The largest collective voice of Bay Area Jews, working in pursuit of a more just world where Jewish identity is embraced and all people thrive.
San Francisco Bay Area
Joined June 2010
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“What does it mean to feel welcome? In Jewish tradition, being welcoming is more than a courtesy.”
Amid rising antisemitism in nonprofits, Blue Compass Executive Director Sharon Leslie calls on organizations to extend that same welcome to Jewish employees and ensure they can belong without hiding their identity.
🔗 Read her op-ed in JWeekly: jweekly.com/2026/10/26/no-on…
Watch JCRC’s webinar with Leslie, “Addressing Antisemitism in Nonprofit Organizations”
youtube.com/watch?v=wCznCZq5…
JCRC mourns the passing of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers and a tireless champion of workers’ rights, women’s equality and civil rights.
For more than seven decades, she brought communities together to fight for dignity and justice, building lasting bonds with Jewish allies along the way. Through the Dolores Huerta Foundation, she helped generations of organizers recognize their own power to create change.
Learn more about her life and legacy at @doloreshuertafd’s website.
May her memory be a blessing.
JCRC STATEMENT FOLLOWING THE ELECTIONS IN ISRAEL
Yesterday, our Bay Area Jewish community nervously awaited the results from Israel’s first national election since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks and ensuing war in Gaza – an extraordinary moment in both circumstances and significance. The election saw an impressive 78 percent turnout, including the highest recorded turnout among Arab Israelis in history. Based on results to date, neither of Israel’s two major political camps, led respectively by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot, have a clear path to forming a governing coalition.
Here in the Bay Area, our community holds diverse views on the desired outcome. Our polling of Bay Area Jews has shown a clear majority are dissatisfied with the current Israeli administration. In this election, most hoped for a change in leadership, while others favored a continuation of the existing government. The former are concerned about the growing influence of ultra-nationalist political factions, settler violence in the West Bank, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and the unraveling of Israel's democratic norms. The latter is focused on the security risks a change in leadership could present for the ongoing conflicts with Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
Bay Area Jews hold a rich diversity of identities, experiences, and political perspectives, including strongly held and sometimes conflicting views about Israel. Political beliefs aside, local Jews maintain familial, cultural, religious, and historical connections to Israel, and the vast majority support Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.
Locally, debates over Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict occupy an outsized and polarized place in public discourse. Singling out Jews and subjecting them to ideological litmus tests about their beliefs or views on Israel as a condition of acceptance or inclusion is prejudicial and bigoted. Jewish identity must never be conflated with the actions of the Israeli government. Nor should Jews, including Israelis living in the Bay Area, be held responsible for a conflict thousands of miles away. At a time of misinformation and rising antisemitism, we urge public officials and community leaders to reject dehumanizing rhetoric and approach election results with calm and civil discourse.
WATCH: Israel Votes - Breaking Down What's at Stake
youtube.com/watch?v=FijXowS9…
FURTHER READING: How Israeli Elections Work from @jfederations
cdn-assets.fedwebplatform.or…
JCRC mourns the passing of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of United Farm Workers and a tireless champion of workers’ rights, women’s equality and civil rights. Her courage and organizing helped generations fight for dignity and justice.
May her memory be a blessing.
Dolores Huerta, a pioneering labor organizer and civil rights icon who cofounded the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez in the 1960s, has died at 96, her family said in a statement. cnn.it/4iMPEBd
As Israelis head to the polls for the first time since October 7, what is this election really about?
According to San Francisco State University Professor Dr. Eran Kaplan, it comes down to one issue: a referendum on Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Watch our full webinar breaking down the political landscape, the key players, and what the outcomes could mean for both Israeli and American Jews.
🔗 youtu.be/FijXowS9v2o
Eight years ago today, eleven Jewish worshippers were murdered while gathered for Shabbat at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue, the deadliest antisemitic attack in American history.
We remember the lives tragically stolen and honor the community forever changed as we recommit to always combat antisemitism and extremism.
Joyce Fienberg, 75
Richard Gottfried, 65
Rose Mallinger, 97
Jerry Rabinowitz, 66
Cecil Rosenthal, 59
David Rosenthal, 54
Bernice Simon, 84
Sylvan Simon, 86
Daniel Stein, 71
Melvin Wax, 88
Irving Younger, 69
May their memories be a blessing.
JCRC Bay Area mourns the loss of Dorothy Saxe, a Jewish community leader and philanthropist who passed earlier this month at age 100. Her decades of generosity and leadership strengthened Jewish life across the Bay Area, including Congregation Beth Am, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, Jewish Federation Bay Area and the Oshman Family JCC.
Her commitment to tzedakah lives on through generations of her family and the communities she supported. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her family and loved ones. May her memory be a blessing.
LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER: Join us today at 7:00 p.m. for a public webinar on what’s at stake as Israelis head to the polls for the first time since the October 7 terrorist attacks and the war that followed.
We’ll explore the key players, critical issues and possible outcomes, including what the election could mean for Israelis, American Jews, our local community and diaspora-Israel relations. An audience Q&A will follow.
FEATURING:
• Dr. Eran Kaplan, Goldman Professor in Israel Studies, @SFSU
• Karen Stiller, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, JCRC Bay Area
🔗 REGISTER: tinyurl.com/IsraelVotesWebin…
A new @EdWorkforceCmte report brings increased scrutiny to longstanding concerns about antisemitism within the Berkeley Unified School District.
JCRC’s Adriana Lombard told @jns_org:
“The erasure of Israel and Jewish historical connections to the land, minimization of the Holocaust and framing Jews as oppressors all perpetuate antisemitism.
We are grateful to the Jewish families and educators in Berkeley who raised these concerns and have worked tirelessly to advocate for change.
It is critically important we work together to ensure Jews are accurately represented, their identities respected and all students receive an education grounded in historical accuracy and critical thinking."
Read more: jns.org/news/u-s-news/house-…
The midterm election is right around the corner! On November 6, join our sister org, @BAjewishaction, for a post-election briefing to break down the results and impact on the Jewish community.
👉 Register: tinyurl.com/BAJABriefingNov6
What will the midterm election results mean for the Jewish community?
On November 6, join Bay Area Jewish Action (BAJA), @jewish_cal, and the @theJCPA for a special post-election webinar.
We’ll break down local, state, and federal results, share key takeaways, and discuss what comes next for Jewish political representation and public policy, including how our community can take action.
Featuring:
• @davidbocarsly, CEO, Jewish California
• Jonathan Mintzer, Managing Director, BAJA
• @amyspitalnick, CEO, JCPA
• Moderator: @tyegregory, Executive Director, BAJA
🔗 REGISTER: tinyurl.com/BAJABriefingNov6
JCRC Bay Area retweeted
Thank you to everyone who joined ADL Central Pacific and Temple Isaiah to celebrate California's new Safe Worship Zone Act (AB 2664) with Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan and Rabbi Jill Perlman. Everyone deserves to worship safely and freely. #SafeWorshipZone
With the Safe Worship Zone Act (AB 2664) now signed into law, we’re helping our community understand its protections and celebrating the work that made this victory possible.
On Monday, JCRC joined @adlcalifornia and @IsaiahLafayette for “Sacred Space, Safe Space,” a discussion featuring the bill’s author, Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, Rabbi Jill Perlman of Temple Isaiah, Ralph Severson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and JCRC’s Julia Mates.
Thank you to everyone who joined us to learn how AB 2664 protects safe access to worship for all faiths.
Next week, Israelis will head to the polls for consequential elections, the first since the deadly October 7 terrorist attacks and the war that followed.
Join JCRC for a timely webinar exploring the key players and critical issues shaping the vote, as well as possible outcomes. We’ll examine the potential consequences for both Israeli and Jewish Americans, including the impact on our local Jewish community and diaspora-Israel relations, followed by an audience Q&A.
FEATURING:
Dr. Eran Kaplan, Goldman Professor in Israel Studies, @SFSU
Karen Stiller, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, JCRC Bay Area
🔗 REGISTER: tinyurl.com/IsraelVotesWebin…
Join us at the Z3 Conference!
We’re proud to be a Community Partner for the 2026 Z3 Conference on Sunday, November 1 at the @ofjcc in Palo Alto, with a full day of inspiring speakers and vital conversations.
For over a decade, @Z3_project has brought together top thinkers, educators, activists, artists, and community leaders from across the Jewish world to explore bold ideas about Israel, the Diaspora, and our shared Jewish future.
Register Today: tickettailor.com/events/oshm…
JCRC mourns the passing of Charene Zalis, a beloved member of our community and documentary filmmaker who spent decades telling stories of people standing up to hate. Her work with Not In Our Town included Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life, documenting Pittsburgh’s solidarity following the 2018 synagogue massacre.
Our heartfelt condolences go out to her family, including JCRC Board Member Peter Yolles, and all who loved her. May her memory be a blessing.
