March 6, 2020 
WEEK IN REVIEW

JAC members at Vice President Biden's 2013 Sukkah Party in Washington, DC (l to r: Vice President Biden, Betsy Sheerr,  
Linda Rae Sher, Dana Gordon, Janna Berk, Dr. Jill Biden) 
 
After nearly four years of a Trump presidency, our country is battered and bruised. Our democracy has been stretched and twisted. We are more divided than ever before. The challenges families face grow on a daily basis. 
 
This election is less than 270 days away. It offers us a chance to make a change by electing a leader that will heal the wounds and begin to once again build a country that serves as a beacon of freedom and human rights. 
 
That leader is Joe Biden.
 
After more than 36 years in the Senate and eight years as vice president, Joe understands how to work across the aisle to effect real change. He has always stood up for JAC's values and we are proud to call him our friend.
 
He wrote and championed the Violence Against Women Act of 1994; shepherded through Congress the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act; and secured the passage of a 10-year assault weapons ban.
 
Joe has pledged to codify Roe v. Wade. This would take the question of safe and legal abortion out of the Supreme Court's hands by passing legislation in Congress that guarantees women in every state the right to unfettered access to abortion care. This would protect the right to choose even in the event that Roe v. Wade is overturned.
 
  Click here  to listen Joe discuss his position on women's issues.
 
With Joe on top of the ticket, it will also help the candidates running down ballot from Congress to the state houses. Elections have consequences.
 
There were many other qualified candidates in the race, many of whom JAC also counts as friends. Many of you supported these candidates. Now is the time we must all come together and do what it takes to defeat Donald Trump. We cannot allow Trump to spend four more years in the White House. 
 
JAC will do all that we can to help elect Joe. Join us as we knock on doors and phone voters. Attend a Joe Biden for President event. Donate here. Get involved. 
 
This is THE election.
 
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Help support candidates across the country that support JAC's issues. Make a donation to JAC and we will use it to support our candidates.
JAC AROUND TOWN
Sharon Koltin (left) with Dr. Jill Biden in Chicago
Susan Insoft (left) with Dr. Jill Biden in Chicago
ISRAEL
Israel's Netanyahu Falls Short of Parliamentary Majority
                  
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again fallen short of a parliamentary majority with his hard-line allies, extending the country's year-old political deadlock and weakening the longtime leader as he prepares to go on trial for corruption charges. The embattled Netanyahu had been looking for a decisive victory in Monday's vote, and initial exit polls had indicated his Likud party and smaller religious and nationalist allies had captured 60 seats, just one short of a majority required to form a new government. But a final count announced by the election commission determined that Netanyahu's jubilation was premature. 
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Is the Vatican Trying to Distort How Pius XII Behaved Towards Jews?

The director of the historical archives relating to the Vatican's Section for Relations with States, Johan Ickx, penned a column painting an apologetic picture of Pope Pius XII's behavior toward the Jews during the Nazi-fascist persecutions, on the day the Vatican opened its archives on the pope who served between 1939 and 1958. Ickx's words prompted the criticism of Chief Rabbi of Rome Riccardo Di Segni.   
Continued Reading

 

CHOICE
No Matter What the Supreme Court Decides, Abortion Opponents Have Already Won      
 
June Medical Services v. Russo concerns a Louisiana law requiring abortion providers to have admitting privileges at a local clinic. Louisiana legislators and abortion opponents say the measure is meant to protect patients. But abortion-rights advocates argue that such laws have no medical purpose and are simply aimed at creating more red tape to ultimately shut clinics down. And if the Supreme Court upholds the Louisiana law, clinics not just in Louisiana but around the country could close as a result.
Continued Reading

SEPARATION
 
'Anyone but Trump': The Texas Evangelicals Who Plan to Vote Democrat

Texas is home to one of the largest evangelical populations in the country, most of which traditionally votes Republican. But some current and former members of the evangelical community have turned to the Democrats, espousing more progressive beliefs. On the eve of Tuesday's make-or-break Democratic primary, traveled to Austin, the state's capital, to meet some of those hoping to defeat President Donald Trump.  
Continued Reading


BEYOND THE CORE
A Texas Tragedy; Waiting Seven Hours to Vote       
 
T exas has eliminated hundreds of polling locations across the state, especially in minority areas, and here's what happened. Voters in some of those areas had to wait hours in long lines to cast their ballot. Some waited as long as seven hours.    
Continued Reading

POLITICAL BYTE
Trump Signs $8 Billion Emergency Coronavirus Funding Package      
 
The Senate passed the bill 96-1 on Thursday, after it flew through the House 415-2 on Wednesday afternoon - marking a rare moment of congressional unity in the face of a public health crisis. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) were the only members of Congress to vote against the package. 
Continued Reading

ELECTION 2020
Facebook Takes Down Deceptive Trump Campaign Ads - After First Allowing Them    
 
The Trump ads urged Facebook users to "take the official 2020 Congressional District Census today," but despite the look and language of the ad, they were not related to the once-a-decade national count of U.S. citizens happening this year. Instead, the ads linked to a survey on the "Certified Website of President Donald J. Trump," which collected information and requested a donation.       
Continued Reading

FYI
Purim Is a Holiday for Partying. This Year, Coronavirus Makes Things Different.      
 
Every Purim, Richard Roberts sponsors a party for more than 2,000 people in the heavily Orthodox New Jersey city of Lakewood, where he gives out, by his estimation, some $200,000 in charity. This year, because of the coronavirus, the party is cancelled.    
Continued Reading

JAC II
Introducing JACII, a JAC group for young professionals, advocates, and those young at heart who are looking to get involved. Groups have started in Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
 
Events will feature elected officials and speakers in lively settings. JACII is by and for young people. Now is the perfect time to get involved.
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Know someone who would be interested in joining or hosting a meeting? Let us know at [email protected]. We will be happy to help organize a JACII in your city.

The Last Word
"We are a decent, brave, resilient people. We can believe again, but we are better than this moment. We are better than this President. So, get back up and take back this country, the United States of America. There's not a single thing we can't do."
   
- Former Vice President Joe Biden 
Events
  
An Evening at the Theater with JACPAC
What the Constitution Means to Me
Wednesday, March 11th
Dinner & Political Update with Jill Wine Banks: 5:30 pm
Showtime: 7:30 pm
Chicago, IL
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Event for former Vice President
Joe Biden
Friday, March 13th
for details call the JAC office
847.433.5999
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SAVE THE DATE
Talking Points with
Rep. Sean Casten (IL-6)
Monday, April 6
9:30 am 
Chicago Suburbs
Details to follow
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SAVE THE DATE
April 21-23, 2020
JAC's 2020 Annual Meeting
Celebrating 40 years of JAC
Washington, DC
 
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Friday, May 8
Rep. Jan Schakowsky's
Ultimate Women's Power Lunch
featuring  
Impeachment Managers  
Rep. Val Demings (D-FL) and Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-TX)
Chicago, IL 
12:00 - 2:00 pm
Register today to sit at the JAC table.
Call 847.433.5999
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Want to host a JAC event? Contact the office and we will help organize it.
[email protected] or 847.433.5999

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.
Paid for by Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs. Contributions or gifts are not tax deductible.  Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer of individuals whose contributions exceed $200 in an election cycle. Corporate contributions and contributions from non-US citizens who are not lawfully admitted for permanent residence are prohibited. All contributions by individuals must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed or paid by another person.