August 30, 2019
After 70 long years, the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote was adopted and incorporated into the Constitution on August 26, 1920. Today we mark that moment as National Women's Equality Day, which was Monday.

Women have made significant gains since that time in many areas of our society. Nearly 20 percent of all startups today have at least one female founder. Women serve in every part of our armed services in a wide variety of jobs and positions, including as a four-star general. We now have three women on the Supreme Court.  

The 2018 election ushered in the greatest number of women to serve in Congress, thanks, in part to the high number of women voting. The Center for American Women and Politics found that women have continuously voted at higher rates than men since 1980.

Despite all of this, women still have not achieved equity with men. Women earn just 79 cents to every $1 a man makes. The House passed the Paycheck Fairness Act but it remains stalled in the Senate.

Women still do not have control over their own reproductive health care. More states than ever before are restricting women's access to abortion. Alabama's recently-passed bill doesn't even have an exception for rape or incest.

Trump has promoted an agenda since his first days in the White House targeting women. He has tried to defund Planned Parenthood and has nominated judges who want to overturn Roe v Wade. His changes to the Title X program will to make it even harder for women to access contraception and other general health care services.

More women have been killed by an intimate partner since 9/11 than were killed on that September day and in Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet the Senate has failed to pass any of the House bills that would end gun violence.

Women have been voting for nearly 100 years, but we still struggle compared to our male counterparts. Hopefully someday soon we will no longer need an official day to call attention to the need for women's equality. We will just have it.
JAC AROUND TOWN
Former JAC President Gail Yamner (r) met with Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ).
JAC members turned out to support Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) in Highland Park, IL.
(l to r: Barbara Slutsky, Dr. Marc Slutsky, Sen. Durbin, Susan Insoft, Stacey Michelson, Betsy Higginson)
JAC delivered JAC support to Rep. Max Rose (D-NY) in New York this week.
(l to r: Linda Rae Sher, Hollis Wein, Rep. Rose, Marcia Balonick)
ISRAEL
The Israel-Iran Shadow War Escalates and Breaks into the Open
    
Israel has carried out a series of attacks across the Middle East in recent weeks to prevent Iran from equipping its Arab allies with precision-guided missiles, drones and other sophisticated weapons that could challenge Israel's defenses. Israel accuses Iran of trying to establish an overland arms-supply line through Iraq and northern Syria to Lebanon.  
Continued Reading

ANTI-SEMITISM & BDS
Antisemitic Beliefs Spreading Among Evangelical Christians in America

Luba Yanko complains about the state of the country. President Donald Trump is trying to act on Christian values, she believes. But from what she reads online, it seems that a certain group keeps getting in the way.  Trump, she says, "is surrounded by a Zionist environment with completely different values from Christians. It's kabbalist. It's Talmudic values. Not the word of God."  In other words: It's the Jews' fault.
Continued Reading

CHOICE
Federal Judge Blocks Missouri's 8-Week Abortion Ban 
 
A new Missouri ban on abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy won't take effect after a federal judge temporarily blocked it from being implemented.  U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge against it plays out in court, which could take months. He added that Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri likely will succeed in their lawsuit alleging that the law is unconstitutional.
Continued Reading


SEPARATION
American Jews Are Loyal to the Vision of America

Why is the United States of America unique?  It was the first country in the world in which Jews did not have ask for, beg for, or bargain for their rights as citizens.  In 1915, Justice Louis Brandeis  about how Jews could simultaneously be proud Zionists and proud Americans.  Louis Brandeis was not talking about political loyalty. He was talking about emotional loyalties.  This is why Donald Trump is wrong, and dangerously so.
Continued Reading

BEYOND THE CORE
FEC Can't Enforce Election Laws Right Now, Because of Mitch Mcconnell's Obstruction

The Federal Election Commission will effectively shut down after a Republican appointee resigned, leaving the panel without a legally-required four-member quorum.  "Without a quorum, certain Commission activities will not take place. For example, the Commission will not be able to hold meetings, initiate audits, vote on enforcement matters, issue advisory opinions, or engage in rulemakings," Republican commissioner Caroline Hunter said in a statement .
Continued Reading


POLITICAL BYTE
Facebook Tightens Rules on Political Advertising Ahead of 2020 U.S. Presidential Elections
 
Facebook is tightening its rules around political advertising ahead of the 2020 U.S. presidential elections, an acknowledgement of previous misuse. But it's not clear if it will be enough to stop bad actors from abusing its system. The changes include a tightened verification process that will require anyone wanting to run ads pertaining to elections, politics or big social issues like guns and immigration to confirm their identity and prove they are in the U.S.
Continued Reading

 
FYI
Getting Rid of Plastic in Israel
 
With an actively growing population and limited space, Israel has faced serious complications concerning proper waste disposal. This has led to an enormous pollution issue in the country, one that most people are not completely aware of. One organization is trying to change the game, picking up one piece of trash at a time.  
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 info@jacpac.org. We will be happy to help organize a JACII in your city.

The Last Word
"I am now 86 years old, yet people of all ages want to take their picture with me. Amazing."

-Ruth Bader Ginsburg
   
   
Thursday, September 5
Coffee & Conversation
Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI)
10:30 am
Chicago
Call the JAC office for details
____________________________

Monday, September 9
Meeting with
MJ Hegar
U.S. Senate Candidate (D-TX)
Chicago
We will be meeting with her directly following the U.S. Holocaust Luncheon. Contact the JAC office for details.
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Sunday, September 15
Talking Points LA
with
Rep. Linda Sanchez (CA-38)
3-5 pm
Encino, CA

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Monday, September 16
Coffee & Conversation
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ)
11:00 am
Chicago
Call JAC office for details
__________________________

Tuesday, September 24
Reception in support of
Kristine Schanbacher
Candidate for IL-7
6-8 pm
Winnetka, IL
Call JAC office for details
_________________________

Thursday, October 10
Michigan Membership Meeting
Franklin, MI
Details to follow
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SAVE THE DATE
Thursday, October 17
Senate Candidate Mark Kelly (D-AZ) &
Former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ)
Chicago, IL
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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Want to host a JAC event? Contact the office and we will help organize it.
info@jacpac.org 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.