JTA: We asked Jewish leaders about their priorities under a second Trump term

JTA put together a virtual symposium asking Jewish leaders to describe their top priorities under the incoming Trump administration. Our CEO Amy Spitalnick wrote about the urgency of protecting democracy and countering antisemitism and broader extremism — existential to Jewish safety and values.

Andrew Silow-Carroll
November 10, 2024
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The leader of one Jewish nonprofit described Donald Trump’s return to the presidency as “terrifying.” Another called it a “serious setback.” And yet another welcomed the news, calling the president-elect “a proven ally in the White House.”

The range of reactions reflects the ideological diversity among Jewish nonprofits that largely focus on a distinct policy area. Most U.S. Jewish organizations tend to be liberal, and their domestic agendas reflect that. A vocal minority leans right. Even on “consensus” issues, like combating antisemitism or defending the U.S.-Israel alliance, their approaches can vary widely

In a political moment that stunned many and left few without strong feelings, we asked leaders of a range of Jewish groups, each associated with a signature issue or specific community, to describe their top priority under a new administration that in myriad and perhaps radical ways will represent a break with the Biden administration. On immigration, climate change, LGBT issues, abortion, antisemitism, fighting extremism and protecting religious freedoms, their answers reflect a Jewish policy community bracing for difficult battles and anticipating new opportunities under a historic changing of the guard.

Extremism: “Our communities’ futures are intertwined”

Amy Spitalnick is CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.

President Trump’s agenda — from mass deportations and immigration bans, to rollbacks of voting and other civil rights — is often rooted in dangerous conspiracy theories that pit communities against one another, sow distrust in our democratic institutions, and fuel extremist violence targeting Jews, Latinos, Black Americans and others.

This should be a reminder: Our communities’ futures are intertwined. Countering anti-immigrant, white supremacist, anti-LGBTQ, and other forms of hate requires countering the antisemitic conspiracy theories often at their core. And so too as communities are dehumanized and democratic norms erode, antisemitism worsens.

This challenge also presents an opportunity to build broad coalitions that recognize this fundamental truth: We can’t protect democracy or any community’s rights and safety unless we confront antisemitism and we cannot protect Jewish safety unless we advance inclusive democracy that protects all communities.

That is precisely what we’ll be focused on at JCPA, through our Action Networks, work with Jewish Community Relations Councils and other partners, and broader public engagement. The only path forward is one in which Jews mobilize to protect democracy and counter hate in deep partnership with others, and can do so without checking our Jewish identity at the door — because our partners understand Jewish safety is inherent to their own.