Category
The institutions shaping American Jewish policy and advocacy.
7 articles
American Jewish life runs through a dense network of federations, defense agencies, and advocacy groups — the JCPA, ADL, AJC, federations, and dozens of national organizations. This section covers their leadership, legal exposure, coalition politics, and the internal debates that shape communal responses to antisemitism and Israel.
The Bay Area's Jewish advocacy landscape looks like a mix of establishment institutions and grassroots activists. In practice, it's one federation network operating at two speeds — with the JCRC on the coalition track and BAJC and BACCA on the more aggressive one.
Staff Writer · July 17, 2026
Before running the JCPA, Amy Spitalnick led Integrity First for America — the nonprofit that funded Sines v. Kessler, the landmark civil suit that bankrupted the organizers of the deadly 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally.
Staff Writer · July 16, 2026
Ari Kohen, the University of Nebraska–Lincoln political science professor who directs the Forsythe Family Program on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, has become one of the more visible academic voices on antisemitism, Jewish identity, and campus discourse.
Staff Writer · July 15, 2026
A plain-English guide to the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA): what it does, its history, its structure, and why it's back in the news under CEO Amy Spitalnick.
Staff Writer · July 15, 2026
Tye Gregory is the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area (JCRC Bay Area). A profile of his tenure, the JCRC's role in California ethnic studies fights, and the controversies over free speech and progressive coalition politics.
Staff Writer · July 15, 2026
Amy Spitalnick is the CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. A profile of her career from Integrity First for America and J Street to JCPA, her media presence, and the AOC-AIPAC controversy.
Staff Writer · July 11, 2026
JCRC Boston’s Tweet thanking the District Attorney who appeared to take sides against a pro-Israel protester and Iraq War Veteran sparked outrage and criticism from Boston Jews on Friday, leading to JCRC deleting the Tweet and posting a…
Staff Writer · September 13, 2024