SIGN UP FOR THE JEWISH DEMS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

We get it – you’re busy, it’s the end of a long year, and it can be difficult to keep up on everything happening in the news. As the political home of Jewish Democrats, it’s our job at JDCA to keep you up to date on what is going on and how it impacts the Jewish community. Whether in the press or behind the scenes, JDCA is hard at work advocating for our values and growing our movement to help Democrats win. From this point forward, we will provide updates each Friday with new highlights from the week.

2022 ENDORSEMENTS

On November 30, JDCA announced our first endorsements of the 2022 cycle. The 13 Senate candidates we endorsed are in races we must win to build on our Senate majority. Join us as we launch our efforts to get out the vote for our Democratic Senate incumbents, Senators Raphael Warnock (GA), Mark Kelly (AZ), Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Maggie Hassan (NH), and other Democrats who share our values.

CALLING OUT REPUBLICANS

Jewish Dems have continued to criticize Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) and Senate Republicans for blocking crucial funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Recently, McClatchy published an article about how JDCA is holding Paul accountable. The article ran in publications across the country, including in Rand Paul’s home state of Kentucky.

We also continue to call out the GOP’s irresponsible and dangerous obstruction of national security and ambassadorial confirmations, including Dr. Deborah Lipstadt for Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. When Republicans had the nerve yesterday to suggest an envoy for Islamophobia would diminish the role of the Envoy for Antisemitism, we rightly pointed out that one way NOT to diminish the role is to actually confirm the preeminent expert, Dr. Lipstadt, to this critically important position. As we said, Senate Republicans should give Deborah Lipstadt a hearing and a vote. Enough already.

We also reacted to Donald Trump accusing Benjamin Netanyahu of “disloyalty” – in additional to the use of profanity directed at the former Israeli Prime Minister – when Netanyahu congratulated President Biden on his election victory in 2020. JDCA pointed out that the deeply offensive quote from Trump demonstrates, yet again, that Trump only cared about Israel to further his own political agenda.

This week, when Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett spoke in a hearing about the “Jewish-Palestinian conflict,” Jewish Dems called out the danger of her ignorance conflating the state of Israel with the Jewish people. We also made the important connection that Donald Trump conflated Jewish Americans with Israel, and popularized this antisemitic dual loyalty trope within the GOP.

Today, we also expressed our deep disappointed in today’s Supreme Court ruling on the Texas Abortion Ban. The anti-abortion law is a brazen attempt by Republicans to criminalize abortion and curtail the rights of those who need access to reproductive health care. We will never let up in the fight for our reproductive rights, and continue to tell Republicans #BansOffOurBodies.

JDCA called out the egregious behavior of Republicans, Rep. Lauren Boebert in particular, who made racist and anti-Muslim statements toward Rep. Ilhan Omar. The GOP remains Donald Trump’s party, which means it is a party of bigotry and hate. We joined Democratic leadership in condemning Boebert’s hateful actions.

JEWISH DEMS STAND WITH UYGHURS

This week, JDCA welcomed the Biden Administration’s decision to implement a diplomatic boycott for the Winter Olympics in China, due to their human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslims. We welcomed the House of Representatives passing the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which once passed in the Senate and signed into law will take measures to hold China accountable for their genocide. But these important steps are not enough, and we continue to demand justice for Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

HANUKKAH AT THE WHITE HOUSE

Last week, JDCA leaders were honored to join President Biden and Vice President Harris for a menorah lighting at the White House on the fifth night of Hanukkah. President Biden, acknowledging the first Jewish Second Gentleman, Douglas Emhoff – who recently spoke with JDCA – proclaimed that “this is a White House tradition, but for the first time, it’s a family tradition.” JDCA was in Politico discussing what it means to have a Jewish Second Gentleman.

After celebrating with the White House, Jewish Dems hosted Senator Jacky Rosen and other special guests for JDCA’s Hanukkah celebration.

SUING NEO-NAZIS AND WINNING