America’s commitment to inclusive democracy has allowed the Jewish community to thrive and grow with unprecedented safety and security. Attacks on that democracy and a growing anti-democratic extremist movement profoundly endanger Jews and so many other communities across the country.
From supporting fighting for every American’s fundamental civil rights, to countering rising disinformation and extremism, the Protecting Democracy Action Network is putting our fundamental Jewish values of equality and justice into action.
Attacks on voting rights seek to undercut communities’ fundamental rights and our democracy. This critical bill would restore the protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and ensure every American has access to the ballot box. Contact your representatives today to encourage them to safeguard the right to vote.
On April 10, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 22, also known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The Senate still needs to vote on the SAVE Act, but if signed into law, this bill would require potential voters to have to prove their citizenship in order to vote. Tell your Senators to oppose the SAVE Act!
The right to vote and participate in our democracy is a core American Jewish value. The bedrock of our democratic process is the right of every eligible citizen to cast a ballot and have that ballot counted. Achieving a government that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of its people is possible only through maximum citizen participation in the electoral process.
Rapidly increasing voter suppression efforts fundamentally undercut our democracy, with particularly dire impacts on Black, Indigenous, Latino, disabled, transgender, low-income, young, and elderly voters. This requires comprehensive solutions at the federal, state, and local levels.
Our voting rights priorities include increasing access to the ballot box, strengthening democratic institutions, and expanding representation. We are pushing for the restoration and expansion of the Voting Rights Act, and democracy reforms to prevent voter suppression, help improve elections, advance voting rights (including for formerly incarcerated people), and reform campaign finance and ethics rules.
Take Action:
Federal Legislation: Support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
Model State Legislation: State-level Voting Rights Acts
Resources:
Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights’ And Still I Vote Campaign
The cornerstone of democracy is the election process – and free, fair, safe, and accessible elections are critical to protecting the rights of all communities.
This includes ensuring that elections are administered impartially, effectively, and securely – all the more challenging and crucial at a moment when local election officials are facing increased threats and harassment and insufficient resources. It also means ensuring that the Jewish community – and all communities – turn out to vote and to more broadly engage in our civic processes no matter their background, ideology, location, or denomination, recognizing that it is inherent to protecting and strengthening our democracy
Take Action:
Resources:
JCPA: Elections Engagement Guide for Nonprofit Organizations
The Reform Movement’s Every Voice, Every Vote Campaign
Hillel International: MitzVote
Over the last few years, we’ve seen an exponential increase in book and curriculum bans across the United States. PEN America found 3,362 instances of individual books banned affecting 1,557 unique titles in 33 states during the 2022-2023 school year – a 33% increase from the prior year. “Divisive concepts” laws seek to ban the teaching of critical topics related to race or sex, such as slavery and/or racial discrimination, LGBTQ+ issues or people, and other concepts related to Black, LGBTQ+, and other communities’ history and fight for justice.
In a growing number of cases, book and curriculum bans have also led to the banning of Holocaust-related books and lessons, as “divisive concepts” laws and Holocaust curricula often collide in the classroom.
At the same time, in some states like California, JCRCs and other Jewish organizations have been working to support important new ethnic studies curricula – ensuring inclusion of Jewish American lesson plans while pushing back against fringe efforts to include certain antisemitic or Israel-related content.
Take Action:
Model Resolution: Opposing Book Bans
Resources:
PEN America’s Book Bans Resource Page
PEN America’s Educational Censorship Resource Page
The Hechinger Report: Teachers Struggle to Teach the Holocaust Without Running Afoul of New ‘Divisive Concepts’ Rules
Jewish Museum Exhibit: “The Book Smugglers”
Jewish Public Affairs Committee of California, JCRC Bay Area, & Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles: “The Jewish Community Must Embrace Ethnic Studies – Not Shun It”
The proliferation of misinformation (false claims spread unintentionally) and disinformation (false claims spread with the intent to manipulate and deceive) on social media and other online fora pose a fundamental threat to our democracy and our safety – fueling attacks on our institutions and our communities.
Antisemitic conspiracy theories are often inextricably linked with many forms of disinformation and extremism, as we’ve seen firsthand in the cycle of violent attacks targeting Jews, Black people, immigrants, Muslims, and others.
Effectively countering mis/disinformation and extremism requires all of us to educate ourselves. States and local governments and school districts can play crucial roles in advancing media and digital literacy policies and programs. And make no mistake – social media companies have a fundamental obligation to protect their users by removing and holding accountable those promoting hate, extremism, and violence.
This is all the more critical as extremist actors of all stripes exploit the Israel/Gaza conflict to advance online hate and disinformation in new and frightening ways.
Take Action:
Watch & Share – JCPA & CCDH Virtual Event: Understanding & Countering Online Hate & Extremism During the Israel/Gaza Conflict
Read & Share – PERIL’s Building Resilience & Confronting Risk: A Parents & Caregivers Guide to Online Radicalization
Model State Legislation: Media & Digital Literacy
Resources:
PERIL: Violent Extremism Education & Resilience Trainings
PERIL: Resources for Activists, Organizers, & Other Community Members
PEN America: Disinformation Resource Page and Knowing the News Media Literary & Disinformation Defense Project
CCDH’s Hate Pays Report: How X Accounts are Exploiting the Israel/Gaza Conflict to Grow and Profit
The Protecting Democracy Action Network’s priorities are guided by a steering committee that brings together JCPA and JCRC professionals and lay leaders, as well as national partner organizations.
Co-Chairs
Evan Goldman, Executive Director, Public Affairs, Jewish Federation of Broward County
Corey Shapiro, JCPA Vice Chair
Members:
Leslie Anderson, JCPA Board Member and JCRC of Atlanta
Aaron Dorfman, A More Perfect Union: The Jewish Partnership for Democracy
Brian Hughes, Polarization & Extremism Research & Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University
Meredith Jacobs, Jewish Women International
Allison Lee, PEN America
Dani Levine, Hillel International
Deborah Oleshansky, JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater Nashville
Leslie Proll, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Katie Reisner, States United Democracy Center
Ethan Roberts, JCRC of Minnesota & the Dakotas
Lindsay Schubiner, Western States Center
Judy Smith, JCPA Board Member
Barbara Weinstein, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Next Up:
Add your name to JCPA’s mailing list to receive action alerts, program and webinar invitations, and to keep updated on important issues of the day.
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