August 18, 2016

  

JAC met with Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) (l to r: Dana Gordon, Sen. Bennet, Marcia Balonick and Hollis Wein)


JAC former president Gail Yamner met with Congressional candidate (NJ-5) Josh Gottheimer in New Jersey to deliver JACPAC support.
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Planning on attending a candidate event, getting out the vote, attending rallies or other JAC-related activities? Take a picture and send it to us to add to the EZ Read!
[email protected] 




Talking Points Highland Park
Election 2016
featuring Jon Carson
former Director of Organizing for America
Tuesday, September 6
10:00 am
Highland Park, IL

 
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SAVE THE DATE!
Michigan Membership Meeting
October 10th
details to follow 
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For more information and to RSVP, contact the JAC office at 847.433.5999 or [email protected]

Coffee with Senate Candidate
 Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ)
August 23rd
9:30 am
Highland Park,IL
click for details
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An Evening with
Brad Schneider
candidate for IL-10
and
Rep. Ted Deutch (FL-19)
August 29th
7 pm
Highland Park, IL
click for details
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For more information and to RSVP, contact the JAC office at 847.433.5999 or [email protected]
 
Featuring Guest Speaker 
Humorist 
Andy Borowitz

Monday, September 26, 2016 
 
 
Meet the Candidates 
Senate Candidate
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ)

Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is waging a fierce fight to unseat long-term Sen. John McCain, who is extremely vulnerable due to his support of Donald Trump (click here for Kirkpatrick's tv add). A Democratic win in Arizona can very easily tip the balance of power in the Senate. Hillary Clinton's campaign recently announced that it will be increasing its resources in Arizona, which will only help Ann's Senate race. 

Ann understands the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship and she has supported measures to strengthen Israel's defense. "Our nation shares an unbreakable bond with Israel, so it is important that the U.S. also moves forward on long-term agreements with Israel that will strengthen and enhance their military capabilities," she has said.
 
As a state legislator she advocated for women's reproductive rights and carried that fight to Congress. Ann has earned a 100 percent pro-choice rating for standing up for women to make their own reproductive health care decisions. 
 
Ann supports gun safety measures. She joined her House colleagues for the historic sit-in. "We cannot give up, and we will not accept that doing nothing is an option for keeping Americans safe," she said.
 
She was born and raised on an Apache Indian reservation. Her congressional district is the 10th largest in the country and includes much of the state outside of Phoenix and Tuscon.  
 
JAC has thrown its support behind Ann. If you are in the Chicago area, join JAC for coffee and conversation with Ann at our JAC's office on Aug. 23. For more information contact, info@JAC

 
#ImWithHer  
 
Listen to Hillary take a moment out of a busy day campaigning to reflect on what it was like to accept the Democratic nomination, how she stays focused on the campaign trail, and even what she's having for dinner.
   
 
Mikhail Baryshnikov: Trump's Rhetoric Reminds Me of Soviet Union



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Israel & the Middle East
Iran Deal Critics Wanted US Prisoners to be Part of the Deal
"We deliberately leveraged that moment to finalize these outstanding issues nearly simultaneously," said a State Department official. "With concerns that Iran may renege on the prisoner release, given unnecessary delays regarding persons in Iran who could not be located as well as, to be quite honest, mutual mistrust between Iran and the United States, we of course sought to retain maximum leverage until after American citizens were released. That was our top priority."

Jordan: Israel 'Blatantly' Changing Jerusalem Status Quo
The Jordanian king accused Israel on Monday of "blatantly" changing the status quo at important landmarks and heritage sites in Jerusalem, and restricting the rights of the capital's Arab residents. He also charged that the perpetuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict fuels extremism in the region.

Some in Saudi Media Warm up to Israel
A media campaign in Saudi Arabia is seeking to combat anti-Semitism in the kingdom, apparently in an effort to prepare public opinion for deepened relations with decades-old enemy Israel.

Hell Hath No Fury Like A Scorned Handshake
Israeli athletes have had a rough reception from some of their fellow competitors at the Rio Olympics. The ultimate statement came last Friday following Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby's defeat at the hands of Or Sasson, when El Shehaby refused to shake the Israeli Sasson's hand.
Anti-Semitism & BDS
University's Response to Anti-Semitism Sparks Outrage  
Jewish groups in Tennessee expressed "anger, disappointment and worry" over the "tepid response" of administrators at the University of Tennessee to antisemitism and racism on the Knoxville campus.

Dershowitz: Black Lives Matter Must Rescind Its Anti-Israel Declaration
It is a real tragedy that Black Lives Matter - which has done so much good in raising awareness of police abuses - has now moved away from its central mission and has declared war against the nation state of the Jewish people.

Defeating Anti-Semitism, Racism Through Meaningful Dialogue 
It's been three years since he shot Imperium, but Daniel Radcliffe still shudders when he thinks of his temporary transformation into a neo-Nazi white supremacist. "I'm not religious, but my mum's Jewish; I'm technically Jewish," Radcliffe, 27, told The Jewish Week. "And I have to have a [expletive] swastika painted on me every day."
Reproductive Rights
How Long Does it Take to Receive Abortion Care in the US?
The first nationwide study exploring the average wait time between an abortion care appointment and the procedure found most patients are waiting one week. Seventy-six percent of patients were able to access abortion care within 7.6 days of making an appointment, with 7 percent of patients reporting delays of more than two weeks between setting an appointment and having the procedure.

Judge Thwarts OH GOP's Attack on Planned Parenthood 
An effort to defund Ohio Planned Parenthood affiliates by Gov. John Kasich (R) and the Republican-held legislature has come to an end. Judge Michael R. Barrett of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Ohio on Friday ruled in Planned Parenthood's favor, granting a permanent injunction on an anti-choice state law.

The Perfect Way to Explain Consent and Rape to People
Even in 2016, with campus rape culture and consent a regular part of the national conversation, there are still some people who are woefully misinformed about what constitutes rape. Enter Twitter user Nafisa Ahmed to help clear up any lingering confusion. 
Separation of Religion & State
A Catholic-Run Clinic Comes to Your Local Walgreens
One of the largest Catholic health systems is set to begin running health clinics inside 27 Walgreens stores in Missouri and Illinois. There is concern that people maybe denied health services including contraception prescriptions based on the religious doctrine of the Catholic church. 
Read Full Article

Catholic Hospitals May Be Unable to Refer Women for Care 
According to interviews with U.S. physicians, some Roman Catholic hospitals not only refuse to provide some women's health services such as abortion, but may also prevent doctors from referring women to facilities that would provide them. Services including sterilization, contraception and fertility services can be similarly prohibited, according to the study.

Mike Pence Wants to Teach Religion in Public Schools
You know anyone picked by Trump to be his running mate almost certainly will have a problem with established science, of course, but it turns out Pence is also a young Earth creationist. And one with a lot of conviction about it, too.
 
Hobby Lobby Ruling OKs Some Employment Discrimination
A Supreme Court decision allowing some companies to opt out of portions of Obamacare for religious reasons also guarantees the right of firms to engage in religiously motivated discrimination against their employees on the basis of gender, a federal judge in Michigan ruled Thursday.
Beyond the Core
Tom Arnold Argues for Gun Control After Losing Nephew 
The actor and gun owner writes for THR about his passion for reform in the wake of his Army veteran nephew's death: "I wish I could make Congress fearless."

US Reform Movement Launches Voter Protection Initiative
Reform Jews will work with NAACP and other groups on nationwide effort to alleviate voter suppression three months before Americans cast their ballots for the 2016 election cycle. The campaign - called Nitzavim: Standing Up for Voter Protection and Participation - is in collaboration with the NAACP, PICO National Network and Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Voting Rights Success? Not So Fast
Federal courts in recent months have struck down one discriminatory voting law after another in a series of major victories for voting-rights advocates. Millions of voters, especially minorities who might have otherwise been obstructed by voter-identification requirements or shortened early voting times, will now be able to cast their ballots in the presidential election. But these victories, though significant and hard-won, concern only major state-level voting laws.
Political Byte
Senate Map Expands for Dems
The Senate map is expanding for Democrats under Donald Trump, whose weakness in key battlegrounds has created new vulnerabilities for Republicans.

Martha's Vineyard Longs for a President Who R.S.V.P.s 'Yes'
Wearing khakis and a button-down shirt, President Obama stepped before a crowd of donors on Monday evening on this wealthy island retreat and acknowledged that he did not have to make a hard sell for Hillary Clinton. "To some degree, I had you at hello when it comes to voting for Hillary," he said.

Why Don't Millennials Running for Congress Win?
Many are driven by idealism, but fall short when it comes to fundraising and overall political experience. 
 
For a First-Time Voter, This Election is Daunting, Energizing
But if any election were to spark my interest, this is the one. Between cartoon-like candidates and savage insults, in some strange way, it's been the perfect segue from the reality TV-filled world of millennials to the daunting adult world of politics. And this year, unlike years past, I care about who wins.
#ImWithHer
Why Hillary is the Pro-Israel Candidate
I love Hillary's stance on Israel. She is an outstanding listener and mediator. I love that she is able to hold together seemingly opposing positions - one that says that Israel needs security and another that says that Palestinians need to be heard and heeded. To me, the ability to hear all sides, combined with the desire to make everyone's lives better, makes for a great leader. And I think that this is what being pro-Israel really means.

Why Tim Kaine is Good for Israel, Jewish Values
The Clinton-Kaine ticket promises to build upon a strong tradition of Democratic leadership, while the Republicans' ticket of Donald Trump and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence offers a reckless and dangerous blend of empty rhetoric and inconsistent positions that should alarm all Americans, particularly American Jews.

This Lifelong Republican will be Voting for Hillary Clinton
I've been an active Republican for all of my adult life. That this venerable political party, once home to visionary thinkers and leaders, could hand its presidential nomination to Trump, who seems not to know how much he doesn't know and could not care less, is unfathomable to me.

Hillary Clinton Reacts to Trump Campaign Shakeup
During a speech in Cleveland on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton offered up her first reaction to the big shakeup in Donald Trump's campaign staff that left Paul Manafort with a diminished role and elevated Breitbart News executive Steven Bannon to the position of CEO.
Trump Watch
Trump: 'I Don't Trust U.S. Intelligence Information'
Donald Trump offered a blunt explanation for why he wants retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn at his side as he gets his first classified briefing at FBI headquarters on Wednesday - he doesn't trust intelligence information coming from those currently in charge.

The Lack of Respect for Science is Alarming
Americans have long prided themselves on their ability to see the world for what it is, as opposed to what someone says it is or what most people happen to believe. In one of the most powerful lines in American literature, Huck Finn says: "It warn't so. I tried it." A respect for evidence is not just a part of the national character. It goes to the heart of the country's particular brand of democratic government.
 
Trump Has Now Fully Embraced White Nationalists
Donald Trump has built his campaign on the strength of his white-nationalist dog-whistle. He has a habit of retweeting racist and anti-Semitic memes from white-supremacists. His campaign gives radio interviews to explicitly racist media outlets. Over the past year, they've come out in droves: making robocalls, organizing rallies, and raising money. Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke cited Trump as his inspiration to run for Senate.
 
5 Takeaways From Trump's Pick of New Campaign CEO
Donald Trump's decision to make Breitbart News executive Steve Bannon his campaign CEO is being viewed as full-fledged rebuke of the Republican establishment and the mainstream media. It comes as Trump has endured several difficult weeks and seen his standing in polls plummet.
FYI
Upset by Brexit, Some British Jews Look to Germany
Until Britain voted to leave the European Union, Philip Levine never thought deeply about his Jewish heritage. But looking for a way to ensure that he could still work and live in Europe once Britain leaves the bloc, Mr. Levine, 35, who was born in Britain and lives in London, decided to do what some Jews, including his relatives, might consider unthinkable: apply for German citizenship.
 
Israel Demands Ceremony Murdered Olympic Athletes
Israel on Sunday demanded a commemoration for its athletes killed at the 1972 Olympics at each Games opening ceremony, telling the International Olympic Committee "a black flag" will always fly over its multi-sports event.

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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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. Contributions may total up to $5400 per individual ($2700 for the primary election, and $2700 for the general election). 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.