| | JCPA E-UPDATE
May 30, 2019 | | | | | | TOP OF THE AGENDA Review Shows Times’ Institutional Bias Against Israel — “I did not grow up in New York City, but, like so many American Jews, I grew up reading The New York Times. The Times has long served as the 'hometown paper of American Jewry.' It is the newspaper we love and, in our vulnerability to its perceived influence on public opinion, love to hate. […] When someone you love and admire betrays you, the sting is that much worse.” We thank the JCRC of Greater Washington for helping prepare the analysis of the New York Times editorials that generated a positive dialogue with the Times management. Read David Bernstein’s full op-ed. | | | | | | POLICY AND ADVOCACY  JCPA is Committed to Protecting Women’s Reproductive Freedom — Over the last several months, states around the nation have taken up extreme anti-abortion bills. Though Alabama’s new law is the most extreme so far, other states, such as Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Mississippi, have adopted or are close to adopting bills that effectively ban abortion, including “heartbeat” and other similarly restrictive laws. JCPA is deeply concerned about the growing effort to overturn Roe v. Wade and limit women’s reproductive health care access. We call on the courts to immediately enjoin these bills, as they clearly violate settled Supreme Court precedent. JCPA is convening an emergency task force and will continue to closely monitor the situation. | | JCPA 2019 Civil Rights Mission Roundup — In April, JCPA led a group of 56 community relations leaders to Georgia and Alabama to mark the first anniversary of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, remembering the thousands of victims of racial terror lynchings in the United States. Intended to help inspire engagement in the modern day civil rights movement, participants left more committed to working on criminal justice and voting rights. We learned about how Jewish leaders in the 1960s were proximate with impacted communities and took risks to be a significant voice for justice, which made difference in the movement and is a strategy that we should model again today. We were delighted to be hosted for an evening program by the JCRC and Federation of Atlanta. Click here for the Facebook photo album. Media Coverage and Participant Reflections | | | | | | The Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) Headed to Full House Vote — The House Judiciary Committee passed H.R. 6, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for qualifying Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status holders without harming other immigrant groups. The House is expected to vote on the bill early next week. JCPA joined a number of letters with both interfaith and secular partners. | | Get Ready for World Refugee Day 2019 (June 20) — Take action to protect refugees and restore the U.S. resettlement program. Use this comprehensive Refugee Council USA World Refugee Day 2019 Toolkit that contains sample media content, national call-in alert calling on Congress to repeal the Muslim travel ban and increase refugee admissions, talking points, and more resources. Click here for the toolkit.  | | | | | | CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM JCPA and JCRCs Around the Country Sponsor Criminal Justice Reform Conferences: JCPA Cosponsors the Aleph Institute's Summit on Alternatives to Incarceration (June 17-18) — "Rewriting the Sentence" is a high-level summit, hosted by Columbia University and the Aleph Institute, which aims to highlight the range of alternative sentencing policies and programs that are currently operating in the U.S. and abroad, and look more deeply at their effectiveness and functional requirements. It will include a wide range of perspectives on these issues. Find out more and register at rewritingthesentence.org.  | | JCRC of Atlanta Sponsoring National Multifaith Conference on Ending Mass Incarceration (June 17-19) — The "Let My People Go" Conference is a national convening focused upon the importance of leveraging the spiritual power, people power and resources of faith communities toward the effort to end mass incarceration. The vision of the conference is for clergy, faith and community leaders, organizers, families and person impacted by incarceration to be equipped with practical tools to dismantle the systems and structures that undergird the industry of mass imprisonment. Learn more and register at endingmassincarceration.com.  | | | | | | WEBINARS Tune into Our Next CRCast: Are Jews Being Excluded From Social Justice Coalitions?
Wednesday, June 5 at 1:00 PM EDT Jewish social justice activists on and off campus have reported that they have been required to “check their Zionism at the door.” Two JCRC directors—one whom infamously had been asked to leave the Chicago Dyke March in March 2017, and another with experience in ensuring Jewish participation in intersectional circles—share their stories and strategies. | | | |  | Jackie Congedo
Cincinnati Jewish Community Relations Council | | |  | Laurel Grauer
Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte | | | | | | The Future of Israeli-Palestinian Relations
June 6 at 12:00 PM EDT The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to rage. What are the opportunities and threats to move forward in resolving the conflict? | |  | Michael Koplow
Policy Director
Israel Policy Forum | | |  | David A. Halperin
Executive Director
Israel Policy Forum | | |  | Sierra DeCrosta
Manager of Programs and Partnerships
Israel Policy Forum | | | | | | | | Stay tuned for part two of this series, which highlights different perspectives. | | | | ISRAEL Save the Date for JCPA’s Israel Mission (December 8-13) — JCPA's Leadership Mission to Israel provides attendees with firsthand knowledge about Israel’s efforts to pursue peace, pluralism, democracy, and the security of its people. This experience equips community relations leaders to be effective and nuanced advocates for Israel when they return home. To register or for more information, please visit jewishpublicaffairs.org.  | | | | | | | | Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), a network of 125 local Jewish community relations councils and 17 national Jewish agencies, advocates for a just and pluralistic America, Israel's quest for peace and security, and global human rights. | | | | | | | | | | | |
