Without YOU
who will stand up for Israel, choice and separation of religion and state in 2016?
YOUR SUPPORT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
DON'T FORGET.
ELECTIONS MATTER.
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January 4 Cocktails & Conversation with Charlie Cook of the Cook Report 5-6:30 pm West Palm Beach, FL
 January 12
Talking Points Deerfield
A Jewish Discussion on the Issues of Today
Deerfield, IL
For more information and to RSVP, contact the JAC office at 847-433-5999 or [email protected]
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Want to host a JAC event? Contact the JAC office for speakers, ideas, and assistance.
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2015 - A Year in Pictures
Talking Points Palm Beach
(l to r: Barbara Koch, Joyce Fentin, Janna Berk,
Merle Styer, Speaker Mona Reis, Carol Feldman,
Karyn Lutz, Jane Kornblutt)
 Swearing-In of Ambassador David Saperstein, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom
(l to r: Linda Rae Sher, David Saperstein, Marcia Balonick, Carole Boron)
Power of Women Luncheon - Chicago
Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-33) at Talking Points Los Angeles
Debbie Gitchell with Monica Vernon, Congressional candidate for IA-1, in Iowa
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Presenting House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi with
JAC's Stop Gun Violence Shirt
(l to r: Dana Gordon, Nancy Pelosi, Marcia Balonick)
Coffee & Conversation with
Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-21) in Philadelphia
(l to r: Jill Zipin, Ted Deutch, Shira Goodman)
With Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) on Martha's Vineyard
(l to r: Lee Wolf, Brian Schatz, Betsy Sheerr)
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THIS YEAR, the Jewish community's attention was focused on the JCPOA - the international deal to address Iran's nuclear program. The deal was a pivotal moment within the Jewish American community. Throughout the entire process, JAC remained committed to maintaining a strong U.S.-Israel relationship even as each of us passionately debated the deal. Now with Congressional approval, it is critical that we once again unite behind bipartisan support for Israel as move forward.
The U.S. underscored it's commitment to Israel's security when it promised that Israel would be the the exclusive regional recipient of the F-35, America's premier stealth strike fighter. In another historic moment, President Obama became the first U.S. President to attend a synagogue service. During his remarks he said: "(Our) shared values compel us to reaffirm that our enduring friendship with the people of Israel and our unbreakable bonds with the state of Israel -- that those bonds, that friendship cannot be broken. "
Additional Israel stories from 2015:
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The BDS movement made inroads this year on more college campuses including Northwestern, UC-Berkley, Stanford and Loyola. The January attacks on the Charlie Hebdo magazine and the kosher grocery store Hyper Cacher, and the more recent cafe and theater attacks in Paris, France underscored the vulnerability of European Jews. The House launched an bipartisan task force on anti-Semitism to educate Congress about anti-Semitism, which its members referred to as the "21st century face of this age-old bigotry." Additionally, Congress along with several state legislatures passed anti-BDS legislation this year. Additional BDS and Anti-Semitism stories from 2015:
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We began 2015 with a new Congress whose first order of business was introducing abortion ban bills. Unfortunately, that was just the start. The anti-choice Congress was relentless in their attack on women from contraception coverage under the Affordable Care Act to even reducing research for breast cancer. This year alone, federal and state lawmakers introduced more than 400 anti-choice bills. Although only 47 laws were passed, the extremists have used the introduction of these bills as a tool to repetitively hammer false ideas about abortion into the public sphere. 
The GOP threatened to close the government if funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides cancer screenings and health care to thousands of women, was not eliminated in the budget. After a contentious fight on Capitol Hill Planned Parenthood funding remained intact -- at least for now. Most likely the issue will come up again in 2016 along with further attempts to restrict women's access to reproductive health care.
JAC was honored for it's steadfast commitment to fighting for women's reproductive rights by Illinois' Personal PAC at their annual luncheon.
Additional Reproductive Rights stories from 2015:
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Separation of Religion & State
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But this year state governors, school districts and presidential candidates attempted to blur the separation between religion and state, potentially jeopardizing the core American value of religious freedom.
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Nearly 200 countries gathered in Paris for two weeks of talks at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference. President Obama said at the conference's conclusion: "The Paris agreement establishes the enduring framework the world needs to solve the climate crisis It creates the mechanism, the architecture, for us to continually tackle this problem in an effective way."
August marked the 50th anniversary of The Voting Rights Act. However many people still find it difficult to vote. Rep. John Lewis (GA-5) introduced the Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2015, saying we must "make it easier, make it simple, for all of our people to participate in a democratic process....We cannot have the long lines, we cannot have the ID's, we've got to do it."
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Our members count on JACPAC to provide information on current events, candidates, and elections. JACPAC depends on membership support to make this possible. If you have not renewed your membership, please consider doing so today, to help us pursue a strong US-Israel relationship, reproductive rights, and separation of religion and state. Together we can make this a better world! Sincerely,
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Joy Malkus, Research Director Dana Gordon, Membership & Outreach Hollis Wein, Communications Director |
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ELECTIONS MATTER
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