The Jewish Council for Public Affairs adopted a policy on hydro-fracking during the organization’s annual meeting this week. In a resolution JCPA Chair Larry Gold called “a remarkably balanced policy,” the JCPA, which serves as the advisory arm for Jewish community relations agencies nationwide, raised environmental concerns about fracking but also acknowledged its long term benefits to the United States in both economic gains and reduced foreign oil reliance. Hydro-fracking—or hydraulic …More

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs endorsed using federal law to counter anti-Semitism on American college campuses. During the organization’s annual plenum in Detroit, the JCPA and its 14 national member agencies and 125 community relations councils adopted a resolution that calls on campus leaders to do more to make students safe from anti-Semitism. “In such circumstances, it is important for the Jewish community to serve as a resource and to offer campus groups assistance, as needed, to help …More

For decades, the American Jewish community has debated the advisability, constitutionality and necessity of government aid to Jewish (and other faiths’) parochial schools. But with the United States still experiencing tough economic challenges, the American Jewish community finds its schools under greater financial stress than ever. This reality, alongside the solidification of court rulings upholding government aid programs and a current of broader education reform, has positioned 2012 to be a year in which …More

Jewish organizations hosted a seder for members of Congress to highlight the importance of fighting hunger in America. The National Hunger Seder, which was sponsored by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and MAZON, was held March 29 in Washington to push for protecting and reinforcing funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. The refunding of SNAP will be considered in the 2012 Farm Bill reauthorization by Congress. Lawmakers that participated in the seder included Reps. David …More

Simmering divisions within the Jewish community are expected to come to a head this month over efforts to use federal civil rights laws to sanction some forms of alleged anti-Israel activity on campus. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, American Jewrys primary umbrella group for addressing domestic issues, will vote at its upcoming board meeting on a resolution that, in its current draft, cautions Jewish groups to guard against suppressing free speech and to invoke civil rights laws only after exhausting other …More

Simmering divisions within the Jewish community are expected to come to a head this month over efforts to use federal civil rights laws to sanction some forms of alleged anti-Israel activity on campus. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, American Jewrys primary umbrella group for addressing domestic issues, will vote at its upcoming board meeting on a resolution that, in its current draft, cautions Jewish groups to guard against suppressing free speech and to invoke civil rights laws only after exhausting other …More

A group of leading rabbis and scholars has compiled sermons and other materials to help Jewish leaders talk about civility during the High Holidays and all year. The civility materials, which include religious texts and study materials, were prepared by a working group composed of rabbis and scholars from across the Jewish religious spectrum under the auspices of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. They are part of the Campaign for Civility that JCPA launched in 2010 and can be found on the JCPA website. …More