JCPA Welcomes Michael Fromm As the New Board Chair – Michael Fromm has been elected Board Chair for the term June 2019–June 2021. Fromm, who will serve as the 28th leader of JCPA since its founding in 1944, takes over as the organization seeks to expand its role as a vital resource to Jewish communities across the United States in forging alliances with other ethnic, cultural and religious groups. Click here to read the full press release.

JCPA Announces New Board of Directors — JCPA also welcomes a new Board of Directors that will serve from June 2019-May 2020.

Join JCPA for a Week of Action on Voting Rights (June 24-30) — June 25, 2019, marks six years since the Shelby County v. Holder decision, which gutted the Voting Rights Act, subjecting millions of voters to discrimination and disenfranchisement. JCPA is joining the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights coalition in a week of action from June 24-30 to urge Congress to restore the Voting Rights Act. We encourage you to join us in organizing, communications, and lobbying activities to amplify our voices. Click here for a toolkit with partnership opportunities and resources to use for planning your own Shelby Week actions.

Get Ready for World Refugee Day 2019 (June 20) — Take action to protect refugees and restore the U.S. resettlement program. Use this comprehensive Refugee Council USA World Refugee Day 2019 Toolkit that contains sample media content, national call-in alert calling on Congress to repeal the Muslim travel ban and increase refugee admissions, talking points, and more resources. Click here for the toolkit.

American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6) Passes House — On June 4, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for qualifying Dreamers and Temporary Protected Status holders without harming other immigrant groups. Read JCPA’s statement applauding the House passage and urging the Senate to take up the bill.

JCPA Endorses the Women’s Health Protection Act (H.R. 2975/S. 1645) — JCPA is deeply concerned about the growing effort to overturn Roe v. Wade and limit women’s reproductive health care access, with states around the nation taking up extreme anti-abortion bills. The Women’s Health Protection Act would guarantee providers an affirmative statutory right to deliver care free from medically unnecessary restrictions. Click here for the National Council of Jewish Women’s backgrounder on the bill.

JCPA Urges Congress to Lift the Ban on Pell Grants for Incarcerated Students – JCPA and 51 other faith-based organizations sent a letter urging Congress support the inclusion of the REAL Act, which would lift the ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students, in the Higher Education Reauthorization Act. Studies have shown that recidivism rates drop significantly for people who earn a post-secondary degree and can help formerly incarcerated individuals overcome obstacles, prepare for the workforce, and successfully reintegrate into society. Lifting the ban would also save $365 million per year through reduced incarceration. Read the full letter here.

Why Communities Must Change Everything to Combat Antisemitism — “The resurgence of antisemitism on both sides of the ideological spectrum, exhibited in novel and sometimes deadly ways, demands that Jewish communities reevaluate priorities and create new strategies to combat it.” Read the latest op-ed by David Bernstein, JCPA President and CEO, and Jackie Congedo, Director of the Cincinnati JCRC.