Ron Klein: Elections have consequences (for Jewish Democrats)

Steve Bannon, Sebastian Gorka, Stephen Miller, Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Roy Moore — and Donald Trump.

2017 has been some year for all of us, but particularly for Jewish Democrats.

A Holocaust Remembrance Day without mention of Jews, a significant rise in anti-Semitism, a presidential visit to Warsaw without the Warsaw Ghetto Revolt monument, and a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville with violence and hate “on many sides” and “very fine people on both sides.”

And a new, naïve politicization of Israel has left us wondering what’s next and concerned about the traditional bipartisan support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.

They say elections have consequences and we Jewish Democrats sure are living these consequences. That’s why we started the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) – to influence future elections and more.

JDCA was founded in response to these consequences and offers Jewish Democrats a voice, a community and political unity.

We brought together some of the most influential Jewish Democratic leaders in America to drive our mission of electing Democrats who will support our Jewish values and interests. Within the Democratic Party, Jews and non-Jews alike have taken notice and expressed support for our mission. Thirty-three members of Congress, as well as Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer, joined as Jewish Democrats officially launched JDCA in November. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told the 200 attendees that, “The Jewish community has always been about a better future,” and expressed her appreciation for the “tremendous, tremendous impact” the Jewish community has made in America.

In addition, we are assembling a diverse board of many of the very top leaders of both our Jewish and Democratic Party communities and are seeking more.

Despite being a year of a president inflaming racial and ethnic tensions, numerous sexual assault scandals and disastrous tax reforms, 2017 also had bit of good news. Electoral victories in Virginia and New Jersey put Democrats back in the governors’ offices, and for the first time in 25 years, the people of Alabama elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate. Americans are proving that just because we have to live with the consequences of last year’s election, doesn’t mean we have to sit idly by. We have the power of the polls, and Americans are already using that power by voting for Democrats.

JDCA is at the forefront of this movement. Our goal is simple: Elect Democrats and take back Congress in 2018. Incumbents and challengers. Jewish candidates and non-Jews. Those with substantial Jewish populations in their states and districts and those without. JDCA will be involved in many key races, but we need your help. Sign up to receive email updates on our progress, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and visit our website to stay up to date. By making a modest donation and getting involved in our mission, you will also help Democrats take back Congress and know that the Jewish community has done all it can.

If you thought 2017 was bad, imagine how much worse next year could be. The 2018 midterm elections will change the course of American history, and it is up to us to decide the direction of our country’s future.

I hope you will join us in defending our Jewish values.

Best wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Better New Year.

Hon. Ron Klein
Chair of the Jewish Democratic Council of America
Former Member of Congress (D-FL)