Jewish Community Relations Field Adopts Six New Public Policy Positions on Key Issues at the JCPA2020 National Conference

On February 10, 2019, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) Delegates Assembly voted to adopt six new policy resolutions during the JCPA2020 National Conference in Washington, D.C. The resolutions cover gun violence prevention, antisemitism, restorative and rehabilitative justice, government workers’ right to unionize, federal judicial nominations, and the provision of Kashruth food at JCPA-sponsored meetings.

These resolutions, which are now officially part of the Jewish community relations public policy platform, are the result of a six-month national policy-setting process that begins in August. At the Delegates Assembly meeting, representatives of local Jewish community relations councils and national Jewish agencies convened to grapple with important issues of concern for our field, deliberating late into the night to ensure due diligence on these policy positions. JCPA is grateful to its local and national member agencies that proposed, drafted, and reviewed the resolutions.

Please see below for links to the full text of the resolutions adopted at the JCPA2020 conference:

Gun Violence Prevention
This resolution outlines a range of measures the Jewish community should support to help prevent gun violence, argues for greater restrictions on concealed and open carry, and calls on the Jewish community to work with partners to educate and mobilize their communities on gun violence prevention.

Adopting the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism
This resolution adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) non-legally binding Working Definition of Antisemitism for use by the Jewish community relations field. This resolution builds on the 2015 Resolution on Antisemitism.

Restorative and Rehabilitative Justice
This resolution urges the Jewish community relations field to support a restorative and rehabilitative justice approach to public safety.

Government Workers’ Right to Unionize
This resolution calls on the Jewish community relations field to advocate for legislation that guarantees federal government workers’ right to bargain collectively at the state and local government level.

Federal Judicial Nominations
This resolution calls on president and the Senate to ensure that federal judicial nominees are qualified, impartial arbiters of justice dedicated to upholding civil liberties and constitutional rights, and who reflect the diversity of the American public.

The Provision of Kashruth Food at JCPA-Sponsored Meetings
This resolution codifies JCPA’s existing practice of providing food at our meetings that meets the needs of our constituency.

For more information, contact Tammy Gilden, Senior Policy Associate, at tgilden@thejcpa.org.

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JCPA’s Delegates Assembly is composed of of representatives and 125 local Jewish Community Relations Councils and 17 national Jewish agencies, including the four denominations of American Judaism (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructing).