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JAC met with Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) in Chicago and discussed a variety of current issues. (l to r: Daniel Loewenstein, Gail Eisenberg, Senator Casey, Kristine Schanbacher, and Jessica Lehr)
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Gail Yamner delivered JAC support to Mikie Sherrill, democratic candidate for NJ-11, in New Jersey.
(l to r: Mikie Sherrill, Gail Yamner)
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Week In Review Commentary
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While the victims' families struggle with the pain and heartbreak following the high school shooting, the entire country is debating an action plan. Many ask
what can be done. It is clear that we need common sense gun laws such as expanded background checks, which would include gun shows and the internet, and a ban on assault weapons. But getting there is nearly impossible with the NRA standing in the way
Countries with
less guns have less mass shootings. States with stricter gun laws have less gun violence. The answer is not sending our children to schools that are armed and outfitted like fortresses. It is nearly impossible to protect our families unless we elect candidates who will place human life above the NRA's goals.
In the 2016 election, the NRA spent
more than $52 million* electing and defeating candidates.
JAC donates to candidates across the country that share our values. We make
direct contributions to their campaigns and we bundle contributions from our members. This is how our voice is heard and how we make a difference.
Every member of the House and Senate votes on every issue. That is why it is important to work to elect candidates that may not even be from your state. The Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader in the Senate are elected by the party that holds the majority in that chamber. Each of those leaders decide what bills come to the floor for votes.
We can
rid the NRA's influence on Congress if we help elect candidates that stand up to vote for common sense gun laws. We can only do this if we donate to these candidates. They need our financial support to fight the NRA.
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Call Congress
202-224-3121
Tell your Representative and Senators to
Pass An Assault Weapons Ban
If they won't support the ban, VOTE THEM OUT.
#ThrowThemOut #StopTheViolence #NeverAgain
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'I Will Not Shut Up,' Haley Tells Palestinian Negotiator
Pledging she "will not shut up," U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said
Tuesday that the Trump administration will not change its decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
But her message at the U.N. Security Council went unheard by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who opted to leave the chamber prior to Haley's remarks.
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Jewish Settlers in the West Bank Surged Since President Trump Took Office, an Israeli Settler Leader Says
The number of Jewish settlers in the West Bank grew at nearly twice the rate of Israel's overall population last year, a settler leader said
, predicting that settlement growth would surge even more in the coming years thanks in part to the Trump presidency.
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The Accusations Against Benjamin Netanyahu: What You Need to Know
Benjamin Netanyahu is in trouble. Maybe. The Israeli prime minister is engulfed simultaneous in four separate scandals, and each day seems to bring him more bad news. Netanyahu could be indicted or pushed out of office - or both. Whether this is the beginning of the end of the Bibi Netanyahu era, or just the latest challenge to a seasoned political survivor, is the hot topic in Israel.
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Number of U.S. Hate Groups Jumps 20 Percent Since 2014
Among the more than 600 white supremacist groups: neo-Nazi organizations rose to 121 from 99, Anti-Muslim groups rose to 114 from 101. "President Trump in 2017 reflected what white supremacist groups want to see: a country where racism is sanctioned by the highest office, immigrants are given the boot and Muslims banned," said Heidi Beirch of the Southern Poverty Law Center.
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'No Criminal Charges' Under Disputed Polish Holocaust Law
A controversial new law that bans mentions of Polish complicity in the Holocaust will not lead to criminal charges, a top government official said. The recently adopted law has sparked a bitter conflict with Israel, where it is seen as trying to whitewash the actions of some Poles during WWll.
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State Department Cutting Language on Women's Rights, Discrimination in Annual Report
Officials have been told to trim parts of the annual report on global human rights that talk about family planning, contraceptives and abortion. The directive "sends a clear signal that women's reproductive rights are not a priority for this administration."
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Here's How Pro-Choice Activists Worked to Keep an Ohio Abortion Clinic Open
Residents have spent over 4 years trying to stop Capital Care Network of Toledo, the area's last abortion clinic, from closing. This week, they may have won.
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South Carolina Senate Panel Approves Bill That Would Effectively Ban All Abortions
Bill grants legal rights to fertilized eggs from the moment of conception. Doctors who terminate a pregnancy during a procedure that risks the mother's life must engage in "reasonable medical efforts" to save the fetus and not make exceptions for abortions performed when the mother is the victim of rape or incest.
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A Woman and Non-Christian Will Lead Group That Thinks Government Is Too Involved in Religion
A prominent advocacy group which pushes to protect boundaries between religion and government is getting its first new leader in a quarter-century. Rachel Laser, executive director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, is the first non-Christian to lead the 71-year-old group.
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Has the NRA Finally Met Its Match?
A generation is rising up, giving hope for a bold new gun-control movement. Survivors of a horrific rampage are speaking out-screaming out-in a way we haven't seen before, confronting the politicians who have failed them.
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After Parkland, States Take a Fresh Look at Gun Legislation
There are thousands of gun-related bills in statehouses - some expand access to guns by easing permit restrictions, others aim to take guns out of the hands of people with domestic violence convictions or mental health issues. After the recent shooting in Florida, some states are moving to bury bills already in the works, while others are gaining traction on measures that previously languished. Let's look at what's happening across the country.
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Two Obstacles for Trump's Judicial Nominees to Overcome
Trump's judicial nominees face two major hurdles in the Senate: blue slips and post-cloture debate. Blue slips are a courtesy accorded by the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee that allows senators to give their opinion of nominees for judicial vacancies located within their states. Senate Democrats also are demanding cloture votes on many executive branch and judicial nominees. Invoking cloture used to be a meaningful step, because it took 60 votes to end debate so that a confirmation vote could occur. In essence, it was a way to filibuster a nominee.
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How Trump Could End Up Diminishing His Own Power
In the coming weeks, President Trump is going to find himself making a decision he's bound to hate: Does he want to comply with Robert Mueller, or risk diminishing his own power?
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Who Needs Congressional Districts?
The PA Supreme Court handed down a new set of congressional district lines that Republicans plan to challenge. Under current law we need lines, but laws can be changed. And in our deeply polarized age, we might be better off.
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Donald Trump Jr.'s Tour Through India Is Staggeringly Corrupt
President Trump's son is in India promoting luxury apartments and meeting with real estate brokers. U.S. experts are appalled saying the arrangement encourages Indians, including those with government ties, to purchase Trump-branded property. "For many people wanting to impact American policy in the region, the cost of a condo is a small price to pay to lobby one of the people closest to the president, far away from watchful eyes."
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Florida Congressman's Kids Are Using Hamantaschen to Help End Gun Violence
The college-aged kids of a Jewish congressman from Florida are raising money to end gun violence by selling hamantaschen. Gabby, Serena and Cole Deutch have launched the Bake Action Against Gun Violence initiative. Their father is Rep. Ted Deutch, a Florida Democrat who represents the district where 17 people were killed last week in Parkland in a shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School by a former student there. The project encourages Americans from across the country to bake hamantaschen, a pastry traditionally eaten during the upcoming holiday of Purim, and sell them to raise money.
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These Jewish Women Say Celebrating Purim in the #METOO ERA Is Different
Queen Vashti is made out to be evil for standing up for herself and disobeying her husband. Queen Esther used her influence to avert a slaughter of Jewish subjects. "I've always thought of Purim as a feminist holiday in that there was always strong female role models in this particular narrative, but it is especially striking this year as we've watched the #MeToo movement just explode, that there is such a precise parallel right here in our own Bible," said Rabbi Leora Frankel.
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Remembering the White Rose
Seventy-five years ago, a group of young German idealists, students who had dared to speak out against the Nazis, were executed by the regime they had defied. Like a flickering flame in the darkness, the White Rose, as its members called themselves, is an inspiring group that never lost its courage - and a frightening reminder of how rare such heroes are.
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"Young people have helped lead all our great movements. How inspiring to see it again in so many smart, fearless students standing up for their right to be safe; marching and organizing to remake the world as it should be. We've been waiting for you. And we've got your backs."
Former President Barack Obama
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SAVE THE DATE
JAC 2018 Annual Meeting
Washington, D.C.
Tuesday, March 13th - Wednesday, March 14th, 2018
Special Pre-Conference VIP Tour
Monday, March 12th, 2018
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African American History and Culture
_________________________________________________
featuring
Jill Wine-Banks
MSNBC Contributor and Legal Analyst
Topic:
Russian interference in the 2016 election,
the Mueller investigation and other subjects
Wednesday, February 28th
10:30-noon
Highland Park, IL
_________________________________________________
Reception for Senate Candidate
Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
featuring Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Tuesday, March 6th
6 pm - 7:30 PM
Chevy Chase, MD
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Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs (JACPAC) is a pro-Israel PAC with a domestic agenda. We support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and advocate for reproductive health and the separation of religion and state and incorporate other issues of importance to the Jewish community, including gun violence prevention and climate change. In addition to providing financial support for U.S. Senate and House campaigns, JACPAC educates our membership with outreach events designed to inform and activate their participation in the political process.
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Federal law requires political committees to report the name, mailing address, occupation and employer for each individual who contributed to JACPAC. Maximum contribution per person may not exceed $5,000 per calendar year. According to law, JACPAC cannot accept corporate contributions. Membership, gifts, or other payments to JACPAC are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes.
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