holocaust, JCPA expanded its mission to include global human rights, focused primarily on genocide and other mass atrocities. JCPA has driven the fight for legislation to help prevent atrocities before they occur, aid and protect victims, and prosecute those responsible. We fully embraced the Jewish exhortation to “welcome the stranger,” continuously working to ensure that U.S. is a safe haven for those fleeing violence and persecution. JCPA rallied its network to support the adoption of the United Nations Genocide Convention in Actor George Clooney with former JCPA Executive Rabbi 1948 through final ratification by Congress 40 Steve Gutow, who chaired the Save Darfur Coalition, at a Sudan rally in New York, 2012. years later. In addition, JCPA strongly advocated for the development and use of international to raise awareness and build public support for criminal tribunals and courts to prosecute those action. The coalition’s Million Voices for Darfur responsible for genocide and other war crimes. Campaign deluged the White House with over one JCPA denounced Apartheid and promoted million hand-written and electronic postcards. sanctions against South Africa in the 1980s. In the 1990s, JCPA lobbied for American intervention in In 2017, JCPA joined with American Jewish World Bosnia, where Bosnian Serb forces perpetrated a Service in forming the Jewish Rohingya Justice genocide against the Bosnian Muslim population. Network, a broad coalition of Jewish groups JCPA mobilized the Jewish community and helped actively working to end what we now believe organize—along with American Jewish World constitutes a genocide. We plan to aggressively Service—the Save the Darfur Coalition, which pursue this agenda in the 116th Congress and operated from 2004-2016 and included over 190 with the United Nations. Already, Congress passed religious, political, and human rights groups. and the President signed into law the Elie Wiesel The coalition often partnered with celebrities Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act, for which and activists like George Clooney and Elie Wiesel JCPA and its partners advocated for two years.
Safeguarding World Jewry In 1964, JCPA took on a leading role in the struggle pressured the U.S. government and built up public to gain freedom for Soviet Jews, agreeing to form a support using rallies and global conferences until coordinating body with the other Jewish communal the USSR opened its borders and permitted Jews to agencies. By 1966, JCPA had assumed leadership leave in 1989. Shortly thereafter, JCPA also mobilized of and financial responsibility for the coordinating its network to free the 4,500 Jews trapped in Syria body, known as the American Jewish Conference in 1992. After several decades of work, including on Soviet Jewry, which would eventually become running several leadership missions to Ethiopia, the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, to be JCPA created the National Committee on Ethiopian administered by JCPA but funded by the community. Jewry, which helped lead Israel to secretly airlift over Through these bodies, JCPA and its network 20,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in the early 90s.
— 8 — 75 PEACE & SECURITY IN ISRAEL
Top left: Former JCPA Chair Susie Turnbull with Simon Peres during the Israel Mission, 2016. Top right: JCPA Chair Cheryl Fishbein with the 2017 Israel Mission and Frank Fellows.
Bolstering U.S. Support for Israel
JCPA has always been a leader in support for OPENING CRITICAL DIALOG IN Israel, beginning with the Arab League’s initial PEACE NEGOTIATIONS boycott in 1945 and Israel’s independence in 1948. JCPA successfully advocated for the In 1993, NJCRAC initiated the first first U.S. arms sales to Israel and, in response Jewish communal meeting with Arafat. to attacks on Israel, organized mass rallies, The leadership mission visited his letter-writing campaigns, and blood drives. headquarters in Gaza, recognizing that Over the decades, we have pushed for nuclear the PLO and Arafat would be Israel’s nonproliferation worldwide, helping to secure partners in the peacemaking process. critical laws and international compacts, such It would be the first in a long series of as 1996 Iran and Libya Sanctions Act, 1997 these relationship-building meetings, Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and the 2010 which included welcoming Arafat in Iran Sanctions Act. In times of war and discord, 1995 to address the JCPA quarterly JCPA has advocated for Israel’s right to defend executive committee meeting in one of itself and educated the public about the region. his first meetings with American Jews As the convener of the organized American in the United States. Jewish community, JCPA has been a central forum and negotiator within the community. In 2003, JCPA and the Israel Policy JCPA remains committed to promoting open Forum organized a meeting of over 50 and respectful dialogue both within the Jewish Jewish leaders, at the request of the community and among those we engage Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister with in our community relations work. We Abbas, so he could introduce himself respond to inaccuracies and intemperate and express his desire for peace to the rhetoric by focusing on positive steps to American Jewish community. deepen understanding and keep the lines of communication open.
— 9 — 76 Promoting a Two-State Solution Throughout its history, JCPA has worked to advance the peace process, by forming coalitions to build a constituency for peace, such as Interfaith Partners for Peace; convening high-level talks with diplomats; and endorsing a two-state solution. We continue to encourage the U.S. government to pursue a peaceful solution to the Israeli-Palestinian-Arab conflict through direct negotiations.
Creating the Israel Action Network (IAN) In 2010, JCPA and the Jewish Federations of North America founded the Israel Action Network to fight the delegitimization of Israel and Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) efforts. Today, the organization provides proactive strategies to strengthen interfaith partnerships and counter BDS attacks across North America. IAN, working closely with local JCRCs, has Top: Former JCPA Senior Vice President Ethan Felson with helped defeat BDS at the state and municipal level and the first Interfaith Partners for Peace mission to Israel, on college campuses across the nation. 2015. Bottom: Israel Action Network original team—Geri Palst, Martin Raffel, Noam Gilboard, David Dabscheck, and Hanna Dershowitz—with an Israeli government representative, 2014.
CONCLUSION
Even as we celebrate our accomplishments over the heritage. We serve as the vehicles for preserving the last seven and a half decades, we will continue to take best that is Jewish and, as we do so, we also preserve stock of today’s challenges and plan for the future. the best that is American. But we must once again be Though threats to Jewish and public well-being may on the cutting edge. We must once again address the have taken on new forms, commitment to our core critical issues of the nation as we did in our earlier values and the community relations methodology are years. We must be neither resigned nor passive in as important now as they were 75 years ago. the face of age-old evils, nor insured to the scabrous . . . ugliness of poverty, to the scourge of war or to hatreds direct against those who are different. That “We as a Jewish community relations field are not is what our Judaism mandates. That is what being ‘a prophets or preachers. We are practitioners who have good Jew’ means. That is what NJCRAC is all about.” the ability to mobilize the Jewish community in the common and good cause. But we provide the channels Jacqueline K. Levine by which Jewish, as Jews, can act on the fundamental Chair’s Address, Plenary Session, National Jewish issues that confront society, and in our so doing we Community Relations Advisory Council can foster a Jewish consciousness that preserves our Washington, D.C., February 1984
— 10 — 77 78 KEY Celebrating 75 Years of JCPA HISTORY Community Relations & Advocacy WORLD HISTORY
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE ON CIVIL RIGHTS is cofounded with the NAACP and the Brotherhood
1950 of the Sleeping Car Porters as an umbrella body modeled after NCRAC to coordinate civil rights lobbying. NCRAC housed FOUNDING FATHERS (l to r): Isaiah Minkoff, NCRAC Executive Director, 1944-1975; Joseph Proskauer, AJC and helped staff the Leadership President 1942-1949; Edgar J. Kaufmann, First NCRAC Conference through successive Chair; Harry Lurie, CJF Executive Director, 1932-1954. civil rights victories.
National Community Relations Advisory Council (NCRAC),
1944 United Nations later to be renamed adopts the JCPA, is founded as an GENOCIDE
umbrella organization CONVENTION. 1948 for 4 national agencies U.S. Supreme Court and local community State of ISRAEL rules SEGREGATION relations councils. is established. UNCONSTITUTIONAL in public schools. 1954 1951 1952 1953 1955 1950 1942 1941 1947 1954 1943 1945 1949 1948 1946 1940 1944
CHALLENGING INTEGRATION OF RELIGION INTO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
published, launching a national campaign. 1946
WORLD WAR II and the
HOLOCAUST end. 1945
NCRAC committee spearheads the formation of AMERICAN IMMIGRATION AND CITIZENSHIP NCRAC publishes POSTWAR EMPLOYMENT CONFERENCE, the most influential coalition in
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST JEWS report at the fight to repeal the racist immigration quotas. 1955 request of the President. 1947
JCPA was originally founded as the National Community Relations Advisory Council (NCRAC). In 1969, NCRAC became National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC), and finally theJewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) in 1997. 79 Jewish communal agencies agree to form a coordinating body to END OPPRESSION OF SOVIET JEWS.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 OUTLAWS 1964 DISCRIMINATION in public spaces and creates the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. NCRAC joins CITIZENS’ CRUSADE AGAINST POVERTY.
NCRAC assumes NCRAC joins the leadership of CONSULTATIVE the AMERICAN CONFERENCE ON JEWISH 1966 NCRAC helps organize the CONFERENCE 1956 DESEGREGATION MARCH ON WASHINGTON, as a founding ON SOVIET where Rev. Dr. Martin Luther JEWRY member. King, Jr. delivers his iconic 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. Congress passes the EQUAL PAY ACT. 1957 1959 1958 1956 1963 1961 1965 1962 1966 1960 1964
U.S. Supreme Court PROHIBITS Congress passes the MANDATORY BIBLE STUDY and FIRST CIVIL RIGHTS 1962 prayer in public schools. ACT, establishing the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. Local Jewish councils obtain admittance of many persecuted EGYPTIAN JEWS
1957 into the U.S.
NCRAC at 1965 Selma march.
Congress passes the landmark VOTING RIGHTS ACT. The Immigration and Nationality Act REPEALS RACIST IMMIGRATION QUOTAS as a result of NCRAC’s American Immigration and Citizenship Conference decade of intensive lobbying. 1965 Thousands attend the NATIONAL ETERNAL LIGHTS VIGIL. 80 At NCRAC’s recommendation, Jewish communal agencies vote to consolidate disparate
initiatives into the NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON 1971 SOVIET JEWRY, to be administered by NCRAC but funded communally. First WORLD CONFERENCE ON SOVIET JEWRY is held in Brussels.
JACKSON–VANIK AMENDMENT,
championed by the 1974 HOLOCAUST The Fair Housing Act Jewish community, PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION COMMEMORATION makes trade with the ACTION PLAN
in housing. 1975 1968 Soviet Union conditional is issued to help NCRAC helps negotiate the on allowing Jewish local communities FIRST U.S. ARMS SALE emigration. memorialize the TO ISRAEL. Jewish Resistance. 1974 1976 1967 1975 1971 1970 1969 1973 1972 1968
“WASHINGTON REPS” is created to convene the Washington representatives of NCRAC’s national In response to the 1973 YOM member agencies to discuss shared concerns. KIPPUR WAR, Jewish agencies This body still exists today. mobilize grassroots to ensure strong U.S. support for Israel. Israel wins the SIX DAY WAR. ROE V. WADE guarantees a 1967 woman’s right to an abortion and NJCRAC votes to oppose efforts to
1973 undermine the decision.
Jewish activists smuggle out “THE WHITE BOOK OF EXODUS,” with scores of personal letters and appeals, which the American Jewish Conference on Soviet Jewry then publishes. THOUSANDS DEMONSTRATE at a rally co-organized by National Conference on Soviet Jewry at the United Nations, with over 100 local communities holding sister events around the nation. 1972 81 Over 200,000 people attend the NEW YORK “SHAME OF APARTHEID”
1977 RALLY FOR SOVIET JEWS, Initiative is launched to which helps prompt organize Jewish support for 1986 President Carter to affirm sanctions on South Africa. support for Soviet Jewish emigration. The Israel Task Force leads Congress to pass the ISRAEL ANTI- BOYCOTT ACT.
NJCRAC TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS to defeat proposed prohibitions on federal courts hearing challenges to school prayer.
1980 The REFUGEE ACT, which formalizes the refugee resettlement program and increases admissions, passes Congress with recommendations from Jewish communal agencies. 1978 1983 1982 1985 1981 1979 1987 1977 1986 1980 1984
NJCRAC runs two MISSIONS TO ETHIOPIA U.S. Supreme to raise morale and advocate for the Court UPHOLDS 1982 relief and rescue of Ethiopian Jews.
1978 AFFIRMATIVE ACTION. On the eve of the first Reagan-Gorbachev summit meeting, a quarter million people attend the National Conference on Soviet Jewry’s “FREEDOM SUNDAY” MARCH, the largest U.S.
rally ever held a Jewish issue. 1987
— 15 — 82 USSR allows SOVIET JEWISH EMIGRATION. 1988 U.S. Senate RATIFIES THE GENOCIDE CONVENTION after two decades of Jewish communal advocacy. NJCRAC holds a special The COALITION ON THE ENVIRONMENT CONSULTATION AND JEWISH LIFE (COEJL) is founded. ON LOW-INCOME HOUSING in D.C. 1993 The RELIGIOUS FREEDOM RESTORATION The AMERICANS WITH to address the ACT passed Congress. DISABILITIES ACT passes growing shortage. Congress. 1990 The OSLO ACCORDS are signed. At the urging of NJCRAC and others, Congress enacts the LAUTENBERG AMENDMENT to grant refugee status to Soviet Jews and other persecuted First VIOLENCE religious minorities. AGAINST WOMEN ACT
1994 passes Congress. 1992 1993 1995 1989 1988 1991 1996 1994 1990
NJCRAC helps NJCRAC organizes the broker a U.S.-Israel HANNUKAH RALLY across agreement that from the new U.S. Holocaust provides $400 Memorial Museum to lobby million in U.S. for American intervention in HOUSING LOAN Bosnia’s genocide.
GUARANTEES NJCRAC successfully YASSER ARAFAT for Soviet Jewish organizes its network to free addresses the resettlement in Israel. 1989
1992 the 4,500 SYRIAN JEWS. NJCRAC Executive Committee in NJCRAC’s NATIONAL one of his first COMMITTEE ON meetings with ETHIOPIAN JEWRY American Jews in
helps lead Israel to 1995 the United States. secretly airlift 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel. The United Nations repeals the 1975 Zionism-Racism Resolution after years of pressure organized by the NJCRAC ISRAEL
1991 TASK FORCE. 83 Sanctions on Iran and the COMPREHENSIVE TEST BAN TREATY help discourage of
1997 weapons of mass destruction. JCPA helps expand the NATIONAL JEWISH COALITION FOR LITERACY, founded in Boston, across 65 communities. The INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM ACT passes Congress.
A NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY INITIATIVE is created to advocate for domestic human needs programs. 2007
SAVE DARFUR COALITION is founded, advocating for the 2004 Shooting at the Los Angeles end of genocide JCC spurs calls for GUN against the
1999 VIOLENCE PREVENTION Darfurian people. laws, winning modest gun sales reform. 1998 1997 1999 2002 2003 2005 2007 2001 2006 2004 2000
In response to a series of suicide bombings in Israel, JCPA, the Orthodox Union, and the Religious Action Center organize a RALLY FOR ISRAEL where then-former (and future) Israeli Prime Minister Over 75,000 attend the The Vatican releases Netanyahu addresses SAVE DARFUR RALLY in “WE REMEMBER: A over 100,000 people. Washington, which features REFLECTION ON THE 2002 George Clooney, then Senator SHOAH ON THE CHURCH Obama, and Elie Wiesel. AND THE HOLOCAUST,” 2006 as a result of JCPA’s 10 years of engagement with the
1998 Catholic community.
84 The HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT passes Congress after a decade of advocacy. JCPA and MAZON organize the first CHILD NUTRITION SEDER on Capitol JCPA and Catholic Charities 2009 USA organize the first Hill to highlight the need for poverty “FIGHTING POVERTY legislation. More than 30 JCRCs host similar Seders around the country. 2008 WITH FAITH” week of action on Capitol Hill. JCPA convenes a national roundtable of JCPA unanimously endorses top EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN AND Following a TWO-STATE SOLUTION JEWISH LEADERS to build bridges Sandy Hook, for the first time. between the communities. JCPA organizes 2012 the VOTE ON JCPA is appointed to the PRESIDENT’S GUNS NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL ON FAITH- CAMPAIGN. BASED AND NEIGHBORHOOD PARTNERSHIPS. 2011 2010 2013 2012 2008 2009
The ISRAEL ACTION NETWORK, JCPA and HIAS create the a multimillion-dollar initiative, is IMMIGRATION NATION created to combat BDS and Israel CAMPAIGN to advocate delegitimization. for Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The CAMPAIGN FOR CIVILITY is established and Resetting the Table JCPA leaders join forces is created to help facilitate difficult for the first time with the conversations within the Jewish AMERICAN TASK FORCE ON community. PALESTINE to lobby Senators 2013 to restart peace talks. Congress passes the IRAN
SANCTIONS ACT. 2010
JCPA’s FOOD STAMP CHALLENGE includes 11 Congress members and a top advisor to President Obama. 2011
85 Original IAN Team JCPA launches the CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM INITIATIVE to engage the Jewish community in this critical issue and
strengthen relationships with people of color, 2016 disproportionately incarcerated in the U.S. since the 1970s. The U.S. signs the international PARIS AGREEMENT to address climate change. JCPA joins with American Jewish World Service in forming the JEWISH ROHINGYA JUSTICE NETWORK, a broad coalition 2017 of Jewish groups working to end the genocide in Burma. Multiple efforts in Congress to undermine the AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND THE JOHNSON AMENDMENT are defeated. 2019 2017 2014 2016 2015 2018
INTERFAITH PARTNERS FOR PEACE is created to bring Jewish and non- Jewish clergy together to bolster support for two-state outcome for Israelis and Palestinians. 2015
JCPA organizes more than 350 Jewish groups to publicly pressure Congress and the Administration to END FAMILY SEPARATION. Two Advocacy Days on Capitol Hill are held to lobby lawmakers on POVERTY, IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEES, CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM, AND ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COEXISTENCE. JCPA convenes JEWISH CRIMINAL JUSTICE EXPERTS
to charter a path forward on reform and engagement. 2018 — 19 — 86 O U R S T OO R Y U R S T O R Y
O U R S T O R Y
87
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— 8 — Seventy-Five Years Later, National-Local Jewish Community Relations Still Key to Jewish Wellbeing
EJewish Philanthropy, March 13, 2019 By: Larry Rubin, JCPA chief professional, 1990-2000 Hannah Rosenthal, JCPA chief professional, 2000-2004 Steve Gutow, JCPA chief professional, 2004-2015 David Bernstein, JCPA chief professional, 2016-Present
Marking the 75th Anniversary of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), an organization each of us has had the honor of serving as the chief executive, it’s a good a time to reflect on an American Jewish success story. Built in the aftermath of the Holocaust and at the dawn of the civil rights era, a national-local community relations infrastructure was deployed to ensure America lived up to its own high ideals of fairness and justice. The founders understood then as we do now that the wellbeing of the American Jewish community is inextricably linked to that of other minorities and the health of America’s pluralistic democracy.
A cornerstone of the community relations approach is a multi-issue agenda, animated both by the Jewish value of social justice and Jewish communal interests. Criticized by some for being universalist and, hence, insufficiently focused on “Jewish issues,” it is precisely because community relations engages a spectrum of social issues that it so effectively addresses anti- Semitism and anti-Israelism. Failure to be engaged on domestic policy would give the American Jewish community little influence among constituencies susceptible to misperceptions about Jews.
Moreover, issues that affect the broader society also affect Jews. Polarization in America impacts Jews. Environmental degradation, lack of economic opportunity, and mass incarceration all adversely impact Jews and should be addressed, in coalition with other groups, by the organized Jewish community.
Experience tells us that we can’t be for ourselves if we are only for ourselves. Social justice and self-preservation, it turns out, go hand and hand.
In the early days of the community relations field, national organizations and local Jewish community relations councils banded together to ensure that the Jewish community coordinated its external relations and advocacy work on issues of importance to Jews and other minorities.
Over the next seven and a half decades, the community relations strategy paid off in spades. This national-local system has been paramount in many of the big issues of the day, from the playing a leading role in the civil rights movement to advocating for the freedom for Soviet Jewry to preserving freedom of speech and church-state separation to combatting poverty to stopping genocide in Darfur (and today against the Rohingyas) to fighting anti-Semitism and delegitimization of Israel. In each of these efforts, the national-local system exercised thought
88 leadership, developed strategy, convened the Jewish community and built coalitions with other groups.
The power in the community relations network lies in the symbiosis between the national system and the local councils, undertaking the work in a coordinated fashion. Local JCRCs from across the country take stock of their political and social conditions, enter coalitions with like-minded groups, build connections to the power structure in the community, and leverage those connections to benefit the Jewish community and the broader society. The national system, with JCPA as its primary network hub, builds parallel connections with the national ethnic, religious and civic groups and political leadership, undertakes trend analysis, provides support for local efforts, and highlights and scales best practices. The stronger the local affiliates the stronger the national system, and vice versa.
In today’s world, the challenges are no less momentous. And this tried-and-true approach, augmented by modern social technologies and organizing techniques, is no less necessary. Indeed, at a time when anti-Semitism and bigotry have emerged with alarming frequency on both sides of the political spectrum, when our society is so very polarized, when economic inequality tears at the fabric of society, we need a national-local system that’s both reactive – responds to crises as they emerge – and proactive – builds relationships before a crisis occurs. As one of us is fond of saying: “At a moment of need, you can’t cross a bridge you didn’t build.”
We are gratified that the importance of the community relations field was recently validated by two separate studies: a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Community Relations, commissioned by the Jewish Federations of North America and Jewish Council for Public Affairs, and one by the Reut Institute, a well-respected Israel-based think tank. Both of these reports affirmed that effective community relations work is to critical to the interests of American Jewry.
We urge that the national Jewish community – federations and philanthropists – take these findings seriously and do everything in their power to bolster the national-local system and devote the necessary resources so it’s fully capable of responding to the moment. The next set of challenges and opportunities are already upon us.
89 Why it’s time to Strengthen Jewish Community Relations
EJewish Philanthropy, February 7, 2019
By David Brown and David Bernstein
In light of the dizzying array of controversies experienced by the Jewish community, most recently the flack over anti-Semitism among leaders of the Women’s March, we are more convinced than ever that the Jewish community must strengthen its community relations capacity.
Last year, the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) formed a “Blue Ribbon Task Force on Community Relations.” This high level lay-professional group set out to examine the field of Jewish community relations and their national network hub the JCPA to determine what areas need to be strengthened in order to face the challenges of the day.
The Jewish community relations field advances the values and interests of American Jewry in the public arena by supporting Israel, combating anti-Semitism, and promoting a just American society. Its primary modus operandi is building connections with other religious and ethnic groups, public officials and key segments of civic society.
Three decades ago, at a time of perceived Jewish security, few thought we would ever require a strategic discussion about expanding the community relations enterprise. In the early 1990s, a number of Jewish federated communities cut back their community relations work. This was, after all, a “post-historical” moment for American Jews, as it was for the broader American society. The cold war had ended. America was at the pinnacle of its power and prestige. Soviet Jews were set free. Israel was on the verge of peace with the Arab world. Anti-Semitism was at a historical low. Our primary challenges, it seemed, required the Jewish community to turn inward. With a crisis in Jewish continuity, relations with the outside world seemed like a luxury item.
This is hardly the case today. Fast forward three decades, the Jewish community lives in familiar historical dynamics, facing external threats both old and new. These challenges include:
• Increase in anti-Semitism – and acquiescence to it – across the political spectrum, and the need to navigate intersectional discourse in progressive circles. • Escalation of efforts to delegitimize Israel and calls to weaken U.S.-Israel ties from both the far left and the isolationist right • Growth and increasing political engagement of ethnic and religious groups such as Latinos, Asian Americans, and Evangelical Christians • Transition to a younger generation of leaders both in the Jewish community and general public with very different perspectives and priorities • Highly polarized political discourse and strains on America’s social fabric, including within the Jewish community itself
90 The Blue-Ribbon Task Force held a series of interviews with thought leaders in the Jewish world and conducted surveys of Jewish Federations and JCRCs. After great deliberation, we came away with an unmistakable conclusion: the Jewish community must dramatically increase both its external and internal social capital.
Externally, we need significantly more and better relationships with non-Jewish leaders in other faith and ethnic communities, civic organizations and government. We need, for example, to make sure we know all the top Latino leaders at the national and local levels. We need to be able to make common cause with these groups when our interests intersect and be in a position to share our own communal narrative with them. The importance of having such relationships in place was underscored in the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, when faith and ethnic leaders showed up in droves at Jewish solidarity gatherings. In the face of other threats, some not as tangible and heartrending as a synagogue shooting, we will need to have our friends in place.
Internally, we must develop new ways to bring together Jews with different political views. In the past, the goal was to achieve consensus on key issues. Consensus is great when possible. But in today’s rancorous environment, we need to undertake efforts that mediate differences and cultivate a semblance of unity amid our diversity. We can and should be a model for the rest of society in our civility, not in our acrimony.
In facing both the external and internal challenges, the network of 125 JCRCs and their national hub have much to offer. But they require the personnel, training, skills in new areas (such as social media engagement) and financial resources to rise to the challenge. The Blue Ribbon Taskforce laid out a series of recommended steps to help get the system there. Our hope is to generate a national conversation within the federation system on the value of this work and the ways it can be elevated. And from this conversation we hope will come action from the Jewish Federation and philanthropic world, leading to an augmented capacity to build bridges to the partners of the future.
David Brown, a long-standing Jewish lay leader from Chicago, is chair of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Community Relations. David Bernstein is President and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
91 The Jewish Community Relations Imperative EJewish Philanthropy, April 7, 2016 By David Bernstein
During the civil rights era and in the years in its immediate wake, Jewish community relations was widely considered very high priority work. Jewish leaders and funders believed that the fate of the Jewish community was inextricably tied to the ascendency of other minorities and a more just American society. Buoyed by the promise of full equality, Jews set out to build connections and advocate for full equality.
Beginning in the 1990s, with waning discrimination against American Jews, Soviet Jewry set free, and Israel seemingly on the verge of peace, many Jewish communities scaled back their community relations operations. The community had bigger fish to fry, such as addressing the decline in affiliation.
But times have changed, necessitating that the Jewish community reconsider its priorities.
Here are seven reasons Jewish community relations work is crucial to the wellbeing of the Jewish community and the broader society. This part of the article was crowd sourced to and received input from Jewish community relations professionals from across America.
#1 We are getting smaller
The Jewish community is small – about two percent of the country – and shrinking relative to a growing population. We cannot adequately address critical issues – from Israel to equality – without partnering with other faith communities, ethnic groups and civic leaders. This work becomes even more important as waves of immigrants continually transform the political and cultural landscape.
#2 There is growing economic and social disparity
The world is changing rapidly. Computers, robots and lower paid workers abroad are increasingly performing work once done by Americans. Such trends might eventually render large swaths of Americans unemployable, exacerbating the already staggering gap between rich and poor. The Jewish commitment to repairing the world, borne out of our prophetic sense of justice, must become even more central to our collective identity and community agenda. Leading the way, among others, will be Jewish community relations councils across the country. Social justice efforts also serve as a magnet for younger Jews.
#3 Israel is becoming more isolated
As BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions of Israel) pops up seemingly out of nowhere in community after community, building connections to key segments of civic society, particularly progressives, takes on a new sense of urgency. In order to engender true allegiance among other groups, the Jewish community must engage them on their core issues as well as ours. The Jewish community relations field is uniquely poised to do such outreach as it is well-versed on the perspectives of diverse communal groups, conversant with discussing Israel in a nuanced and constructive manner, and well positioned to follow up and build long-term ties. Done right, community relations is, without a doubt, the most potent antidote to delegitimization of Israel.
92 #4 American civil society is more fractured
As Robert Putnam compellingly argued in Bowling Alone more than 15 years ago, America has experienced a decline in social capital. Americans are spending less time in face-to-face engagements, civic involvement, and, of course, bowling leagues. Aggravating this sense of isolation and alienation is the impact of the Internet. People can now cherry pick their news, reading and listening to only those they already agree with.
Armed with big email lists and Twitter, the most extreme forces have often seized the day, pressuring elected officials and candidates to fall in line. Community relations plays an integral role in stitching together this tattered communal fabric and polarized discourse, setting a powerful example for the rest of society.
#5 Jews are more polarized
If it wasn’t already apparent that Jews, too, are increasingly polarized, the noxious discord over the Iran deal in Jewish communities across the country was a painful reminder. The consensus model used by many community relations councils can mitigate if not alleviate tensions. Numerous JCRCs are comprised of a varied array of Jewish organizations, providing a forum for internal dialogue. Efforts promoting civil dialogue, such as “Resetting the Table,” can also bridge the gaps.
#6 There are threats to pluralism
While America has undoubtedly made strides in the battle for equality, our country still has, as we’ve seen in Ferguson, Staten Island, Cleveland and Baltimore, a long way to go. Moreover, as America becomes more ethnically diverse, some, insecure in their own place in society, are lashing out. The Presidential primaries have laid bare the ugly nativism that still exists in the American body politic. A calling card of the community relations movement, fighting against discrimination and hatred of all forms, benefits society and protects American Jews.
#7 It’s becoming harder to be heard
Amid all the turbulence generated by hundreds of TV channels and social media, we will be heard by those with whom we have a relationship. One JCRC director related that a prominent Christian minister friend reached out to her after the Pastor participated in a one-sided trip to the West Bank. The Pastor wanted to hear another narrative. The JCRC director helped the Pastor arrange a series of meetings, leading to a trip to Israel and a much more balanced view of the Jewish state. That only happens when we make relationship building a priority.
With these challenges and opportunities before us, it’s time that the Jewish community redouble its commitment to community relations.
David Bernstein is the President and CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the representative voice of the Jewish community relations movement. Follow him on Twitter @DavidLBernstein
93 My Fellow Jews: Get in the Fight The Forward, Op-Ed by Melanie Roth Gorelick May 31, 2020
I am sure you are as outraged as I am over the murder of George Floyd during a violent arrest by police in Minneapolis. This brutality took place on the heels of the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, who was chased and gunned down by armed white men while on a jog in Georgia, and the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, after police stormed her home and shot her while she was asleep in her bed.
These deaths did not take place in a vacuum. They bring into full view deeply entrenched systemic racism. What’s more, they took place amid staggering racial disparities during the COVID-19 pandemic and in our prison system. It is no wonder that the grief-stricken black community is raging in anger and pain.
This is a pivotal moment in our history. As we reboot the Jewish community in the post pandemic world, we must ask ourselves what kind of world we hope to live in and what can we do to safeguard a society that works for justice for all people. We cannot ignore what we witnessed in these videos and go on with business as usual.
The American Jewish community has a distinguished history of addressing the injustices in our nation. We are proud of our role during the Civil Rights era and our legacy of social action. However, resources for Jewish advocacy on civil rights issues have diminished over the past two decades. I hope that these recent incidents will serve as a call to action.
How can we use our influence and support to further the cause of justice? To answer this question, we must first reckon with the plight of the black community in America and the scale of the injustice and the grim statistics. Black Americans are three times more likely to be killed by police than White Americans. Over the past few years, more than 12 cases have received national attention. The criminal justice system and the “war on drugs” has disproportionately harmed black communities and has brought four decades of mass incarceration upon the nation. Black Americans make up only 13% of the U.S. population, yet they make up 33% of the nation’s prison population and are imprisoned five times the rate as white Americans.
In 2018, more black Americans were uninsured compared to white Americans, 9.7% compared to 5.4% among whites and reported higher [rates of discrimination] [https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-article/2018/sep/focus-reducing- racial-disparities-health-care-confronting], when seeking medical care. Those same inequities and pre-existing conditions are also part of the reason the black community is disproportionately harmed by COVID-19. In 2016, the average income of white American households was $171,000, which is 10 times more than black American household’s income of $17,100.
Here are some ideas for what the Jewish community can do to reduce racial inequality and systematic injustice:
94 We can speak out against racism and killings of black citizens by police and others. The Jewish community has an important role to play with law enforcement, as we have built relationships with them in securing our own community. We can heal the divide between law enforcement and the black community. At the same time, we can hold law enforcement accountable for the necessary cultural and systemic change.
We can recommit to building a just society by ending racism and racist policies and supporting equal opportunity for all people regardless of their race, religion or color of their skin. We must recognize that these disparities exist along racial lines and not pretend to be colorblind.
We must build and strengthen trusted relationships. Jewish and black communities need to have a deeper understanding of each other’s histories, traumas, and hopes for the future. While the Jewish community is impacted by growing anti-Semitism, the black community is harmed by bigotry and racism. Our shared history in fighting in the Civil Rights era can inspire a new generation of joint activism against it. While this was more than 60 years ago, it can energize us and provide a blueprint on how we can collaborate on today’s challenges. We must also advocate on issues of priority to the black community. We can play an important role in finding a solution to mass incarceration and several disparities in or criminal justice system. Philanthropies should invest in Jewish advocacy and anti-discrimination work.
We must nurture relationships with emerging leaders of both communities and prioritize the voices of Black Jewish leaders. We must acknowledge that there are Jewish people of all races and make sure that Jews of Color feel fully supported within the Jewish community. Black Jews may feel less welcome in spaces with increased police presence.
Finally, we must educate the Jewish Community about the challenges faced by the black community, so we become motivated to act.
While the Jewish community contemplates our next steps of rebuilding what was lost in the pandemic, there is a tremendous opportunity to play a role in creating a better society for everyone.
Melanie Roth Gorelick is the senior Vice President of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
95 The Jewish Community is Facing Unprecedented Challenges. Here’s How We Move Forward Forward.com, June 24, 2020 by Doug Kahn and Steven Windmueller
There is no sugarcoating this moment: We are facing extraordinary challenges as a country — and as a community. These sets of challenges are inherently linked; when democracy and civil society are threatened, so are Jews. And in many ways, the Jewish community is a reflection of the larger struggles of American society.
There has been a tremendous response of American Jewish institutions to stand up and be counted in support of Black Lives Matter. The vast majority of American Jews support the overall goals of the BLM Movement — to finally and comprehensively address systemic racism in our society. And, importantly, that includes a look inwards at our own community and the persistent barriers and prejudices that have precluded full participation of Jews of color at all levels of Jewish life.
But demands to “defund the police” — understanding that the term has a wide range of meanings — pose a serious dilemma for the American Jewish community which has placed a premium on extensive cooperation with law enforcement to help protect our communal institutions at a time of intensified concern about real threats targeting Jews. How do we balance our two core interests here – equal justice and end of systemic racism with continued strong ties with law enforcement?
On top of these momentous issues we have been experiencing a dramatic rise of anti-Semitism, including deadly attacks perpetrated at two Jewish institutions, that raise real concerns about our security to a new level and about the societal conditions and forces that are contributing to a rise of hate, including anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry. And then there’s the fact that a majority of American Jews support a two-state solution that would result in independent states of Israel and Palestine living in peace and security, believing that — in addition to being a just solution to the conflict — only a two-state solution can ensure that Israel remains a Jewish and democratic state. If Israel annexes portions of the West Bank, a possibility beginning July 1, the kind of divide that tore our community apart during the Iran nuclear deal debate could resurface, once again seriously challenging our civility and civil discourse. Are we prepared for a new round of vitriol within our community? And, if annexation occurs, leaders within the BLM movement might feel intense pressure to speak out against it, thereby sparking complications in Black-Jewish relations at a time when we were moving closer together again. This will inevitably raise concerns about aligning with a movement that includes leaders who harshly criticize or single out Israel. Will the Black-Jewish alliance be pulled apart yet again from within and outside?
This would be a weighty list of serious challenges under any circumstances. But layered on top of this set of major issues, we have an upcoming presidential election that many (including these writers) see as the most consequential in their lifetimes and that is certain to be fiercely negative and ugly, increasing the potential for serious civil unrest and violent acts in such a charged atmosphere.
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And all this in the midst of the biggest global pandemic in 100 years which threatens every corner of the globe and has resulted in countless deaths and crippling economic devastation. It is a pandemic that disproportionately affects African Americans and Latinos in the U.S., reinforcing the legacy of systemic racism, and has caused a catastrophic economic calamity for individuals, families, businesses and non-profit institutions including those that serve the Jewish community.
Where do we turn to help us navigate through this turbulent and complex period? No single place, of course; many institutions are playing a role. Jewish Federations have reminded all of us of what it means to have a major force in our communities to galvanize emergency funds where they are most needed. Synagogues are appropriately drawing greater numbers than ever, albeit virtually, to bring us together in ways that help us nurture our souls. Social service agencies, Hebrew Free Loan Associations, Jewish family foundations, so many institutions that comprise our community’s support system are shining in this most adverse moment. And the Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) and their national hub, Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), remind us that we must always be vigilant against the rise of extremism and any deterioration in society’s commitment to pluralistic democracy.
To protect our communal interests, we have to safeguard our democratic institutions; to address anti-Semitism we have to address racism and bigotry in all its manifestations; to minimize polarization within the Jewish community we have to pay attention to the forces that are accelerating incivility and the possibility of increased violence within the broader society. To achieve these goals at this critical juncture, our communities must continue to convene our diverse communal representatives, rabbis and leaders to engage in thoughtful, civil debate and informed conversations over policies and actions that best represent the interests of the Jewish people and our larger society. Our leaders must seek consensus wherever possible, and mobilize us through strategic advocacy and relationship-building beyond our own community. That is the everyday work of JCRCs and JCPA and it is more urgent than ever.
There are no shortcuts.
Rabbi Doug Kahn is the Executive Director Emeritus of the Jewish Community Relations Council in San Francisco and founder of Broad Tent Consulting.
Steven Windmueller is the Rabbi Alfred Gottschalk Emeritus Professor of Jewish Communal Service at the Jack H. Skirball Campus of HUC-JIR in Los Angeles. His writings can be found on his website, www.thewindreport.com.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward. TwitterFacebookEmailPrintFriendlyShare
97 Dear Jewish Community – Here’s What To Do Now Forward.com, June 3, 2020 By Jeremy Burton, Josh Sayles, Lindsey Mintz, And Rori Picker Neiss
As protests continue across the United States, we are witnessing at the forefront, a conversation about what the Jewish community relations field has long understood to exist under the surface: systemic racism underlies and permeates our societal structures. Policies such as housing and zoning practices, inequitable school funding, access to early childhood education, differential policing practices, prosecutorial decisions, sentencing practices and so many others continue to create widely differing life outcomes for Black and white residents.
Today we say the name of George Floyd as we mourn his death, condemn the killing and demand justice for his family. But his name is far from the first or the only. Our country has experienced too many incidents of police violence and too many deaths of African Americans at the hands of the police. Every city holds a name; for many of us, more than one.
For decades, Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) have worked in 125 Jewish communities to build bridges between the Jewish community and other faith, ethnic, political, and civic groups. We act on our belief that all of our communities are strongest when we work in partnership, and that the fate of our Jewish community is intrinsically tied to the fates of our regions.
The work is rarely glorious. Much of it is done by sharing the fears and vulnerabilities of ourselves and our community, while striving to understand the pain and hope in others. Today, that fear and pain is crying out for all to hear.
There are members of our Jewish community who face increased risk of violence and death — even from those tasked with serving and protecting us — because of the color of their skin. Additionally, in our efforts to rightly safeguard our institutions against anti-Semitic attacks, many of our Jewish spaces have increased police presence, calming the concerns of some while escalating the anxiety of others.
We have much work to do. The work can come in the form of nonviolent protest, of contacting elected officials, and of educating oneself about the racism that exists and has existed within our country and our institutions for hundreds of years. The work is already happening.
As we proceed, we must:
Follow the lead of Black organizers. Just as our Jewish community gets to determine how we understand anti-Semitism and how we want our partners to respond, so too those who are most impacted by these policies must have our support in defining the response; Listen to and lift up the voices of Jews of color. The Jewish community is not separate from the fight for racial equity because the fight for racial equity includes cherished members of our Jewish community;
98 Acknowledge our own prejudices, educate ourselves, and do the work to be anti-racist. This work is not easy and it is not simple. It is a lifelong undertaking. Racism has existed in our country for hundreds of years and it cannot be eradicated in a matter of months; and Vote! National elections are important, but often the structural systems listed above are under the control of state and local authorities. We will make mistakes. Our community already has. But these issues impact us all, and we do not have the luxury to stay silent.
Jeremy Burton, Lindsey Mintz, Rori Picker Neiss, and Josh Sayles serve as Directors of the Jewish Community Relations Councils of Boston, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh, respectively. They currently serve as Officers of the Community Relations Council Directors Association.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.
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