No False Equivalence
The overwhelming majority of Jewish American voters support President Biden and Democrats because they align with our community on every key issue – defending democracy, protecting abortion access, combating antisemitism, addressing the epidemic of gun violence, mitigating the impact of climate change, and supporting Israel’s security and right to self-defense. The Republican Party, now led by MAGA extremists, is attacking voting rights and democracy, eroding reproductive freedom, emboldening white supremacists, refusing to limit access to assault weapons, and delaying critical aid for Israel.
JDCA Chair Ron Klein’s op-ed this week in the DC Journal calls out false equivalences between threats from the far left and what has become the mainstream right. On the right, threats are being fueled by the head of the GOP. But President Biden and other Democratic leaders are supporting Israel, combating antisemitism, and rejecting extremism from the far left.
As Ron writes, “Far too often, however, there is an inclination to equate the normalization of dangerous right-wing extremism within the Republican Party and the rise of anti-Israel and antisemitic sentiment on the far left. These are two separate phenomena that must be confronted. Still, they cannot be fully addressed without accepting a hard truth — the dangerous antisemitism on the far right has been fueled by Trump, who has legitimized hate and dangerous threats to our democracy within the GOP. Meanwhile, any anti-Israel and antisemitism sentiment on the far left is opposed and actively countered by President Biden and every leader in the Democratic Party.”
The differences between Democrats and Republicans are clear. Democrats are fighting for progress and the key issues for Jewish Americans, including fighting antisemitism. Republicans are attacking our freedoms and supporting extremist candidates hand-picked by Donald Trump. We have work to do to defend our democracy in November and JDCA is your way to take action. Sign up for our events and read how JDCA is speaking out for Jewish and Democratic values.
SIGN UP: POST STATE OF THE UNION DISCUSSION
President Biden will deliver his State of the Union address this Thursday, March 7. Join the JDCA Ohio Chapter and Jewish Women for Joe Ohio the morning after the State of the Union to discuss the President’s speech and the campaign ahead. The event will feature JDCA CEO Halie Soifer, who will share key takeaways from the President’s speech and talk about the issues and stakes in 2024. We’ll also hear from Democrats in the battleground state of Ohio to get their impressions of the speech. We will gather over coffee and Zoom on Friday, March 8 at 9:00 a.m. ET.
SIGN UP: MD-6 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY CANDIDATE FORUM
JDCA’s candidate forums provide Jewish voters with an opportunity to hear the candidates speak directly to our community about key issues. On Wednesday, March 13 at 1:30 P.M. ET, JDCA will host seven of the candidates running in the MD-06 Democratic primary. Participants in the forum include April McClain Delaney, Geoffrey Grammer, Ashwani Jain, Lesley Lopez, Joel Rubin, Laurie-Anne Sayles, and Joe Vogel.
WATCH: RESPONDING TO CAMPUS ANTISEMITISM IN THE WAKE OF OCTOBER 7
This Wednesday, JDCA hosted a community conversation focused on antisemitism on campus in the wake of the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas and the response from the Jewish community and others. Watch and share the discussion, which featured Nicholas Lemann (Journalist, Dean Emeritus of Columbia University’s School of Journalism, and Co-Chair of the Columbia University Task Force on Antisemitism), Tina Malka (Director of Antisemitism Education, Hillel International), Julia Jassey (CEO of Jewish on Campus), and moderator Stacy Burdett (Past Vice President of Government Relations, Advocacy & Community Engagement at the Anti-Defamation League). This program was held in partnership with Hillel International.
WATCH NOW
JEWISH DEMS SPEAKING OUT
As the national voice of Jewish voters in support of Democrats, JDCA continues to advocate for policies that reflect our values. Check out JDCA’s recent press mentions.
- Watch the recap of JDCA’s work and impact on helping to elect Tom Suozzi in the NY-3 special election in this short video.
- JDCA PAC’s ad was featured on Lawrence O’Donnell’s The Last Word.
- JDCA Board Chair Hon. Ron Klein wrote an op-ed in the DC Journal about the false equivalence of the threats posed by the left and right.
- We spoke to the Jerusalem Post about how Jewish voters will continue to strongly support Joe Biden.
- In the leadup to the Michigan primary, we told The Forward, “Those who want Biden to win in November shouldn’t play with fire and waste their vote on a third party or protest position.” After the primary, we expressed our confidence in The Forward that “when faced with the stark choice between President Biden and Donald Trump in the general election, American voters — including Michiganders — will once again choose Biden.”
- In response to the Michigan primary results, we said in JTA that “those who voted ‘uncommitted’ in this Michigan primary did so knowing that President Biden would easily win. That will not necessarily be the case the next time he’s on the ballot, when any vote for a third-party candidate, protest position, or non-vote is effectively a vote for Donald Trump.”
- The Jerusalem Post quoted JDCA after the Michigan primary: “JDCA stands firmly behind President Biden and will work to mobilize Jewish voters across the country to ensure his reelection, and we encourage all who seek to defeat Donald Trump to join us in the lead-up to November.”
Thank you for your continued partnership and support,
Shabbat Shalom,
Hon. Ron Klein
Board Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America
Halie Soifer
CEO, Jewish Democratic Council of America