A Historic Month for Jewish Americans and JDCA

As Jewish American Heritage Month comes to a close, let’s review some of the highlights from May.

First, JDCA leadership convened in Washington, D.C., and were honored to be joined by Democratic leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris, House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (the recipient of JDCA’s 2023 Defender of Democracy award), Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff, Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Democratic House Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar. They spoke to the importance of the Jewish American community and, in particular, the critical role of Jewish Dems. These leaders all addressed JDCA because they know we are the political home and voice of Jewish voters in support of Democrats, and that the Jewish vote continues to make the difference in critical elections.

Second, the Biden administration celebrated Jewish American Heritage Month at the White House, with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, First Lady Jill Biden, and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff. JDCA joined Democratic leaders as President Biden demonstrated his deep commitment to standing with the Jewish community amid rising antisemitism and emphasized that American history has been “written, in part, by Jewish Americans who, through their words and actions, embraced the opportunity and responsibility of citizenship knowing full well that democracy is not born, nor sustained, by accident.”

Third, the White House announced a national strategy to counter antisemitism, which is the most ambitious and comprehensive effort in U.S. history to fight antisemitism. We applaud the administration for its leadership on this critically important issue and are proud to have been a part of the broad coalition of organizations that participated in listening sessions with the White House that led to the creation of this strategy. Read our statement about the importance of this plan.

Jewish American Heritage Month is coming to an end, but our work continues and is more important than ever as we lay the groundwork for the 2024 election. The Democratic Party continues to be the political home of Jewish Americans because Democrats are fighting for the issues Jewish voters care about most, and as the voice of Jewish Dems, we are proud to be leading that fight. If you haven’t already, join us.

RSVP FOR WEEK OF ACTION

Put your Jewish American values into action with JDCA by signing up for our Week of Action. This year, we will advocate (virtually) with members of Congress on some of the most important issues for Jewish American voters, including combating extremism and antisemitism, defending democracy, expanding and protecting the social safety net, and protecting abortion rights. If you are interested in participating and are looking for more information on the Week of Action, including how to sign up, please fill out the short form linked below.

Thank you for your continued partnership.

Sincerely,

Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America