• Home
  • About
    • About
    • Policies
  • Submissions
    • Op-eds
    • News / Announcements
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

eJewish Philanthropy

Your Jewish Philanthropy Resource

  • News Bits
  • Jewish Education
  • Readers Forum
  • Research
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / Readers Forum / We Were Made for Times like These

We Were Made for Times like These

April 19, 2018 By eJP

By Melanie Roth Gorelick

I am excited to welcome the leaders of the Community Relations Field to NYC for the JCPA2018 National Conference April 22-24. On the eve of the conference, I am reminded of a presentation from an interfaith leader named Sophie who at a retreat led a wonderful discussion on how the interfaith community “was made for times like these.”

The Community Relations professionals and lay leaders – those within the Federation system responsible for public affairs and intergroup relations work – are on the front lines at the local level navigating our current polarized reality. Annually they come together at the Conference to engage with high level speakers and thought leaders, share best practices with each other, and set consensus based strategy and positions on public policy concerns.

The community relations field has been a pillar of the Federation system since its inception in 1944. There is an ingrained understanding that the Jewish community must share it’s values and be engaged in efforts with our partners in the non-Jewish community to ensure a democratic, just and pluralistic country, one in which all minorities, including Jews, can thrive. Local Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs) are the one place within the Jewish community where Democrats, Republicans, and those with diverse opinions on Israel can come together to tackle public affairs together. While many of us feel challenged on a daily basis with an ever-changing political landscape that tests the limits of consensus, we feel that our work is more important than ever and have never been more energized. We understand that it is important to have a table where people convene to grapple with issues across differences.

We also understand the power of the faith voice. Our work does not stop when we set our policy platform, but just begins. Our real work is engaging daily with legislators, and with civic, racial and interfaith leaders. Our work is not about reacting in a time of fear but, rather, building strong communities and a society that ensures the rights of the most vulnerable and the safety of all. We know that as a Jewish community small in numbers we have limited influence and impact, but by joining together to find common ground on current day concerns we can make a difference.

At a time that our nation’s allies are feeling vulnerable, of rampant unrest in the Middle East, and many of our policies and values that undergird our work our being challenged, the community relations field is ready for business. We were made for times like these. And #JCPA2018 was made for times like these. Let’s put our heads together as we hear from inspiring speakers in interactive sessions that include #MeToo in the Jewish Community, #2020Census, #CriminalJusticeReform, #DreamAct, #GunViolence and more.

Melanie Roth Gorelick is Senior Vice President, JCPA.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Readers Forum, The American Jewish Scene Tagged With: federation impact

Click here to Email This Post Email This Post to friends or colleagues!

Primary Sidebar

Join The Conversation

What's the best way to follow important issues affecting the Jewish philanthropic world? Our Daily Update keeps you on top of the latest news, trends and opinions shaping the landscape, providing an invaluable source for inspiration and learning.
Sign Up Now
For Email Marketing you can trust.

Continue The Conversation

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Recent Comments

  • Bruce Powell on An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Sara Rigler on Announcement: Catherine Reed named CEO of American Friends of Magen David Adom
  • Donna Burkat on The Blessings in 2020’s Losses
  • swindmueller on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times
  • Alan Henkin on Where Do We Go From Here?
    Reflections On 2021
    A Jewish Response to These Uncertain Times

Most Read Recent Posts

  • Jewish Agency Accuses Evangelical Contractors of “Numerous Violations” but Denies They Evangelized New Immigrants
  • Breaking: Birthright Israel & Onward Israel Seek to Join Forces to Strengthen Jewish Diaspora Ties with Israel
  • An Invitation To Transparency: Reflections on an Open Salary Spreadsheet
  • Why One Zoom Class Has Generated a Following
  • The Blessings in 2020’s Losses

Categories

The Way Back Machine

Footer

What We Do

eJewish Philanthropy highlights news, resources and thought pieces on issues facing our Jewish philanthropic world in order to create dialogue and advance the conversation. Learn more.

Top 40 Philanthropy Blogs, Websites & Influencers in 2020

Copyright © 2021 · eJewish Philanthropy · All Rights Reserved