JCPA 2026 West Coast Summit

In an era defined by deep division, heightened fear, and moral urgency, navigating relationships across difference has become both more challenging and more essential. This opening plenary brings together a timely and honest conversation about how leaders and communities can remain in principled relationship during moments of profound tension. Exploring what it takes to listen, disagree with integrity, and resist the pull toward isolation, the session will examine how trust, empathy, and shared humanity can serve as anchors in turbulent times—and how sustaining relationships is itself a powerful act of leadership.

Speakers: Salam al-Marayati (Muslim Public Affairs Council) and Amy Spitalnick (Jewish Council for Public Affairs)
Moderator: Paula Pretlow (Weinberg Foundation)

1. The California Antisemitism Bill: What Happened, What We Learned, What Comes Next

An in-depth analysis of California’s antisemitism legislation—its origins, legislative journey, stakeholder responses, and impacts on Jewish communal relations. This session will explore how Jewish organizations engaged policymakers and partners, what tensions emerged, and how the debate reshaped coalition dynamics.

Speakers: David Bocarsly (Jewish Public Affairs Committee) 
Moderator: Shawn Landres (Board Secretary, Jewish Council for Public Affairs)

Room: Koret Boardroom  

2. Breaking the Binary

In mission-driven spaces conflict often escalates not because people don’t care, but because care and urgency can push us into rigid binary thinking. This Project Shema workshop draws on shema “to hear” to treat listening as a practice of relational engagement: curiosity, compassion, and co-creating understanding, even when stakes feel high and values feel on the line. We’ll explore why facts alone rarely change minds and why depolarization is often necessary “first work” that rebuilds trust through process. Participants will practice concrete tools they can use immediately in meetings, classrooms, and community spaces: moving from positions to interests (“ask why”), asking open questions that invite nuance, and using Clarify & Verify to reduce misinterpretation before it becomes rupture.

Speakers: Kara Wilson (Project Shema)

Room: Levitas Library  

3. The Jewish Role in Working for LGBTQ+ Equality

Attacks on Trans/Intersex/Non-Binary community members are on the rise. What can JCRC professionals and lay leaders do in response? The Jewish community and LGBTQ+ community have long histories of resilience. We can use wisdom from the past to help us navigate this moment while we work for a better future. Join Rabbi Eliana Kayelle, Keshet’s Bay Area Education and Training Manager, to glean these lessons as we map the steps forward.

Facilitator: Rabbi Eliana Kayelle (Keshet)

Room: The Study  

1. The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism: Trends and Threats Briefing

A briefing by The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism on current hate and extremist movements impacting Jewish communities and democratic institutions. The session will examine trends across the West Coast, including online radicalization, regional extremist networks, and emerging threats, and will explore the implications for communal relations, public safety, and advocacy efforts.

Speakers: Heidi Beirich (Global Project Against Hate and Extremism) 
Moderator: Brandon Rattiner (Jewish Community Relations Council of Colorado)

Room: Levitas Library  

2. If ICE Comes: Preparing Jewish Nonprofits and Communities

Practical guidance on how Jewish nonprofits should prepare for potential ICE enforcement actions, including legal obligations, staff training, and solidarity with immigrant communities.

Speakers: Kyra Lilien (Van Der Hout, LLC) and Reena Arya (Jewish Family and Community Services — East Bay)
Moderator: Ben Suarato (Jewish Council for Public Affairs)

Room: Koret Boardroom  

3. America’s Hunger Crisis: Understanding and Responding to Historic Attacks Against Food Assistance

This workshop examines sweeping recent changes to the nation’s food safety net, including nearly $200 billion in SNAP cuts enacted through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, new state cost-sharing requirements, and tightened eligibility that removes key protections for veterans, youth aging out of foster care, and people experiencing homelessness. Participants will explore how these unprecedented shifts are exacerbating hunger, straining state and local governments, and raising the stakes for food security in an election year. Led by experts from MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, the session breaks down the policy impacts, outlines effective advocacy and community mobilization strategies, and offers election-year tactics—along with concrete tools—to help communities protect and advocate for the most vulnerable.

Speakers: Abby J. Leibman and Naama Haviv (MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger)

Room: The Study  

In a moment marked by pain, division, and exhaustion, this session invites us to reclaim Jewish joy, cultivate hope amid uncertainty, and envision a way forward together. Drawing on enduring values of resilience, purpose, and collective responsibility, the conversation explores how Jewish communities can remain grounded and connected even in times of profound adversity. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on what it means not only to endure difficult moments, but to lead with moral clarity, compassion, and joy as we continue shaping the future.

Speakers: Ilana Kaufman (Jews of Color Initiative) and Barry Finestone (Jim Joseph Foundation)
Moderator: Rabba Rori Picker Neiss (Jewish Council for Public Affairs)