California Jewish Democrats News

California Jewish Democrats Statement on Cesar Chavez and Support for Sexual Violence Survivors

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 23:22:09 GMT

California Jewish Democrats is deeply troubled by the news and allegations that have come to light regarding Cesar Chavez and the harm he inflicted on numerous women. We support Dolores Huerta and all survivors of sexual violence, and we recognize the courage it takes to speak out.

Our Jewish and Democratic values call on us to affirm the safety, dignity, and respect of every person—and to be clear that there is no place for abuse, violence, or the silencing of survivors in any movement or institution. Accountability and compassion must go hand in hand.

While we honor the progress of the labor movement that has long fought for fairness and equity, we are unequivocal in our commitment to confronting harm and centering those who have experienced it. Survivors must be heard, supported, and never silenced.

At a time like this, as Jewish Democrats, we reaffirm our commitment to building communities - and movements - grounded in integrity, responsibility, and respect for all.

California Jewish Democrats Statement on Governor Newsom’s Remarks on Israel

Thu, 19 Mar 2026 23:14:55 GMT

On 3/3/26, Governor Newsom made comments referring to Israel as “sort of an apartheid state” and suggested that a time may come when the U.S. should reconsider its military aid to Israel, during an interview for the Pod Save America podcast. Two days later, Governor Newsom clarified that he had been referencing a column by New York Times writer Thomas Friedman about the direction Israel was headed.

California Jewish Democrats acknowledges Governor Newsom’s clarification, stating his love for Israel, punctuated by his disapproval of its current leadership. While we share some of the Governor’s frustration with the current government of Israel, there are better and more accurate terms to express those concerns. Invoking the "apartheid" libel and reducing Israel’s ability to respond to its enemies was not the best way to do this, as shown by the fact that his earlier statements were enthusiastically welcomed by anti-Israel extremists. (View the Governor’s C-SPAN interview.)

Governor Newsom is a longtime supporter of the Jewish Community, most recently signing AB 715, the landmark bill to support Jewish students – and we look forward to our continued dialogue and collaboration.

At this critical time for the Jewish community, we ask that Governor Newsom provide a comprehensive statement clarifying his remarks referencing apartheid and reassure our community of his continued support for the U.S.-Israel relationship. And we further ask the Governor to meet with the Jewish community leadership asking for this definitive statement of clarification.

CJD Quoted in Jewish Insider on California Congressional Races in CA22, CA48

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 23:18:48 GMT

https://jewishinsider.com/2026/03/democratic-majority-for-israel-swing-district-candidates/

Statement on Military Action Against Iran

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 02:03:46 GMT

California Jewish Democrats stands with our Constitution and the War Powers Act, which requires that the Congress approve declarations of war. For a President who ran on "ending wars," Trump has used military air power 646 times in his first year, more than the 494 that Biden used in four years.

However, to be clear, Iran's theocratic regime is a primary destabilizing source in the region, which has attempted to undermine or overthrow governments in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Israel, supported the Assad dictatorship in Syria and followed suit in suppressing and killing thousands of its own people.

The determination of who governs Iran must be left to the Iranian people and not any outside source.

We stand for the safety and self-determination of the Iranian people free from oppression and the preservation of US Constitutional checks on power.

PLATFORM DEAL ELIMINATES PROPOSED GENOCIDE AND AID CONDITIONING LANGUAGE

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:30:23 GMT

The California Democratic Party passed a platform that removed attempts to falsely accuse Israel of committing genocide and blunted calls for conditioning aid to Israel while leaving language in place supporting Israel's right to exist as a Jewish democratic state and the Two State Solution.

"The California Democratic Party reaffirmed yet again its support of issues critical to the Jewish community community such as fighting antisemitism commitment to Israel's security, Jewish identity and commitment to a two state solution without singling out aid to Israel or false claims of genocide," said California Jewish Democrats President Emeritus Andrew Lachman.

In a break from past intraparty conflicts, we were able to work with Palestinian rights advocates to ensure that the suffering of all communities were acknowledged and the actions of the Israeli far right in the West Bank were addressed issue where the majority of the American Jewish community and American Palestinian community found common ground.

We were disappointed that we could not get language in calling for the disarming of militias like Hamas, but Palestinian advocates also made concessions on removing language inferring that Israel was committing genocide, one-sided language calling for conditioning aid to Israel and adding language calling for cease fire accountability for Hamas.

The platform also retained language condemning antisemitism, noting that no person is responsible for the acts of another country and added new language condemning violence, vandalism and harassment.

We are grateful that the California Democratic Party continued to show of support for the Jewish community and for everyone coming together to find common ground, including leadership of the CADEM Arab American Caucus and Democrats for Justice in Palestine, especially Mirvette Judeh.

The collaboration with California Jewish Legislative Caucus, especially State Senator Stern, JPAC and the JCRCs were critical to our success and DMFI's organizing was appreciated. We also want to express our gratitude to chair Rusty Hicks and the leadership of the California Democratic Party Platform Committee, especially plank chair Michael Sweet and committee chairs Shanna Ingalsbee and Michael Soto.

Jewish voters remain one of the top two most loyal groups of Democratic voters (along with Black voters), we need to ensure that we stem any further losses and the platform language reflects that commitment.

AB715 (and SB48) Signed into law

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 06:11:19 GMT

We are excited to hear that AB715 has been signed into law by Governor Newsom!

As it turned out much of the testimony against AB715 demonstrated why the bill, which established training opportunities appointed an antisemitism prevention coordinator was necessary.

Thanks to your tireless work, AB715 and SB48 (which established a California Department of Education Office of Civil Rights) were signed into law together by Governor Newsom. The bills create new accountability systems, require stronger responses to antisemitism, harassment, and discrimination, and support every student in learning in a school free from fear or prejudice.

Thanks to your hard work, and that of the Legislative Jewish Caucus, JPAC, our Jewish Federations and StandWithUs, Assemblymembers Zbur and Addis were able to put together a hard-won victory in getting this landmark legislation passed.

A special thank you to Senate President McGuire and Speaker Rivas for personally taking on this legislation to get it passeed, as well as the Education committee chairs.

WHAT THE POLLS REALLY SAY ABOUT DEMOCRATS AND ISRAEL

Thu, 04 Sep 2025 15:47:07 GMT

YOUNG VOTERS DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT GAZA, BUT SOME YOUNG ACTIVISTS DO.

Anti-Israel activists are desperate to show that the failures of 2024 where because the party did not cave into them and eject the Jewish community. To that end they've paid for "push" style polls that artificially try to show young voters prioritize Palestinians over Israel. The Institute for Middle East Understanding, a long time critic of Israel paid for polls to try to claim that Democrats don't support Israel and voters didn't show up because of it. This is akin to asking the tobacco industry to study attitudes on smoking.

What do young voters really think? Tufts-CIRCLE, a well known academic organization with decades of experience tracking young voters did a post election poll of young (18-29) voters and non-voters' priorities.

The top priorities for young voters and non-voters was the economy (61%/75%), jobs (22%/40%) and healthcare (34%/26%). Foreign Policy (Middle East/Ukraine) was 8th on the list with less than 16% of young voters prioritizing. For non-voters it was even lower with 9% of young voters claiming it a top issue.

To be clear, younger voters are less sympathetic to Israel than Palestinians for a variety of reasons, including demographics and being less trustful of religion than their predecessors.

As the next section will show, they tend to sympathize (sometimes to point of erratically, with Palestinians. One Harvard poll showed young voters at one point favoring Hamas over Israel and a Yale Poll showed support for protestors, but this is not the top issue. Not even close.

There is a generation of young activists who support Palestinians. We may lose some young activists from our volunteer base, but this is clearly not the top issue for voters and other mainstream post-election polls also reflected these attitudes.

DEMOCRATS SYMPATHIZE WITH PALESTINIANS OVER ISRAEL BUT ONLY MARGINALLY SUPPORT LIMITING WEAPONS

Another area of misrepresentation is the extent to which Democrats want to punish Israel for its conduct during the Israel-Gaza war. Here too, anti-Israel critics are desparate to show that Democrats want to throw out its Jewish supporters, despite the fact that 81% of Jewish women voted Democrat in 2024, a higher percentage than any group by Black women (88%). Medi Hassan's Zeteo funded a push poll and critics frequently cite a recent Gallup poll showing that only 8% of Democrats support Israel's operations in Gaza.

While this may be alarming, it's not what it seems. The August 2025 Harvard CAPS poll show some differing numbers that, while not favorable, are not as one-sided. 69% of Democrats don't approve of Israel's conduct in Gaza and 79% don't approve of Hamas. Further, while Democrats believe a famine is going on, they equally blame Hamas and Israel 50/50. They also overwhelmingly support Israel over Iran 73%-27%

While Democrats do tend toward wanting to limit offiensve weapons the numbers are not deep (56%), except for with younger voters and defensive weapons are even closer. Even with this, 67% of Democrats side with Israel over Hamas and Democrats overwhelmingly support the release of the hostages without conditions (76%). 54% of Democrats want a deal with Hamas and 46% want them to leave as a condition.

Independent voters, critical to win elections trend towards Israel as well.

As you can see, there are concerns in the Democratic party about Israel's conduct, but it does not rise to the level of total rejection and they want to see accountability for Hamas as well. In fact, given the choice Democrats and independents support Israel over Hamas' continued operation in Gaza.

In line with our values as Jews and Democrats, we can and should believe in accountability, but that does not mean, as IMEU and others want, that we should eject Israel in entirety or reject its existence. As Democrats we also oppose Trump, are immensely proud of the United States despite its current leadership.

Words Matter

Sat, 24 May 2025 20:12:55 GMT

We all are in horror at the events that unfolded in Washington DC last week as yet another anti-Israel, antisemitic extremist shot and killed two young people, believing they were Jewish (both were Israel Embassy staff, one was not Jewish). This is not the first time that Jews and Non-Jews have been targeted by anti-Israel activists. 138 of the October 7 hostages held foreign passports and dozens of them were not Jewish. Eight Muslim Arabs and an uknown number were Israeli Druze. The Druze town of Majdal Shams lost 12 children in a rocket attack. From 2018 to 2025, there have been multiple incidents of Synagogues being vandalized and members threatened.

The bottom line is that words matter. The UN frequently has to retract or correct inaccurate claim it makes or remained silent when UN officials made provocative misstatements that inflamed sentiment toward the Jewish community. Just as "Defund the Police" may be a convenient slogan that means police accountability and investing in mental health response to some, to others it means reducing law enforcement dollars during a critical crisis in public safety. Similarly, "Free Palestine" is an oversimplistic phrase that to many anti-Israel activists means taking back all of modern day Israel from the 7 million Jewish citizens living there.

We need to make clear how terms like "From the River to the Sea" or false claims of Israeli "Apartheid" or "genocide" and mischaracterizing Zionism generally to make it synonymous only with with Revisionist or Religious Zionism are not only offensive but, are aimed squarely at delegitimizing Jewish identity and the mainstream community that supports Israel but is not responsible for the actions of the Israel government (We also must be aware of the impact of our own words as well and not be afraid to speak to our own community to hold ourselves accountable).

That being said, we can not fight hateful disinformation without your activism. When you have stepped forward, we have been able to change outcomes and defeat these efforts. Thank you for being willing to step forward and be heard.

California Jewish Democrats and local Jewish Dem Clubs Reject Ben Gvir's Support for Settler Violence

Wed, 07 May 2025 18:52:27 GMT

California Jewish Democrats signed onto a joint statement with over 20 other groups, including the Shalom Hartman Institute, the Jewish Council of Public Affairs (JCRCs) and Jewish Labor committee rejecting the Kahanist policies of Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit ("Jewish Power") party.

Similarly, four California Jewish Democratic Clubs - Democrats for Israel Los Angeles, Jewish Democratic Coalition of the Bay Area, Contra Costa Jewish Democrats and Solano Jewish Democrats passed resolutions condemning Ben Gvir's support for settler violence in the West Bank, opposing religious extremism in all forms, emphasizing the importance of rule of law and calling for accountability for all those who seek to subvert the rule of law or harm others, in accordance with due process and applicable laws.

Undermining Constitutional Rights Makes Us All Less Safe

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 18:26:08 GMT

In March 2023, California Jewish Democrats stood with the people of Israel for their right to protest against anti-democratic proposals by Prime Minister Netanyahu which would undercut the rule of law and bypass judicial processes. Unfortunately, we are now facing the similar threats to rule of law and judicial independence here in the United States.

Just over a month into office there have been over fifty lawsuits against the Trump Administration for circumventing the law, from the firings of tens of thousands of government employees and watchdogs, to the unconstitutional impoundment of government funds and the attempts at summary deportation of thousands of immigrants, including those here with legal documentation, without due process of law.

As Jewish Democrats we believe that the civil rights of Jewish students in educational settings must be protected to the same extent as those of any other students. Antisemitism in such settings must be addressed with the same degree of urgency as hate speech directed at any other minority population. Codes of conduct must be applied equally to all members of school and university communities, in a viewpoint-neutral fashion. In the past 17 months, in too many schools and on too many campuses, this has not been the case.

At the same time, upholding those civil rights, combating antisemitism and ensuring that that material support of terrorism is not tolerated, must always take place within the rule of law including established protections for speech and due process under law. The First, Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment are not disposable, even if we find the person asserting those rights to have values that are abhorrent to us and to most Americans.

This is not about any one person or specific individual, but rather about ensuring the government follows its own laws. The Jewish community should not be the platform upon which our Constitution can be disregarded.

State Democratic Voters Rebuff Anti-Jewish Party Delegate Candidates in ADEM Races

Tue, 04 Mar 2025 01:30:00 GMT

Over the weekend, the California Democratic Party completed the election of 1,120 delegates through its ADEM elections. The results show Democratic activists soundly rebuking attempts by a fringe groups to target the Jewish community, reduce party participation and force the party to change its support for Israel to support a unilateral arms embargo and weaken the party's support for a Two-State Solution.

Thanks to your help, Labor and the Jewish community mobilized - we fought back and won.

Tens of thousands of California Democrats voted across 80 Assembly Districts to elect 7 self identified females and 7 other than self-identified females in each district. Calfornia Jewish Democrats-backed candidates, made up of allied progressives and moderates, won at least 298 of the 310 seats in the 30 districts we got involved in (and allied efforts picked up over 100 additional delegate spots) and over 45 of our members were elected adding to the 200 or more who are already on the Democratic Party State Committee. Those who backed the antisemitic and antidemocratic platform failed to take even a majority of seats in all districts but 7.

Congratulations to the winners! California Jewish Democrats were proud to support. A special thank you to the local Jewish Democratic clubs that got involved in Marin, Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego as well as the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, local elected leaders and activists. These candidates could not have done it without their help as well as your support and vigilance.

New Name, Same Mission

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 19:16:16 GMT

Democrats for Israel California changes name to California Jewish Democrats

We want to share some updates regarding our California Democratic Party’s chartered organization for outreach to the Jewish community. As far back as November 2023, the Democrats for Israel California Board made a recommendation to change our name to California Jewish Democrats. Based on a vote of the membership in December 2024, the recommendation was ratified with 67% of the vote – a first step towards changing our name. The name change will be formally adopted at the California Democratic Party Convention this coming May.

This forthcoming name change will not change our commitment of support to Israel as a Jewish Democratic State. Support for Israel as a Jewish, democratic state is enshrined in our bylaws as one of the purposes of the organization.

We decided to change the name for a number of reasons:

Underscoring our multi-issue focus: A major issue for us has been perceptions that we are a one-issue club focused solely on Israel, making it difficult to address other issues of importance such as combating antisemitism not related to Israel, opposing "Liberated" ethnic studies programs that violate state antisemitism guardrails, and activism around other issues of importance to the Jewish community (including hunger, housing, climate change, reproductive rights) – values and priorities that make us Democrats and were the genesis of our charted club.

Positioning for greater expansion: Following the models of partisan-Pro Israel/Jewish groups nationally and in other states such as Jewish Democratic Council of America and the North Carolina, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania Jewish Caucuses and Democratic mobilization groups, we feel this change positions us better to increase outreach into areas where there is a great interest in our mission of getting the mainstream Jewish community to the table of Democratic politics through county-chartered Democratic clubs.

Alignment with our chartered clubs: Of our 7 currently chartered clubs, five are identified as Jewish Democratic clubs, with Los Angeles and Orange County named “Democrats for Israel (the similar names also caused some confusion by volunteers and supporters).

As we go through this process, know that our commitment to Israel's security and safety stands strong. We appreciate your continued support and involvement – with our vibrant statewide council of clubs and the greater Jewish community. Now, more than ever. Thank you.

DFI-CA, JDCA, DMFI Condemn GOP Use of Israel as Political Football

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 01:30:00 GMT

For the second time, the House GOP has tried to use Israel as a political football, playing partisanship with Israel's security. Republicans have sought to delay any funding for Ukraine or to address border security, and as an attempt to undermine a bipartisan deal, proposed a stand alone Israel funding bill.

House GOP have sought to add poison pills to other bills, pulling out humanitarian provisions from a bill that sought to limit Hamas aid (HR 340). They also tried to tie Ukraine and Israel funding to cutting IRS funding, which would only help tax cheats.

These cynical ploys are bad for Israel, bad for our national security and bad for our country.

Statement on Hamas Attack on Israel

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 01:02:27 GMT

Israel at War: Statement on Hamas attack on Israel

Like the many organizations in the Jewish and non-Jewish world across our nation, Democrats for Israel

California and its many affiliates across the state of California condemn the Friday night attack by the Iranian-backed terrorist Hamas regime in Gaza on Israel.

The brutality of Hamas terrorists is being documented in real time. Women and children beaten and then taken hostage. Kibbutz residents who have worked for peace with the Palestinians for their entire lives butchered by the terrorists. Thousands of rockets launched at random at Israeli cities, villages and kibbutz have killed Israeli children, women and men and injured hundreds more, while Hamas terrorists on the ground have killed hundreds more.

DFI-CA joins its affiliated clubs in condemning this senseless and unprovoked attack on Israel and its citizens, and calls on all members of the Democratic Party and all Americans to rally in support of Israel, as President Biden and his administration has done.

There will be time for investigations about how just such an attack by Hamas was planned and implemented, catching the Israeli Security apparatus by surprise, just as there will be plenty of time for political and military analysts to determine just how much the unrest in the West Bank contributed to this situation. But for now, it is time for Americans to rally behind Israel, the only democracy in the region, in opposition to the terrorism of Hamas and Hamas allies Iran and Hezbollah

Gov. Newsom, Supt. of Public Instruction Offer School Districts Guidance to Avoid Liberated Ethnic Studies-Based Programs That Violate State Antisemitism Guardrails.

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 03:31:46 GMT

Governor Newsom issued a letter to educators urging them to avoid the "bias, bigotry or discrimination" that is present in some "Liberated Ethnic Studies" programs. The letter comes after requests from Jewish lawmakers, JPAC (supported by DFI-CA and several affiliated clubs) and the Santa Ana school district adopting a related vendor that advocated for courses that portray the Jews as white colonizers, ignoring the large Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish communities and violating the state's education antisemitism "guardrails" in the ethnic studies guidelines.

Earlier in the week State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond held a meeting and panel with prominent Jewish leaders to further enforce these guidelines called "Education to End Hate: Countering Antisemitism."

Thank you to our state Democratic officials leadership for being responsive.

House Democratic Leadership Repudiates CPC Chair Priyapal "Israel is a Racist State", Priyapal Apologizes

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 00:15:06 GMT

Thank you to House Democratic Leadership who released the statement below repudiating Rep. Jayapal's statement that "Israel is a racist state." There can be policy disagreements between governments and even members of the Knesset both in and out of the governing coalition, but to broadly tarnish an entire nation this way was unacceptable, even at Jayapal later tried to walk it back and apologize. Thank you to our House Leadership for standing firm with Israel as a country.

Biden Administration Makes Major Moves Against Antisemitism

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 18:48:26 GMT

The Biden Administration took two major steps following the announcement of the first ever National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism

Announcing a historic $1 million increase to the office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, double the request by House Jewish Democrats. The House and Senate are considering adding appropriations to meet the budget. You can call your House Member (202) 224-3121 to encourage them to support the increase
Implementation of a 2019 Executive Order that broadened how the Department of Education and other government agencies defines race and national origin to include the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. The order calls on departments enforcing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including the Department of Education, to adopt the IHRA definition. The order also calls on departments to consider “‘Contemporary Examples of Anti-Semitism’ identified by the IHRA, to the extent that any examples might be useful as evidence of discriminatory intent.”

DFI-CA Closes Another Successful CADEM Convention

Mon, 29 May 2023 06:15:20 GMT

Los Angeles - Democrats for Israel California, the official chartered council of clubs for California Jewish Democratic Clubs finished the 2023 California Democratic Party Reorganizing Convention a resounding success.

Over 100 delegates attended the DFI-CA General Membership meeting, voting to affiliate with JDCA and hearing from candidates and amazing speakers such as:

U.S House Caucus Chair Rep. Peter Aguilar
State Senate President Pro Temp Toni Atkins
California Jewish Legislative Caucus Vice Chair State Senator Scott Wiener
Congressman Adam Schiff
Augusta Christensen - Political Manager Democratic Majority for Israel

Over 300 delegates attended the Jewish Community Ice Cream Social, cosponsored by DFMI, California Jewish Legislative Caucus, DFI-LA, Silicon Valley Jewish Dem Club, Westside Democratic HQ, West LA Dem Club, CYD Jewish Caucus, Blue Wave Dem Club, American Jewish Committee, and Region 18 Director Connie Sullivan Barasch. Resolutions reiterating support for the Two State Solution and opposing the rise of ultra-nationalist regimes were advanced by the Resolutions Committee and one anti-Israel resolution was found to be out of order.

Statement: We stand in solidarity with the pro-democracy opposition in Israel, against the policies of the extremist coalition government of Benjamin Netanyahu

Mon, 13 Mar 2023 22:42:02 GMT

As Democrats, we are greatly alarmed by the potential harms to Israeli society by Israel’s new governing coalition, the most right-wing in its history.

The values of the California Democratic Party (CDP) are clear. The CDP’s 2022 Platform states its support for Israel’s future as a secure democratic Jewish state and provides Israelis and Palestinians the right to live with independence, sovereignty, and dignity within their own viable states free from persecution, terror, or incitement.

Consistent with our values and those of the Democratic Party, we continue to support the right of Israel to live securely as a Jewish and democratic state, as it has since 1948.

As we have seen in the rise of other right-wing nationalist governments in Hungary, Poland, Turkey and Italy, the recent elections in Israel have veered the country sharply to the right and away from the democratic principles espoused by its founders — principles that have placed the Jewish state among other western democratic nations.

When Donald Trump was elected President, millions of Americans mobilized to oppose his policies, but they did not advocate for the end of the United States. They mobilized because they loved their country. As American Jews, we are not citizens of Israel, but we recognize that Jewish identity remains intertwined with Israel’s existence.

Criticism of harmful Israeli policy that bears on its democratic character is appropriate as long as it does not embrace antisemitism or seek to delegitimize Israel’s existence. The way to support Israel and its democratic values is to stand with the more than 200,000 Israelis regularly coming out to protest the current government's attempts to undermine its democratic principles. Indeed, as Democrats and as Zionists, we express great alarm at the current government’s proposed policies and stand in solidarity with Israelis of all religions and orientations who seek to protect a democratic Israel.

We stand in solidarity with a democratic Israel because the current far-right government is advancing a proposal to eliminate independent judicial oversight, which would enable members of the government to refuse to comply with the law whenever they choose. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is standing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust while leading a campaign to destroy the very judicial system responsible for his criminal prosecution, dismantling the separation of powers, eroding the independence of Israel's judges and giving politicians unfettered control.

To accomplish this requires extremist alliances. Enter Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich and others, who seemingly have no qualms about dismantling Israeli democracy, disregarding the rights of the LGBTQ community, women, secular Israelis, Reform and Conservative Jews, and other minority groups. This extremist coalition government is ignoring the concerns of the millions in Israel who oppose this anti-democratic judicial overhaul, and members of this extremist coalition government have refused to slow the process and sit down and negotiate reforms that would be acceptable to the vast majority of the Israeli public.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the Palestinian village of Huwara to be wiped out because a terrorist shot and killed Israelis at a settlement nearby. Shortly thereafter, a mob of settlers attacked and torched the town. Further, another member of the coalition government objected to the arrest of Israeli settlers who are connected with the attack. Ben-Gvir has been convicted of incitement to terrorism on multiple occasions. He is a follower of the late rabbi Meir Kahane, the founder of Kahanism: a violent, extremist ideology that advocates for and has inspired acts of terror. He and his disciples were rightly banned from Israel's legislature in 1988 on the grounds that their ideology is “racist and undemocratic.” As recently as November 2022, Ben-Gvir attended a commemoration ceremony for Meir Kahane.

We stand in solidarity with a democratic Israel because Israel’s ruling coalition seems bent on imposing radical change to Israel’s political system. We Democrats in the United States have witnessed how a rightward shift of the Supreme Court has impacted the rights of immigrants, expanded Title 42, and reversed Roe v. Wade. A majority of our U.S. Supreme Court Justices have also signaled a readiness to challenge voting rights, election law, and affirmative action. The erosion of minority protections in our own country is deepening and, as noted by Israeli legal experts, the proposed dismantling of the checks and balances of an independent Israeli judiciary would have a similar effect. Democracy is not the power of a temporary, thin legislative majority to permanently —without recourse — oppress and remove the rights of its citizens. We cannot stand by quietly as democratic protections are eroded in both Israel and the United States.

We stand in solidarity because we are concerned for the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people, who desire their own viable, independent state living in peace next to Israel. We are particularly concerned with a guiding principle of the new coalition, which seeks to greenlight unilateral annexation, making a two-state solution virtually impossible and making the establishment of a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians equally impossible. Worse, the goals of this coalition government would normalize a unilateral form of Jewish hegemony from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, creating no options for consenting Palestinians to retain basic human rights of self-determination and taking away the option of their own state. The ruling coalition is in contravention of the national Democratic Party platform, which expressly supports a two-state solution and opposes unilateral actions by either party—whether it be Israelis imposing a single state via annexation or Palestinians attempting to force Israelis into a single-majority Palestinian state through an international campaign of delegitimization and a wildly overbroad interpretation of right of return laws.

As Democrats, we stand in solidarity with those seeking a democratic Israel by standing in opposition to the extreme proposals of Israel’s current coalition government, which are in stark contrast to our party platform and the values enshrined in Israel’s founding Declaration of Independence. Israelis are raising a clear and broad voice to oppose these proposed policies. These voices cannot be ignored.

We stand with the will of the Israeli people to find solutions that benefit all Israelis, protect democracy, and work for a sustainable peace.

● Democrats for Israel California, a council of Jewish Democratic clubs
● Progressive Zionists of California
● Democrats for Israel Los Angeles
● Jewish Democratic Club of Silicon Valley
● Jewish Democratic Club of Solano County

DEMOCRATS FOR ISRAEL CALIFORNIA CONDEMNS GOP CONTROLLER CANDIDATE LANHEE CHEN’S 2016 WALL STREET JOURNAL OP-ED FOR REPEATING TRUMP-STYLE ANTISEMITIC TROPES

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 18:40:13 GMT

DEMOCRATS FOR ISRAEL CALIFORNIA CONDEMNS GOP CONTROLLER CANDIDATE LANHEE CHEN’S 2016 WALL STREET JOURNAL OP-ED FOR REPEATING TRUMP-STYLE ANTISEMITIC TROPES

Los Angeles, CA October 24, 2022. Democrats for Israel California, the California Democratic Party chartered voice of the Jewish community to the California Democratic Party called out GOP Candidate Lanhee Chen for using antisemitic tropes in a co-written 2016 Wall Street Journal op-ed criticizing “progressive proselyting” for why Jews and Asians vote Democratic titled “The Mystery of Jewish and Asian-American Democratic Loyalty.”

The article, co-written with former Bush Deputy HHS Secretary Devi Troy, encourages young voters to vote Republican, stated that because Jews and Asians make more money they should vote Republican and then repeats the falsehood that only the Republican party supports Israel, arguing that for both selfish economic reasons and out of a loyalty to Israel, young Jews and Asian-Americans should vote Republican and would do so but for the “proselyting” of teaches and academics, following a recent trend of anti-intellectualism in the Republican party.

DFI-CA President Andrew Lachman made the following statement:

“It is ant-semitic to imply that the American Jewish community is part of some economic elite. There are large segments of both the Jewish and Asian-American community that experience poverty and they both share a long history of experiencing discrimination that Chen seems to have forgotten such as the educational quotas and immigration restrictions in place well into the 1960s.

Notwithstanding the fact that Democrats continue to overwhelmingly support the democratic Jewish state of Israel, for Chen to imply that American Jews should forfeit their duty as American citizens to uphold their values because of Israel is very similar to former President Trumps recent claims that the American Jewish should hold a greater loyalty to Israel than their support for the American democracy he and his supporters tried to overthrow on January 6, 2021. Both Asian Americans and Jewish Americans are frequently targets of the dual loyalty trope and for these two to play right into the same arguments shows how the Republican party set the table for the white supremacy of Charlottesville a long time ago.

It is because Republicans like Trump and Chen do not share the same values as American Jews that they vote Democratic, as 75% of them did in 2020. In light of the rise in antisemitism and anti-Asian violence under the most recent Republican administrations, we call on Chen to apologize for this article and the insulting implication that young voters are not capable of critical thought.”

In the June 15, 2016, Wall Street Journal op-ed, Troy and Chen criticized Jews for supporting Obama, noting that “78% backed Barack Obama in 2008, and 70% did in 2012, and then falsely claiming that this took place “despite a foreign policy that at best could be described as rough on Israel.” The op-ed also implies that Jews are “disproportionately represented” at elite schools and blames academic influences at these schools for why young Jewish (and Asian) voters despite “socioeconomic factors that might suggest greater support for conservative causes and candidates.” The only “socio-economic factor mentioned in the op-ed, is the claim that Jewish and Asian-Americans have higher incomes. The op-ed’s closing paragraphs imply that money (and Israel) should be the only reasons to vote Republican with the ominous warning “…it’s not too soon for Jewish and Asian freshmen to start thinking about where their long-term interests lie.”

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Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-mystery-of-jewish-and-asian-american-democratic-loyalty-1465943377 (full reprint from Hudson Institute - https://www.hudson.org/domestic-policy/the-mystery-of-jewish-and-asian-american-democratic-loyalty)

Democrats for Israel California Statement on California Democratic Party's Rebuffing of Anti-Israel Language in Platform

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 00:45:31 GMT

Democrats for Israel California, the California Democratic Party chartered organization for outreach to the Jewish community issued the following statement in reaction to the California Democratic Party's passages of the Platform.

California Democrats did an exceptional job of standing up for Israel and the Jewish community standing, against antisemitic boycotts and attacks, as well as supporting Israel's right to exist as a secure, Jewish democratic state and supporting stronger language on Iran than in the 2020 Platform.
"Democrats for Israel applauds the Calfornia Democratic Party's passage of platform language that reiterates 2020 language supporting a Two State Solution with Israel as a Jewish Democratic State. The Middle East was the most touched-on topic during the public comment process with over 150 Democrats presenting testimony on this topic with 80% of the testimony supporting the 2020 language in some form. In addition, over 500 Californians signed a petition calling for support of the current platform language on Israel without a floor fight With this strong statement, anti-Israel activists found it nearly impossible to argue their position was a majority position, no attempts were made to bring changes to the floor.
The California Democratic Party heard those concerns and we applaud their support for the Jewish community, including making sure that the section on refugee rights, asylum and sovereign protections under Article 13 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights was crafted in a way that excluded the complexities of the Israel-Palestine situation until a peace treaty is concluded. Anti-Israel activists repeatedly argued that the proposed language was inadequate to address their position and the CDP Platform committee unanimously disagreed.
We also applaud additions that oppose attacks against groups of people based on their nationality, race or religion in response to the acts of a foreign government, (drafted in response to anti-Asian and antisemitic violence on the rise this country) and clarifications of the right to criticize (including boycotts) individuals or governments in a manner that perpetuates discrimination based on religion or race is not acceptable. This was a rebuke of the BDS movement, which seeks to target the Jewish community.
Finally, we support the plank calling for the appointment of an international Islamophobia monitor, backing legislation supported by a large number of Jewish legislators.
DFI-CA wishes to thank all the Democrats who stepped forward to ensure that they heard the concerns of the community, including our five Jewish Democratic Clubs (Democrats for Israel Los Angeles, Democrats for Israel Orange County, Democrats for Peace in the Middle East (San Diego), Jewish Democratic Club of Silicon Valley and Jewish Democrats of Greater Sacramento), Progressive Zionists of Calfornia, the Israel Campus Coalition.
DFI-CA is especially appreciative of the leadership and resources of Democratic Majority for Israel, the California Jewish Legislative Caucus and the California Democratic Congressional delegation that were critical to ensuring our voices were heard.
PLATFORM LANGUAGE PASSED MARCH 6, 2022
INTERNET AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH
• [N]o collective group of persons in the United States, regardless of their nationality, religion, race or ethnicity should be attacked, vilified or held responsible for the acts of a foreign government.
Support the right of individuals to criticize persons, corporations or government, but not for reasons of racial, religious, ethnic, gender identity, or sexual orientation discrimination;
WORLD PEACE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS:
• Proactively seek durable peace in the Middle East, including ending support for the Saudi-United Arab Emirates aggression in Yemen, opposing Turkish repression and aggression against Kurdish civilians in Northern Syria which has undermined years of cooperative security work to stop ISIS and Syrian from terrorizing innocent citizens and rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (2015 Iran nuclear agreement) with the ultimate goal of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon or a mechanism for delivery of nuclear weapons, and discourage the further proliferation of nuclear weapons in the region, encourage democratic forces in Iran, and strive to restore normal U.S.-Iran relations;
• Continue to work toward a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict directly negotiated by the parties that guarantees equality, security and democracy for all; recognizes Israel’s future as a secure and democratic Jewish state with recognized borders; and, provides Palestinians with independence, sovereignty, and dignity;
• Support efforts among representatives of Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank to de-escalate tensions through good faith negotiations that recognize Israel’s future as a sovereign, secure, and democratic Jewish state and that can lead to security and independence for Palestinians.
• Recognize that Israelis and Palestinians deserve security, recognition, and a normal life free from terror and incitement and respectively should be free to govern themselves, each in their own viable states in peace and dignity;
• Continue to support an end to the teaching and use of antisemitism and Islamophobia in discourse throughout the Middle East and beyond;
• Support pursuant to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 13, the right of individuals to leave and return to their own country consistent with negotiated treaties and pursuant to Article 14, the right to seek asylum and be free from persecution;

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DFI-CA Statement on Funding Iron Dome

Thu, 23 Sep 2021 17:54:12 GMT

Democrats for Israel California strongly supports Iron Dome funding. Iron Dome is an anti-missile system which is a critical defensive measure against Hamas' rockets. After the most recent Hamas attacks of nearly 2,400 rockets, President Biden pledged to replenish the amounts in a supplemental appropriation. The attempt to pull it from the Debt Ceiling/Continuing Appropriation will not prevent the funding as Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro has already introduced legislation to provide the funding and unlike the Debt Ceiling (which Republicans repeatedly try to turn into a partisan issue and it always backfires), the DeLauro bill will have strong bipartisan support as Israel has enjoyed for decades and will continue to do so.

It is telling that the Congressmembers who opposed Iron Dome funding are choosing a defensive tool that protects against a Hamas and Hezbollah attack tactic that has been repeatedly cited as violating international law. Unlike JDAMs (guided missiles that explode underground to target bunkers and tunnels), Iron Dome is a purely defensive weapon and U.S. security aid is a critical part of Israel's military advantage. This year's total US security assistance to Israel is about equal to approximately 4% of Israel's total annual budget. It is also telling when any member of Congress puts this sort of issue ahead of funding the U.S. government.

At the end of the day, this is meaningless empty action, as are Republican attempts to politicize the issue as they oppose the Debt Ceiling Bill either way and have already voted against appropriations bills funding Israel three times year.

DFI-CA Work on the Recall

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 17:50:24 GMT

DFI-CA and its 7 Democratic clubs were proud to help fight the Recall that resulted in a blowout against Republican efforts.

DFI-CA club members donated thousands to the official anti-recall efforts and club members participated in phone banks run by county Democratic organizations, Jewish Democratic Council of America and the Grassroots HQ. The SoCal Jewish News published an op-ed opposing the recall by DFI-CA President Andrew Lachman.

SoCal Jewish News: Why Jews should oppose the California gubernatorial recall

Sun, 05 Sep 2021 03:45:56 GMT

https://socaljewishnews.com/why-jews-should-oppose-the-california-gubernatorial-recall/

Why Jews should oppose the California gubernatorial recall

Andrew Lachman

Republicans nationwide spent millions to push California to spend $215 million on the Sept. 14 recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Just because outside interests can pay professional signature gatherers to prompt a ballot initiative or a recall election doesn’t necessarily mean their efforts are wrong or misguided. But examining how California is faring compared with the rest of the country, and the candidates running to replace Newsom, there don’t appear to be many reasons to support his recall.

There are a multitude of reasons the Jewish community should vote “no” on the recall, and not only because the effort was run by activists with ties to militia groups that frequently use Nazi imagery to promote their campaign. Nor should Jews simply vote “no” because the candidates running to replace Newsom are a scary bunch — including a group of Trump sycophants: 2018 failed gubernatorial candidate John Cox (who was served with a subpoena during a live public debate on Aug. 17), bombastic talk show host Larry Elder and reality TV personality Caitlyn Jenner. Other dubious candidates include far-right Assemblyman Kevin Kiley, and Kevin Paffrath, a “Democrat” with no actual Democratic Party support.

Rather, Jewish voters should vote “no” because Newsom is actually doing a decent job representing us and our values. COVID-19 Delta variant cases have skyrocketed throughout the South and devastated “no mask” states such as Texas and Florida, which have more new cases per day than California. California’s new cases per capita are below the national average. According to the Centers for Disease Control, California has had fewer cases per 100,000 residents than all the West Coast, Southwest and Southern states. The state boasts the highest vaccine utilization rates with more than 80% of Californians having received at least one vaccination dose and, during the pandemic, California and cities within the state have provided rent support and help for small businesses. Masks, vaccines and smart health policies are working and our economy is still the fifth-largest in the world.

Newsom is a strong ally for the Jewish community. When far-left extremists tried to implement an ethnic studies program in 2020 that was far more expansive in scope than the legislation required and contained multiple antisemitic sources, Newsom vetoed the bill and worked with the Jewish Legislative Caucus along with other groups to demand a more inclusive curriculum that focused on African Americans, Latinos, Asian and Pacific Islanders and Native Americans. The amended curriculum also expunged Jewish stereotypes, antisemitic references and included lesson plans around antisemitism and the Ashkenazi, Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish experience.

Newsom also is a strong defender of the Jewish community and Jewish institutions. He immediately denounced an attack on several Jewish diners by apparent Palestinian supporters in the Fairfax neighborhood of Los Angeles in May, which occurred during Palestinian-Israeli hostilities in the Mideast. As the Jewish Legislative Caucus has noted, Newsom has made major investments in the Jewish community, including $65 million for the state’s nonprofit Security Grant Program to keep synagogues safe; $13.5 million for Jewish museums and libraries, including the L.A. Museum of Tolerance and the Holocaust Museum LA; $23 million to repair Jewish day camps damaged by the 2018 Woolsey and the 2017 Tubbs fires; $14.8 million for the Multipurpose Seniors Program; and $5.7 million for Jewish Family Service LA’s SOVA food bank program.

As the Jewish Legislative Caucus has noted, Newsom has made major investments in the Jewish community, including $65 million for the state’s nonprofit Security Grant Program to keep synagogues safe and $13.5 million for Jewish museums and libraries, including the L.A. Museum of Tolerance and the Holocaust Museum LA.

Newsom also appointed Alex Padilla to the U.S. Senate — a longtime, ardent supporter of Israel. And if California’s other Senate seat becomes vacant, Newsom would appoint a pro-Israel Democrat to replace Sen. Dianne Feinstein, thus maintaining the Democratic majority in the Senate.

Newsom also has fought for our values, for protecting the environment, responding to climate change, helping protect working Californians and seniors, and keeping us safe and healthy during these uncertain times. Not a single gubernatorial candidate has proposed policies around these issues.

The Jewish community has an ally in Newsom. We cannot afford to lose his leadership and trade it in for any of these unpredictable, far-right candidates that are out of sync with our values. Recall ballots are due Sept. 14, after Rosh Hashanah and right before Yom Kippur. Reflecting on how far we’ve come during these trying times and what is at risk, we should send our ballots to vote “no” before the Sept. 14 deadline.

Andrew Lachman is a technology attorney, a Truman security partner and president of Democrats for Israel California, an alliance of six Jewish Democratic clubs in California.

Voting No on the Recall: Gov. Newsom's record on the Jewish community

Thu, 02 Sep 2021 00:33:19 GMT

Jewish voters and activists are joining Democrats across the state to fight this Republican-funded recall. Governor Newsom's leadership has shown as our Delta-variant COVID cases have not skyrocketed the way Florida and Texas has. The stakes are too high and Governor Newsom's record is closely aligned with Jewish community values.

Jewish groups praised Governor Newsom's leadership for his veto of the 2020 Ethnic Studies Bill until antisemitic content was removed.
Governor Newsom has continued to build close relationships with Israel to increase trade and share water conservation technology.
Newsom has made major investments in the Jewish community such as:
- $65 million authorized for the Nonprofit Security program to keep synagogues safe.
- $13.5 million for Jewish museums and libraries such as the LA Museum of Tolerance, the LA Museum of the Holocaust and the Tauber Holocaust Library operated by Jewish Family Services in the Bay Area
- $23 million to repair Jewish day camps damaged by the Woolsey and Tubbs fires.
- $14.8 for the Multipurpose Seniors Program
- $5.7 million for LA Jewish Family Services SOVA food bank program
- $8 million for the Enhanced Service Program for Asylees which was a top priority for the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society

We can not afford to lose Governor Newsom's leadership and trade it in for the multitude of Trump loyalists running to replace him, especially if something happens to Senator Feinstein, but also because of this leadership on the environment, education and keeping the state on track fighting COVID.

DFI-CA CONGRATULATES BENNETT-LAPID GOVERNMENT

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 05:43:04 GMT

DFI-CA CONGRATULATES BENNETT-LAPID GOVERNMENT

Democrats for Israel California congratulates the eight-party coalition that has voted to replace the 12-year rule of Benjamin Netanyahu and Yariv Levin as Knesset Speaker. We congratulate Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on this momentous occasion. We No longer will we have a government that demonizes or eschews Democrats, Palestinian/Arab Israeli citizens, an independent court or any other group that questions the government, or seeks greater inclusion. Unlike the previous governing coalition, this leadership does not seem focused on undermining of multiple democratic institutions such as the courts and a free press.

Under the terms of the coalition agreement between center, left and right parties, we see a commitment to compromise and restoring democratic and inclusionary policies to help heal Israel and revive its standing in the world. The inclusion of Arab Knesset parties in the government for the first time since 1977 and the first appointment of three Arab and Druze ministers is a return to decency and inclusive values. Living up to the inclusive values Israel was founded on strengthens its Jewish identity by creating a more secure Israel for all of its citizens. Bennett and Lapid's commitment to restoring these values are demonstrative of the strength of a democracy and the never-ending quest to live up to those values.

We call on all Democrats to redouble our dedication to working with our democratic partners on the ground on our shared vision of a peaceful and inclusive Israel.

Below are some highlights of the coalition deal, which is signed into law, along with the pledge that both Bennett and Lapid will each serve two years as Prime Minister:

Checks and balances that gives leaders (Lapid and Bennett) the ability to veto non-consensus policies.
Votes to reform the "Nation-State" law that diminishes the value and voices of Israel's Druze and Arab/Palestinian populations.
Education reform to standardize basic curriculum topics (e.g. history, science, math) and funding for all three Israeli education tracks.
Greater civil rights protections for women, LGBT and Arab-Palestinians (including freezing home demolitions in the Negev and the "Kaminitz law" that requires the Israeli government to demolish unpermitted improvements (the Israeli government makes getting such permits very difficult - 93% of such applications in Israel and East Jerusalem are rejected).
Increased funding for Arab/Palestinian communities.
8-Year Term limits for Prime Ministers
Creating a more democratic and inclusive structure to appoint rabbis for conversions and kashrut (kosher certifications).
The creation of binding greenhouse gas emission regulations.

DFI-CA Calls on all Democrats to Stand Against Antisemitism

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 04:32:05 GMT

This week, Jewish-Americans were stopped at a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles, asked if they were Jewish and attacked by Pro-Palestinian activists. In San Francisco, Manny's a Jewish-owned business in the Mission was defaced with Anti-Israel and Antisemitic propaganda. This business was targeted because the owner was Jewish.

The owner Manny Yekutiel, has served as member of the Democratic State Central Committee and is known for hosting free events for a number of progressive San Francisco community organizations.

While 92% of US Jews support the right of Israel to exist, it is inherently Antisemitic to hold any individual Jew responsible for the acts of Israel, much less to harass, assault, harangue or vandalize their property. The ADL has noted a sharp uptick in Antisemitic acts (over 17,000), ranging from offensive tweets like #Hitlerwasright to outright acts of vandalism in violence. Just as violence against Asian American Pacific Islanders increased as US tensions with China rose, so too have acts of violence against Jews risen in the past two weeks.

DFI-CA appreciates the support of those in the community that have stood against these despicable and cowardly acts. We stand with Manny and the thousands of other Jews targeted by hate. Senator Bernie Sanders called for toning down the rhetoric and focusing on bringing people together, we urge others to follow that lead.

DFI-CA Statement on Sheikh Jarrah

Tue, 11 May 2021 05:41:04 GMT

DFI-CA STATEMENT ON SHEIKH JARRAH AND HAMAS ATTACKS

Like many communities around the world, the Jewish Democratic community in California is following the events unfolding in Sheikh Jarrah. Whatever the complex history, we know that these evictions are unjust and do not reflect our values as Democrats, especially when there are readily available avenues by the court and the government to resolve these matters. What is clear - justice, reform and confrontation of untruth are the key to healing, not re-litigating the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. A de-escalation of both the violence and rhetoric will also be helpful in getting on this path, including stopping Hamas from firing rockets indiscriminately into Israel, which has now led to civilian fatalities and damage to Israeli Jewish and Arab-populated cities and villages. Hamas' involvement only makes the damage, death and destruction worse.

Sheik Jarrah is not about gentrification; this situation has amplified greater issues around the abuses of the Israeli Right who push to turn Israel from a Democracy with Jewish character (as Bernie Sanders described it) away from democratic and inclusive structures and institutions, toward a less inclusive vision. To that end, we believe a Knesset review and update to the laws around expropriation of land subject to claims may be in order, to avoid future injustices perpetrated by right wing groups while protecting the rights of individuals to live in and purchase a home in Israel.

Democrats for Israel California welcomes thoughtful discussion about a path forward that focuses on justice, stands up to the extremists, and de-escalates the conflict. Democrats for Israel California also calls for direct confrontation to the falsehoods around this conflict and engagement in dialogue amongst our American counterparts to find common ground.

There is a path forward, but the parties must work together to find pathways to focus on justice and stand up to the extremists in the conflict. Democrats for Israel California has reached out to members of the Pro-Palestinian community to engage in those discussions and we look forward to meaningful dialogue.

Background

Sheikh Jarrah, a neighborhood north of the Old City of Jerusalem, consisted of a Jewish and Muslim quarter for well over a hundred years. As of 1905, the neighborhood had 167 Muslim families and 97 Jewish families that lived close to the tomb of “Simeon the Just,” an ancient high priest that bears the name for the quarter where Jews lived since several rabbis purchased the land in 1875 for their organizations, seeking to provide opportunities to live in the community. As a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Jews fled parts of East Jerusalem and Jordan drove out remaining Jews from East Jerusalem, including Sheikh Jarrah, and with UNRWA gave the homes in Sheikh Jarrah to Palestinian families displaced from West Jerusalem (this is not unusual, Israel did the same thing throughout Israel after the war creating their own absentee property laws).

When Jerusalem was reunited in 1967, Israel passed a law allowing displaced landowners to recover the land and the religiously-affiliated organizations and families sought to recover the land. In 1982, the issue went to the Israeli Supreme Court which upheld the law and the claims but worked a deal for families to stay in Sheikh Jarrah and pay rent. Not all the tenants paid rent, and some made improvements to their properties without permits (Jerusalem is notorious for refusing building permits to Palestinians). These residents have the right to vote in Jerusalem municipal elections, but Palestinian activists strongly discourage this sort of participation, which would give them input to fight this sort of discriminatory behavior.

At the same time, Israeli religious right-wing groups have purchased the rights to these properties from the original Jewish families and groups that owned the properties prior to 1948, and are seeking to move Jewish families into the neighborhood. Further, aggressive policies have resulted in Israelis literally moving into and occupying part of a home already occupied by Palestinians for decades. In 2019, the Israel Supreme Court again revisited the issue, and rather than remunerate the absentee landowners and settle ownership once and for all, the Court held that religious right-wing organizations that purchased the rights to these properties from the original landholders could evict not only the four families fighting eviction, but the ruling could also open to the door to evict any residents in these properties, affecting more than 300 families.

While this may seem like a simple legal issue, it is not. As with everything in the region, there are layers of complexity, including deep income disparities, neglect of Jerusalem’s Arab residents and a focused campaign by the Israeli Right to, through both legal and illegal means, push Arabs out of Jerusalem, even in the middle of a pandemic. These issues and a long outmoded set of laws that were once intended to reunite Jewish landowners with their properties, are being increasingly abused 70 years after the conflict by the Israeli Right to push Arab families out of the West Bank and Jerusalem. As such, this has created a tinder box of resentment by the Israeli-Arab/Palestinian community, making Sheikh Jarrah a symbol of a larger struggle than the legal issues presented. The Jerusalem Institute, a non-profit organization focusing on urban sustainability, urban planning and economic justice, presented a solution in 2010 recommending possible solutions that would keep Palestinians in their homes such as expropriating the homes from these organizations.

Justice, Reform and Confrontation of Untruths Are the Key to Healing.

Whatever the complex history, we know that these evictions are unjust and as Democrats we do not support them, especially when there are readily available avenues by the court and the government to resolve this dispute, which has been ongoing since 1982, and the Israeli Supreme Court and government can take these steps. Just because the Israeli government can enforce long outdated laws to displace a minority indigenous population with a majority indigenous population does not mean that they should or that it is the right thing to do. The Israeli Government and Supreme Court should take such steps to allow these families in their homes and demonstrators, and both Palestinian and Israelis, should take steps to refrain from violence or provocation.

Just as Democratic Pro-Israel advocates and Pro-Palestinian advocates agreed on resolutions calling for all countries - including Israel - to share COVID-19 vaccine surpluses and and opposed Israeli Annexation of the West bank, supporting a country's right to exist does not mean it is without grounds for criticism (US, Israel or anyone else) even when uncomfortable as is the case here. That also means directly confronting the falsehoods and intentional confligrations that are being propagated by extremists and not encouraging the violence that has affected both Israeli and Palestinians..

Democrats for Israel California is usually not inclined to involve itself in domestic affairs of Israel. While our member clubs expressed reservations about the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel ahead of the peace processes, we supported the right of Israel to determine its capital. We have only spoken out against domestic policy on the attempts to deny women access to the Western Wall and the involvement of Kahanists in the Israeli governing coalitions of Netanyahu.

It is clear that Israel must prioritize justice for all of its residents. It must consider both the Jerusalem Institute recommendations and review its laws around land expropriation, which may have made sense in 1967, but are being used more and more by right-wing nationalist groups to push Arab/Palestinians out of homes they have been in for 70 years or more.Organizations and corporations buying up rights of families to land lost decades ago in the West Bank and Jerusalem has led to countless abuses and fraud. Perhaps, non-transferable remuneration by the state to Jewish families with claims to properties in Jerusalem and Area C of the West Bank, not return, should be the key for resolving ownership claims and avoiding displacement of families.

Democrats for Israel California also calls for direct confrontation to the falsehoods around this conflict and engagement in dialogue amongst our American counterparts to find common ground. Palestinian operatives continue to spread lies that Israeli police teach American police how to kneel on suspect’s necks and attack and have used the conflict to attack civilians or declare every act of private Israeli citizens is a war crime, or that Israel's very existence or broad brush statements that Zionism in every form is a racist endeavor). Similarly, the Israeli Right has sought to characterize the entire conflict as an Arab invasion and make it sound like the case involves only four families when the decision can have a direct effect on over 300 families in Sheikh Jarrah. We understand why the disputes over Sheikh Jarrah are reflective of greater issues facing Palestinians and Israelis, but the path to avoid further conflagration and violence is through dialogue.

DFI-CA Stands with the AAPI Community

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 18:30:15 GMT

DFI-CA STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE AAPI COMMUNITY AGAINST HATE

Democrats for Israel California stands in solidarity with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and against hate and racial violence that claimed eight lives last night. The Jewish and AAPI communities share a long history of being targeted and attacked by right-wing hate groups. While the targeting of APPI individuals has been going on for some time, but under the Trump Administration, anti-AAPI rhetoric from the very top filtered down with the inevitable result -- a tragic and sharp uptick of violence against members of the AAPI community.

After the Tree of Life Synagogue attack, more than 100 AAPI organizations spoke out and came to support of the Jewish community. Today, we too state that an attack on any one group is an attack on all Americans, whether it was the shootings at synagogues in Poway and Pittsburgh, escalating violence against Asian Americans punctuated by yesterday's shooting in Atlanta, the Muslim travel ban and attacks in Christchurch, the attacks on Sikhs in Stanislaus and Sacramento, the long history of anti-Black violence in this country or the far-Right march in Charlottesville and insurrection in Washington that targeted us all. These acts have no place in America. Elected officials and law enforcement must move quickly to address and provide concrete results to combat racism, discrimination and violence against our Asian Americans and Pacific Islander brothers and sisters. It's on all us us to #StopAAPIHate.

Jewish Journal: IHRA Definition Has Space to Criticize Israel

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 06:25:29 GMT

- Andrew Lachman - Since the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s (IHRA) “Working Definition of Antisemitism” was adopted by President Obama’s State Department in 2010 and then by parties and leaders on the right and left, by over 31 countries and by educational institutions from California to London, there’s been a great deal of debate over it.

The definition itself has elicited few objections:

Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.

But the accompanying “Contemporary examples of antisemitism,” which focus on speech about Israel and the right of Jews to self-determination, have elicited pushback from some pro-Palestinian and progressive Jewish groups who are concerned that the examples can be abused or politicized to stifle discussion about Israeli policy. Jewish identity is strongly intertwined with Israel’s existence, but that said, while any guideline can be abused, the guidelines might actually help set a useful precedent to limit the abuses critics are concerned about..... MORE

DFI-CA Supports Expand DSCC Presence at Cal Dem Party

Fri, 26 Feb 2021 07:00:13 GMT

Congratulations to more than 70 DFI-CA members and supporters who were elected to to Assembly District level delegates to the California Democratic Party Democratic Central Committee., joining the over 100 other members who are elected official appointees or elected county committee members.

AD 14 - Susan George	AD 54 - Naomi Goldman, Elina Antoniou, Steve Bartlett
AD 19 - Michael Sweet, Martin Rawlings-Fein	AD 66 - Amy Howorth, Tony Hale, Andrew DeBlock, Susan Goodlerner
AD 29 - Glenn Glazer	AD 68 - Lee Finik, Ted Perle
AD 38 - Jodie Cooper, Brandon Zavala	AD 71 - Tom Lemmon, Kenya Taylor
AD 42 - Patrick Weiss	AD 72 - Stephen Einstein
AD 44 - Josh Donner	AD 73 - Alan Fenning, Lori Fromme
AD 45 - Kiyomi Kowalski, Renay Grace Rodriguez, Doris Dent, Victoria Solkovits, Michelle Fowle, Yasmine Pomeroy, Micha Liberman, Gregg Solkovits, Cary Brown, CJ Berina	AD 74 - Bethany Webb, , Lauren Johnson-Norris, Kev Abazajian
AD 46 - Lauren Fishman Perotti, Samantha Dorf, Steve Pierson Daniel Tamm, Lester Aponte, John Alford, Michael Swords	AD 76 - Kevin Sabellico, Al Goodman, Cecily Resnick, Robert Howard, Kathy Rallings
AD 50 - Aura Vazquez, Tamara Levinson Meltzer, Jackie Pepper, Sepi Shyne, Caroline Torosis, Jon Kat, Steve Bott, Scott Epstein, Brian Kolker	AD 77 - John Finkelman, Jason Bercovitch AD 78 - Janessa Goldbeck, Jess Durfee

DFI-CA Elects First Executive Board

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 13:33:42 GMT

Democrats for Israel California elected its first Executive Board, with three clubs initially affiliating - Democrats for Israel Los Angeles, Democrats for Israel Orange County and San Diego's Democrats for Peace in the Middle East. Over 40 delegates attended to elect officers from Solano, Los Angeles, Orange County and San Diego.