Your Action Is Needed

AJFCA is assisting with two timely funding request letters that are circulating the House of Representatives this week. The first is a bi-partisan letter, drafted by Representatives Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Peter King (R-NY), requesting $25 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program in FY 2016. The second is a bi-partisan letter, drafted by Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), requesting $5 million for the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Fund.

We ask that you reach out to your House delegation to seek their signatures on these letters. The deadline for both letters is this week.    

• NSGP Instructions
• NSGP Letter
• Holocaust Survivor Assistance Fund Instructions
• Holocaust Survivor Assistance Fund Letter

For questions and feedback, please contact Shelley Rood, Washington Director, at 202-736-5880.  Thank you for your quick follow-up. Please keep us informed about your advocacy efforts. 

Antisemitism

Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism

In the wake of increased antisemitic attacks on Jewish communities around the world, Congress is re-launching the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism. The Taskforce is a bipartisan organization of House Members that will provide information on legislative issues related to antisemitism and facilitate contacts with other advocates involved in the fight against antisemitism. The Task Force is led by Representatives Nita Lowey (D-NY), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Eliot Engel (D-NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Steve Israel (D-NY), Kay Granger (R-TX), Ted Deutch (D-FL), and Peter Roskam (R-IL). Please join us in thanking the representatives leading this Task Force, and encourage others to join. To join, members of Congress should contact Marin Stein with Rep. Nita Lowey or Mark Milosch with Rep. Chris Smith.

Antisemitism and Holocaust Survivors

Some events affect us differently as we age, and the rise in antisemitic acts is taking a toll on many Holocaust survivors. Myra Giberovitch, genocidal trauma specialist and speaker at AJFCA's 2014 Annual Conference, published a blog post on the distress some Holocaust survivors are experiencing due to antisemitism. I recall meeting survivors in New Jersey last summer who disclosed that they were very distressed about the Gaza war and the anti-Israel sentiment they were hearing in the news. Our work on Holocaust survivors - especially in counseling services - remains critical. And our work on antisemitism is an important part of making this world safer for future generations and even for our oldest and most vulnerable generation. Thank you for all that you do.  -Shelley Rood, AJFCA