The Jewish Council for Public Affairs' 14 national member agencies and 125 Community Relations Councils debated and adopted five resolutions expressing the consensus view of the American Jewish community at the JCPA's annual Plenum in Detroit. The resolutions deal with anti-Semitism on campuses, collective bargaining, education equity, gender segregation in Israel, and hydrofracking for natural gas and oil.
Countering Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic Activity on Campus This resolution calls for education about and support for the "important remedy" that is now available under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and calls on campus leaders to do more to make students safe. It embraces a range of responses to hostile campus atmospheres including dialogue, education, and legal remedies.
Collective Bargaining This resolution continues longstanding support for collective bargaining for public employees and opposes efforts to narrow or eliminate it.
Equal Education Opportunity This resolution addresses inequity in educational opportunity in public schools. This resolution calls for research, education, and community attention directed to closing the achievement gap in our nation's public schools and heightening awareness of this issue on the national Jewish agenda.
Gender Segregation in Public Spaces in Israel This resolution was ultimately supported by the National Council of Jewish Women along with the Conservative, Reconstructionist, Reform, and Orthodox Jewish movements. It states that enforced gender segregation in secular public spaces is inconsistent with Israel's founding principles of equality and, at the same time, that there may be circumstances where accommodation of gender segregation may be appropriate such as the consideration of religious and cultural sensitivities in the delivery of municipal services
Hydrofracking This resolution addresses natural gas and oil extraction by the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, otherwise known as hydrofracking. The resolution calls for studies, disclosure, safeguards, and oversight.
Senator Stabenow Touts Food Aid in Bipartisan Farm Bill with Eye Towards Deficit Reduction
At a time of partisanship and gridlock, Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, discussed her Committee's bipartisan effort to reauthorize the Farm Bill and ensure aid goes to struggling families in Michigan and throughout the country without waste or abuse. The remarks were made to Jewish community relations leaders and professionals in Detroit for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs' annual Plenum.
"This has been a moment of pride and bipartisanship," said Stabenow of the Senate Agriculture Committee's 5-hour debate on the Farm Bill. On the nutrition assistance component of the bill, Stabenow said the "challenge is to address our greatest deficits in history while staying true to our values." Regarding efforts to increase program accountability, Stabenow said "in this economy, every single dollar we spend must go to families in need."
Ensuring robust funding for the nutrition title of the Farm Bill, which covers vital programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly food stamps), has been a legislative priority for the JCPA. The JCPA's advocacy efforts include the community-based Hunger Seder Mobilization and national leadership in the Jewish Farm Bill Working Group. The JCPA has been actively involved in preventing deep cuts to programs that have kept millions out of poverty and alleviated hunger.
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The Jewish Council for Public Affairs' 14 national member agencies and 125 Community Relations Councils debated and adopted five resolutions expressing the consensus view of the American Jewish community at the JCPA's annual Plenum in Detroit. The resolutions deal with anti-Semitism on campuses, collective bargaining, education equity, gender segregation in Israel, and hydrofracking for natural gas and oil.
