| | | | | | 2022 August Recess Toolkit — August recess is an important time for the Jewish community to schedule in-district meetings with Members of Congress. JCPA's 2022 August Recess Toolkit focuses on our two top issues: reproductive rights and voting rights, and provides tips for scheduling a meeting, presenting an issue, and making an effective "ask," as well as fact sheets with background information and talking points. | | | | | | | | Abortion Access and Reproductive Rights — JCPA strongly condemned the Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade, and we are working with our national and local partners to devise a strategy for local action. We actively participate in intra-Jewish and intergroup coalitions focused on advocating at the federal level on reproductive rights. JCPA joined leaders representing reproductive rights and civil rights organizations in a high-level meeting with Attorney General Merrick Garland, who reaffirmed commitment to offer direct support and resources to this issue. - The Forward led off showcasing JCPA’s statement on its round-up of Jewish responses to SCOTUS overturning Roe. To our statement, click here, and to read the article, click here.
- To read JCPA's fact sheet on abortion access and our policy on reproductive rights, click here.
- To read the Administration's Executive Order on abortion access, click here.
- Consider donating to the National Council of Jewish Women's Jewish Fund for Abortion Access by clicking here.
| | Immigration — JCPA and nearly 340 faith leaders and 114 faith organizations delivered a letter to Congress urging them to do more to reverse the harms caused by family separation. This action was part of the Interfaith Immigration Coalition's ongoing effort to hold the government accountable for the hundreds of children separated from their family's under the Zero Tolerance Policy from 2017-2018. Though many have since been reunited with their families, many parents are still searching for their children. To read the letter, click here. | | | | Criminal Justice Reform — JCPA held a meeting of its National Jewish Network on Criminal Justice Reform to discuss the backlash against bail reform, which many are incorrectly blaming for the rising rates of crime and gun violence. We are working with our national partners to advocate for federal policy, such as passing sentencing reform legislation and full funding for reform programs. To read our Summer 2022 Criminal Justice Reform Legislative Update, click here. | | | | Gun Violence Prevention — JCPA is helping to launch a Jewish Coalition on Gun Violence with Jewish Women International. The coalition is working on setting objectives and developing an action plan that will focus primarily on state and local action. JCPA applauded Congress for passing the first gun violence prevention legislation in decades as a small, but positive step forward as gun violence surges around the country. - To read our statement, click here.
- JCPA also spoke out against the Supreme Court's decision to overturn New York's concealed carry restrictions. To read the statement, click here.
- To read our statement condemning the racist shooting in Buffalo, click here.
| | JCPA Strengthened Partnership with NAACP — JCPA Chair David Bohm and Senior Vice President Melanie Roth Gorelick attended the NAACP National Convention in Atlantic City as special guests of NAACP Chair Leon Russell, who gave a keynote address as to what is at stake if we fail to mobilize around voting rights and discriminatory laws. The conference also leading Black women, including Vice President Kamala Harris. JCPA strengthen relationships with NAACP staff and lay leaders. | | | | | | | | | | JCPA Cosponsored the 2022 International Religious Freedom Summit — JCPA cosponsored and attended the 2022 International Religious Freedom Summit. During the conference, JCPA met with Uyghur rights activists, and we are pleased to announce that we have joined the Coalition to End Forced Labor in the Uyghur Region, one of the largest networks of human rights, labor rights, and Uyghur rights organizations working on this issue. | | | | JCPA Met with Israeli Ambassador — Senior Vice President Melanie Roth Gorelick attended a high-level briefing with the Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Hertzog. The briefing focused on US President Biden’s visit to Israel. The meeting was organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. | |  | United Nations (UN) Commission of Inquiry Update — JCPA remains active in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations' Working Group on the UN Commission of Inquiry established by the Human Rights Council following the hostilities between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas in May 2021. We are focused on urging the UN to disband this biased commission. JCPA recently signed a letter expressing outrage over remarks made by Mr. Miloon Kothari, a member of the Commission of Inquiry, in an interview with the media outlet Mondoweiss. To read recent press statements, click here. | | | | JCPA2022 National Conference Recap — On April 11, 2022, JCPA convened 300+ Jewish professionals and civic lay leaders virtually at the JCPA2022 National Conference, the theme of which was “What Does It Mean to Be Free?” To read the full conference recap and watch panel recordings, click here. | | | | Topics included: - Criminal Justice Reform
- Democracy and Voting Rights
- Antisemitism and Hate
- Israel and the Middle East
- Racial Justice
| | | | Justice Breyer Received JCPA's Highest Honor — At the conference, JCPA presented U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer with the 2022 Albert D. Chernin Award, JCPA’s highest honor, given annually to an American Jew whose life work best exemplifies the social justice imperatives of Judaism, Jewish history, and protection of the U.S. Bill of Rights. To watch the video dedication and award ceremony, click here. | | | | Movie and Talk Back Focuses On History of Race in America — JCPA screened The Who We Are Project: Chronicles of Racism in America, followed by a post-movie conversation on how we as American Jews can work to end racism in our society featuring Sarah Kunstler, Producer/Director; Jeffery Robinson. We encourage you to view the movie on Netflix and then click here for the discussion. | |  | To read the full conference recap and watch panel recordings, click here. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA), a network of local Jewish community relations councils and national Jewish agencies, advocates for a just and pluralistic America, Israel's quest for peace and security, and global human rights. | | | | | | | | | | | |
