Resources and Toolkits

JCPA produces resources for the community relations field and Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) to support their work nationally and locally. These resources range from professional development, issue-based advocacy toolkits, and best practices to implement programs and mobilization efforts.

Advocacy "How To's"

2022 August Recess Advocacy Toolkit – The August recess, when Members of Congress return to their home districts, is one of the best times make sure your voice is heard in Washington. The toolkit provides tips for scheduling a meeting, presenting an issue, and making an effective “ask,” as well as issue briefs with background information and talking points on key issues that are currently before Congress. Click here to download.

Civic Engagement

2022 Election Engagement Guide – JCPA’s 2022 Election Engagement Guide offers resources, tools, and best practices for organizing in-person or virtual candidate engagement programs and voter education, both for the Jewish community and in conjunction with intergroup partners. Click here to download.

2022 Voting Rights Issue Brief – JCPA’s issue brief provides facts and talking points for advocacy meetings, and it can double as a leave behind. Click here to download.

Racial Justice

Toolkit on Strengthening Jewish Communal Engagement with Black Communities – 2020 began the most significant conversation on racial justice since the 1960s.  To engage in the new civil rights movement, JCPA has created a series of materials to assist local communities to strengthen relationships with Black communities. From sample Board values to guidelines for difficult conversations to policing explainers, this toolkit has a number of resources to support engagement in racial justice. Click here to view.

Educational Materials and Curriculum on Racism and Racial Justice, June 2020 — JCPA compiled recommended materials for the Jewish community to use to educate themselves and their networks about racism and racial justice in the U.S. Click here for resource list.

Criminal Justice Reform

A Jewish Call to Action: Ending Mass Incarceration and Criminalization – JCPA’s National Jewish Network on Criminal Justice Reform, made up of more than 65 experts, practitioners, and advocates from around the country, developed a Jewish Values Framework entitled, “A Jewish Call to Action: Ending Mass Incarceration and Criminalization.” It was signed by nearly 100 leading Jewish practitioners, experts, and advocates in the criminal justice space and will help inspire more Jews and Jewish organizations, local and national, to get involved in the fight against mass incarceration. Click here to read.

In Your Backyard: A Toolkit for Addressing Criminal Justice at the Local Level– JCPA’s Criminal Justice Initiative engages Jewish communities around the country in reforming the criminal justice system and ending mass incarceration in partnership with communities most directly affected.  This toolkit will help you  map out your local criminal justice landscape, engage in legislative advocacy, and learn best practices from successful programs implemented by Jewish communities. Click here to view.

Antisemitism and Hate

Antisemitism Roadmap – At our 2020 annual conference JCPA convened 300 Jewish professionals and civic lay leaders who developed a strategic roadmap to leverage the power of the community relations field to combat antisemitism and hate. Click here to read.