As our hearts continue to break at the news of attacks on Ukraine and the suffering of people across our globe, the JCRC continues to fight for all of the residents of Missouri to live safe, secure, healthy lives that recognize and embrace their whole being and identity.

Our Jewish community was truly in full force in Jefferson City this week. I was honored to stand alongside Rabbi Daniel Bogard, Rabbi Karen Bogard, Rabbi Scott Shafrin, Nancy Solomon Desloge, Amy Hammerman, Laura Horwitz, Shira Berkowitz, Philip Deitch, Jen Bernstein, Jeremy Brok, and our own Cheryl Adelstein to testify, advocate, and lobby on major issues currently being debated in the state legislature.

Our JCRC testified against a gun bill that would shift the burden of proof to the prosecutor to prove that a shooting was not in self-defense, in support of a bill that would allow incarcerated individuals to earn credit against time served and thus speed up their path to rehabilitation, against a bill that would bar trans athletes from playing on sports teams, and met with our elected officials to advocate that they allow teachers to teach American History, the Civil Rights movement, and the stories of our minority populations without restriction.

It has been a busy week and we’ll be back in Jeff City next week as well!

All of our work is possible because of the strong relationships we have built with our elected officials who recognize the important contributions of our Jewish community. Please join us on Monday night for our Council meeting and Legislative Town Hall when a few of those elected leaders will join us to share more of what is happening in the Sta, their legislative priorities, and what you can do to help make Missouri a stronger and better community for all to thrive.

In the meantime, let us use this weekend to rest up before the work continues.

Shabbat Shalom,

Back: Rabbi Scott Shafrin, Kol Rinah, Jeremy Brok, Cultural Leadership, Jen Bernstein, NCJWSTL

Middle: Laura Horowtiz, JCRC At-Large Council Member, Rori Picker Neiss, JCRC

Front: Nancy Solomon Delsoge, JCRC Board Member, Cheryl Adelstein, JCRC, Philip Deitch, Community Activist

Monday & Friday: Published calls to action in our Advocacy Alert (2.28) Advocacy Alert (3.4)

Tuesday: Rori Picker Neiss, Daniel Bogard, at-large Council member Amy Hammerman, and many others were in the State Capitol to speak out again on the “Shoot First” self-defense bill, to support criminal justice reform legislation, and to fight bills that would discriminate against LGBT youth and participate in a press conference on this issue.

Thursday: JCRC was pleased to co-sponsor an Education Equity Lobby Day with the Missouri Education Equity Partnership. A strong contingent from the Jewish Community roamed the halls of the Capitol to talk to legislators about the importance of teaching a full version of history and allowing students to develop and expand their critical thinking skills.

On Monday, JCRC along with Cultural Leadership hosted a program on The Impact of Controlling K-12 Curriculum. The program began with words of Torah from Rabbi Noah Arnow of Congregation Kol Rinah, and included remarks on the historical context of this issue by Dr. Lisa Gilbert, a professor of Education at Washington University. Additional presenters included Sharon Geuea Jones, of the Jones Advocacy group, who addressed the legislative efforts in Missouri, and Dr. Cameron Poole, the Director of Equity and Inclusion from the Clayton School District who discussed how these legislative efforts would impact classroom teachers. If you missed the program, you can view it here.

This week the Student-to-Student program gave six presentations for the 185 Seniors at Westminster Christian Academy (WCA) Worldviews classes. Highlights of these presentations included high-level discussions about Jewish views of the afterlife, Jesus, and challenges that today's Jewish teens face. In many of our sessions, we had teen Torah readers chanting verses, and family Holocaust survival stories told with words and pictures. Each session ended with a brief explanation of the Kosher dietary laws with the WCA students getting their own mini boxes of Oreos to find the Kosher symbols for themselves. 

*Student to Student is a program of the Newmark Institute.

What’s going on in Jefferson City? What legislation is on the floor? How can you take action? JCRC’s March 7 Council meeting will answer these legislative-related questions in a Town Hall format. Featured guests include Senators Roberts and Schupp, and State Representatives Dogan, Gunby, Mackey and Schwadron. The meeting is free and open to the entire Jewish Community. 

March 6 - 12

Virtual

JCRC is pleased to be a sponsor of the JCC’s Jewish Film Festival, which showcases national and international cinema that explores universal issues through traditional Jewish values, opposing viewpoints, and new perspectives. More information is available here. A video preview of the festival is available here.

Friday, March 25

9:30 am | Virtual

Tuesday, March 8

11 am - 4 pm | Jefferson City

Our friends at Missouri Faith Voices are organizing a lobby day on March 8. We will by lobbying on Medicaid Expansion, the Initiative Petition Process, Voting Rights, and much more. This is a great opportunity to stand with our brothers and sisters of faith across the state to support our racial equity priorities. JCRC will be there and is happy to provide transportation and arrange carpools. If you are interested in attending, register here and also let Cheryl know so we can arrange carpools.

Friday, March 11

11 am | Virtual

Antisemitism has been on all of our minds a lot recently: from debates about whether the Amnesty International report about Israel was antisemitic, to Whoopi Goldberg’s comments about the Holocaust, to Dr. Deborah Lipstadt’s Senate confirmation hearing to be the next Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism. And, of course, T’ruah recently published our Very Brief Guide to Antisemitism.

Join our own Rabbi Jill Jacobs in a conversation with eminent historian Prof. James Loeffler that goes beyond the booklet, Friday, March 11 at 12 pm EST/11 am CST.