JCPA Israel Programming 2019-2021

JCPA Israel Programming 2019-2021

Israel education and advocacy remains a top priority for JCPA. In addition to our annual
mission, this work is focused on 1) training of JCRCs professional, chairs and emerging leaders
to enhance their Israel education and to respond to emerging and current events 2) speaking out
as an organization 3) providing the public to hear from high-level experts and speakers on
important issues to better understand the complexities of Israel, hear diverse voices, and be able
to better discern fact from fiction on concerns related to Israel in the news and social media.

Israel Advocacy
Israel related legislative priorities included:
    •   JCPA prioritized advocacy for the Middle East Partnership Action, which we advocated
        in coalition with IAN, ALLMEPS and a coalition of other Jewish organizations. After
        years of advocacy, including organized Hill days, Congress passed the bipartisan Nita M.
        Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, which provides $250 million over five
        years to expand coexistence between Arabs and Israelis, fund peace building programs in
        the region and support projects to strengthen the Palestinian economy. This historic
        legislation will help create an environment in which the parties can eventually achieve
        peace in the Middle East. The President signed the bill into law on December 27, 2020.
        To read the full press release, click here .

    •   In 2017 and in 2018 we advocated for the “Israel Anti-Boycott Act” (S. 720/H.R. 1697) –
        To read the backgrounder in from 2018 click here.

    •   In 2019 JCPA advocated for the successful passage of the Never Again Holocaust
        Education Act, which establishes grants for Holocaust education programs and teacher
        trainings. To read, click here.

    •   JCPA continues to advocate for Israel’s right to defend itself as we did recently during
        the Hamas-Israel hostilities in May 2021.

However, much of JCPA’s current efforts to advocate for Israel are not taking place in Congress,
which continues to provide strong support for Israel and which there are many strong groups
focused on ensuring this remains. Our advocacy has been focused on ensuring that the JCRCs
have the education and skills to deter anti-Israel situations locally in their coalitions and that
JCPA strengthens its work in the progressive coalitions where we are vulnerable to anti-Israel
forces, especially by other Jewish groups such as JVP. The fight is at the grassroots and efforts to
stop US funding for Israel. We also like to educate to the general community positive advances
that Israel is making or to unravel complicated issues, so people are hearing firsthand from actors
on the ground and not only from the news that want to spin the information. We do consider this
advocacy.

Virtual Programming

Webinars

   •   Special Briefing: U.S. Recognition of Israel’s Sovereignty over the Golan Heights:
       Good or Bad Idea? March 22, 2019. Featuring: Ambassador Dennis Ross.
       A New U.S. Approach to Gaza, January 29, 2019.
   •   How Israel’s Founding Leaders Shaped the Jewish State, November 21, 2019.
   •   Israel’s Changing Relationships with its Neighbors, November 27, 2019.
   •   Understanding the Trump Peace Plan with David Makovsky- Implications for
       Regional Peace and Stability, January 29, 2020.
   •   Israel’s Third National Elections: Results and Analysis, March 3, 2020.
       Democracy in Israel: An Analysis of the Current Political Situation, May 14, 2020.
   •   Israel and the UAE: The First Official Israeli Visit, September 9, 2020.
   •   Israel on the Global Scene, September 17, 2020
   •   Israel and Climate Change: Successes and Challenges, March 3, 2021

2-Part Series on Biden Administration and Israel
   • The Biden Administration and the Middle East – A Two Part Series Part I – Mara
       Rudman, February 9, 2021,
   • The Biden Administration and the Middle East – A Two Part Series Part II – Bret
       Stephens, February 10, 2021

3-Part Series on Israeli Elections

   •   The Arab Vote: A Watershed Moment in Israeli Politics? March 9, 2021.
   •   Israel’s Upcoming Elections, What’s at Stake? March 15, 2021.
   •   Israel’s Election Insights, April 1, 2021

3-Part Series on Israeli-Hama Hostilities

   •   Understanding the Recent Hostilities with Israel and Hamas, June 4, 2021.
   •   Understanding the Changing Geopolitical Situation in the Middle East, June 10, 2021.
       Political Change and Social Unrest: The Arab Minority and Jewish-Arab Relations
       in Israel, June 15, 2021.

Israel and Covid
    • The Jewish Community and the Pandemic, March 20, 2020.
        Yossi Klein Halevi Discusses Coronavirus and Israeli Democracy: Crisis and
        Opportunity, March 27, 2020.
    • A Conversation with Natan Sharansky: the Pandemic and the Jews, April 1, 2020.
    • Israeli & Palestinian Healthcare Cooperation, April 22, 2020
    • Israel’s Race for the Cure: A Conversation on Public Health Policy, Testing, and
        Vaccine, May 21, 2020.

JCRC Training/Programming

JCRC Professional Development Israel 202 Training
  • Israel 202: Understanding the Map of Israel, November 6. 2019.
  • Israel 202: Understanding Israel’s Complex Democracy, November 12, 2019.
  • Israel 202 – Palestinian Politics in Israel and the Territories, November 20, 2019.

Strategic Community Relations Prep for Possible Annexation of West Bank
In preparation for the possible extension of sovereignty by the Israeli government into the West
Bank, JCPA became concerned that this could be the next Iran, polarizing the Jewish community
on response to whether or not to support or oppose the Israeli government actions. To prepare the
JCRCs, JCPA put together a small task force to prepare strategy, materials, and education. This
included background documents and a resource page as well as the following webinar. The
interactive webinars were shared only with JCRC Chairs, JCRC professionals and JCPA Board.

   •   Part 1: Ramifications of West BankAnnexation – What it means for Israel,
       Palestinians, and the US Jewish Community, June 6, 2019.
   •   The Future of Israeli-Palestinian Relations, Part 2, June 19. 2019.
   •   Resources on Israel’s Changing Policies on the West Bank June 2020

JCRC Training for JCRC Professionals: Israel Virtual Tour with the Israel Policy Center.
June 24, 2021.

JCPA Workshop for JCRC Professionals: Engaging Progressives on Israel- Cohort 1 August
2021, Cohort 2 October 2021. JCPA, in partnership with Project Shema, training small cohorts of
JCRC professionals in a revised version of Project Shema's trainings for Jewish professionals.
Project Shema's workshops are reverse-engineered to address the underlying challenges Jewish
advocates face when talking about Israel and antisemitism with members of the progressive
movement. Participants get a full understanding of the challenge, and learn the strategy, tactics,
and framing necessary to effectively engage progressives on these issues.

JCPA Workshop for JCRC Professionals: Beyond the Conflict: Jewish-Arab Relations in
Israel Today- October 19, November 2, November 16, and November 30, 2021. JCPA, in
partnership with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues (IATF), is offering a 4-part
series for JCRC professionals to study Jewish-Arab relations in Israel and gain tools and
resources to effectively bring these important issues to your constituents.

Conference Programs

JCPA2019

   •   Exploring Anti-Semitism/Anti-Zionism on Campus
   •   How Do Communities Fight Municipal BDS?
   •   How Can We Spread the Word About People-to-People Work?

JCPA2020

  •   Israel and Peace in an Age of Polarization: Getting Beyond Zero Sum
  •   Speaking About Israel in Progressive Circles
  •   Campus Climate: Israel, Antisemitism and the Challenges They Pose
  •   Social Innovation, Inclusivity and Coexistence in Israel
  •   Current Events in Israel: Unpacking the Headlines
  •   What Does the Encounter Experience Mean for our Israel Advocacy Work?

JCPA2021

  •   PLENARY: Remarks from the Israeli Ambassador to the United States and the United
      Nations Gilad Erdan
  •   The Great Pivot: Israel’s COVID19 Efforts and Lessons Learned
      Rebuilding Abraham’s Tent: The Realignment of the Middle East
  •   Israel Elections: What’s Next?

Statements

  •   November 12, 2019- The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) expresses its
      solidarity with the people of Israel in the face of unrelenting rocket attacks coming from
      the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza.

  •   June 4, 2020- JCPA is a proud cosponsor for the Pride Across Israel Celebration.

  •   August 13, 2020- JCPA applauds the government of Israel on normalizing relations with
      the United Arab Emirates and laying a groundwork for similar developments with other
      countries in the region.

  •   September 11, 2020- JCPA welcomes the normalization of ties between Bahrain and
      Israel.

  •   October 23, 2020- We are delighted that Sudan and Israel have agreed to normalize ties
      with Israel, ending decades of hostility.

  •   December 10, 2020- The JCPA welcomes the normalization of ties between Israel and
      Morocco.

  •   May 10, 2021-JCPA condemns the incitement by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas
      and urges all parties to do what they can to deescalate the situation. We stand in solidarity
      with Israel’s right to defend itself.

•   May 21, 2021- JCPA welcomes the ceasefire between the Government of Israel and
    Hamas and hopes that Hamas will abide by it and stop firing rockets into, or otherwise
    attack, Israel.

•   June 3, 2021- JCPA congratulates Isaac Herzog on being elected as the 11th president of
    the State of Israel.

•   June 14, 2021- JCPA congratulates Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Minister of
    Foreign Affairs Yair Lapid, and all the members of their coalition in forming a national
    unity government representing the diversity of Israel.