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November 6, 2020 
WEEK IN REVIEW
This has been one of the most consequential and certainly memorable elections of our lifetime. One of the many things that will be reported about this historic election is how carefully every vote was counted and the importance of each voter.

At JAC, we constantly say that every vote matters. This election has certainly proven that. Our candidate Rita Hart, in Iowa, is down by 200 votes. There are many others like Rita whose success or failure will come down to a handful of votes. We will continue to monitor those races and share that information with you.

Even an unprecedented pandemic could not keep JAC from doing our job and
getting out the vote for our candidates. We were driven by zeal and a persistence to make sure everyone was able to participate in this election. We made calls, wrote more than 40,000 postcards, texted, and some even went door to door to help voters. We met with candidates on more than 30 zoom calls since March.

With your support, we were in 104 races in 36 states. Although the outcome in some races were not what we hoped, you can still feel a sense of pride that you did something.

Thank you for the unique role you played in this election. We asked a lot from you, and you stepped up. Now we are faced with the challenging task of waiting. There maybe be setbacks, recounts and legal proceedings. We will need patience for the days and weeks ahead. Many of our candidates will still need our support for their recount races. Some will also face run-off elections.

These past four years have been tumultuous, ending in this emotional rollercoaster of a week. But as Joe Biden said, "Democracy is sometimes messy and it sometimes requires a little of patience as well. But that  patience has been rewarded for more than 240 years."

Tuesday's election is not the end. We must continue to work to ensure that good government matters. Our democracy is a participatory process. Each election requires the same dedication and passion that we showed on Tuesday.

We hope you will continue to stay involved and informed with JAC. Our work never ends.

Again, thank you for your support. 
ISRAEL
How To Maintain Israel's Qualitative Military Edge

Three Arab countries -- the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Sudan -- recently announced normalization agreements with Israel. More (Oman, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Kuwait and other African or Asian states) may soon follow. This suggests that Israel, an embattled country since its founding in 1948, is safer. But the reality is more complicated. In recent years, after many Middle East states went on weapons-shopping sprees, Israel has also scrutinized the impact of quantity, yielding a new acronym: "QQME" ("Qualitative and Quantitative Military Edge"). No matter how one assesses it, that edge could soon be imperiled.
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ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
No Matter Who Wins the Election, American Jews Fear Bigotry and Division Will Endure 

American Jews, like the rest of the country, don't yet know who won the presidential election. But after a grueling campaign and a contentious voting period, they say they know two things: The country is just as divided as it was four years ago. And while Democrat Joe Biden has carried the popular vote, tens of millions of people have thrown their support behind a president, Donald Trump, whom most American Jews believe advances values far from their own. Some Jews fear that means that even if Trump is defeated, the ideology he represents has staying power. 
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CHOICE
 
Divergent Colorado and Louisiana Abortion Votes Set the Tone for a Possible Post-Roe America
 
In Louisiana, voters approved a measure that will amend the state's constitution to read that it does not guarantee the right to abortion or the right to funding for abortions. In Colorado, voters rejected an initiative that would have banned abortions at 22 weeks of pregnancy. With Justice Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Court last month raising further speculation that Roe could be overturned, these results provide a glimpse into what abortion law could look like without nationwide protections.
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SEPARATION
Supreme Court Leans in Favor of Catholic Adoption Agency That Won't Work With LGBT Couples
 
The Supreme Court's conservative majority seemed prepared to rule in favor of a Roman Catholic adoption agency in Philadelphia that argued that it is entitled to discriminate against potential foster parents on the basis of sexual orientation. The adoption agency case arose after the city of Philadelphia learned in 2018 that Catholic Social Services, a foster care services provider affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, would not certify same-sex couples as suitable parents for children in the city's foster care system.
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BEYOND THE CORE
Climate Change: U.S. Formally Withdraws From Paris Agreement

After a three-year delay, the U.S. has become the first nation in the world to formally withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. President Trump announced the move in June 2017, but UN regulations meant that his decision only takes effect today, the day after the U.S. election. The U.S. could rejoin it in future, should a president choose to do so. The Paris deal was drafted in 2015 to strengthen the global response to the threat of climate change. 
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POLITICAL BYTE
The Polling Crisis Is a Catastrophe for American Democracy

Even with the results of the presidential contest still out, there's a clear loser in this election: polling. Surveys badly missed the results, predicting an easy win for former Vice President Joe Biden, a Democratic pickup in the Senate, and gains for the party in the House. Instead, the presidential election is still too close to call, Republicans seem poised to hold the Senate, and the Democratic edge in the House is likely to shrink. 
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FYI
5 Things to Know About Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's Jewish Attorney General Who's Making Sure the State's Votes Are Counted
 
As Pennsylvania counts its votes with the nation watching anxiously, the person in charge of making sure the ballots are tallied is an official once described as someone out of a "bar mitzvah photo." Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania's Democratic and Jewish attorney general, is the man charged with ensuring the legality of the state's electoral processes this year. With the election outcome still uncertain, Shapiro, 47, has aimed to present an image of competence and calm as the public face of the state's ballot counting.
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The Last Word
"Charge any omissions to my head. My heart is full."

- Stacey Abrams, as Georgia poised to turn blue for first time in 28 years
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.