This past week saw the passing of Senator and former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Sen. Reid was a longtime friend to JAC and a fierce defender of our issues.

He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 through 1986, in the U.S. Senate from 1987 through 2017, and was Senate Majority Leader from 2007 through 2017. Many of the advances on JAC's issues are due to his masterful leadership, commitment to dialogue, and collaboration during his long tenure in the Senate.

Sen. Reid's accomplishments on JAC's issues included:

• He co-sponsored the Prevention First Amendment with Sen. Hillary Clinton, to fund abortion prevention efforts including giving women broader access to contraception. The bill failed to pass.
• While initially holding anti-abortion views, Sen. Reid evolved on the issue, earning a lifetime rating of 85% from Planned Parenthood. He was also a supporter of embryonic stem cell research.
• He supported the DREAM Act, a path to citizenship for young people who came to the U.S.
• He was a conservation hero, successfully securing the designation of approximately 5.1 million acres of U.S. federal land in Nevada as protected land.
• Sen. Reid was a strong supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship and invested early in his career in Israel bonds.
• Sen. Reid's wife, Landra, was raised Jewish. They lit Shabbat candles while her parents were alive and had a mezuzah on their home in Searchlight, NV. Their children were proud to be eligible for Israeli citizenship.
• He was a fierce opponent of antisemitism, saying after he retired that one of his greatest concerns was the spike in hatred following Trump's election.

Senator Reid's accomplishments, fierce advocacy, pugnacious attitude, and love of the U.S. are a legacy worthy of admiration and aspiration. We are a better country because of his dedication to public service, and he is a friend we will greatly miss.

May his memory always be a blessing.