Governor's Council on Holocaust & Genocide Education
Dear Friends,
This week, we're celebrating the announcement of the inaugural members of the Governor's Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education. Governor Newsom appointed leading experts, legislators, and state leaders to oversee this major new state initiative.
JPAC Board Member and JFCS Executive Director Dr. Anita Friedman will serve as one of the Council's co-chairs, alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta, Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and Senator Henry Stern – who championed the bill that led to the Council's creation.
Other members of the council include JPAC Board Members Beth Kean, CEO of the Holocaust Museum LA, and Seth Brysk, Central Pacific Regional Director for the Anti-Defamation League. They join several of our community partners and friends in the Legislative Jewish Caucus, including Vice Chair Senator Scott Wiener.
We're grateful to Senator Stern and the Governor's office for working closely with us to create this important Council, and to the legislature for providing $1.4 million in state funding to support its initiatives. The Council will now be tasked with expanding Holocaust and genocide education in our schools, and supporting students, teachers, and families when acts of antisemitism or bigotry occur.
Commission on the State of Hate
Another JPAC priority initiative, the Commission on the State of Hate, also recently saw major appointments.
JPAC Board Member and past Board Chair Cece Feiler was recently sworn in as the inaugural appointee made by Speaker of the Assembly Anthony Rendon. She will serve alongside anti-hate experts from various communities selected by the Governor and Senate Leadership.
The Commission on the State of Hate was created through legislation authored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom. It will monitor and track hate crimes, provide resources for victims, and make policy recommendations to better protect civil rights. We secured $1.8 million from this year's state budget to support the Commission's efforts.
These two new state entities are critical pieces of JPAC's holistic anti-hate initiatives. Alongside $50 million in security funding, they work to combat hate across its lifespan – from how it is learned, spread, acted on, and then responded to.
Please join us in thanking the Governor, Jewish Caucus, and legislative leaders for supporting these critical efforts and ensuring these two entities have the resources to begin their work in a timely manner.
Onward,
David Bocarsly
Executive Director, JPAC
In case you missed it:
Last week, nearly half of the California legislature shared messages of support for the Jewish community in response to the recent spate of antisemitism and in the lead-up to the four year anniversary of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.
