Almost one year ago, I had the privilege, along with my wife Daniella and friends Deb and Gregg Jacob, to co-chair our community’s observance of the one-year anniversary of October 7.
We came together, more than 2,500 people strong, to remember those who had been senselessly murdered, to pray for those who were still in captivity, to grieve with a traumatized nation but also, to draw strength from our unity and shared sense of purpose.
The sacred task of creating a strong, secure and unified Jewish community has always been a fundamental tenet of who I am as a Jew, and why I am honored to serve as chair of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) for the next two years.
At a time when antisemitism is reaching record levels in our state and around the world; as Israel continues its fight to eliminate Hamas and bring home the hostages and pro-Israel supporters struggle to maintain bipartisan support on Capitol Hill, JCRC’s work to educate and advocate on behalf of the Jewish people is more important than ever.
In virtually every sector of society and communal life we work to secure the agenda of the Jewish people and strengthen bonds with our friends and neighbors. In the educational arena, we bring together parents of children in public schools K-12 to share best practices for countering hate in our schools.
In the government and public policy space we educate and mobilize constituents to engage with their elected leaders on issues that directly impact Jewish lives (like advocating for a state definition of antisemitism (the IHRA bill) and securing funding to protect our synagogues and Jewish institutions.)
Through JCRC’s interfaith outreach initiatives, we are building important relationships with other faith leaders and communities to strengthen the fabric of our civic society in New Jersey.
And we focus on the next generation through our Interfaith Teen Leaders group, and Teen Israel Leadership Council, to prepare high school students for Jewish leadership on their future college campuses and to give them the confidence to stand up for Israel.
I am grateful to my predecessor Jody Hurwitz Caplan for her steady hand during two exceedingly difficult years in the history of our people; to the members of JCRC’s Steering Committee for their commitment to this work and to our professionals for working hand in hand with community leaders to attend to the challenges of the day.
Those challenges are far from over. As the Middle East remains an unstable region and the war against Hamas continues, we as a people will need to step up our efforts to forge alliances, educate government leaders, stay vigilant against acts of antisemitism, foster dialogue and respectful civil discourse, protect democratic norms and values and strengthen communal connections.
This work is not done solely by the members of our steering committee, but rather with the active help and participation of community members. I urge you to get involved, whether answering the call to reach out to members of Congress or the state legislature, or by making sure you vote in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
Together we can make a difference, for the future of our people, and the strength of our community.