Topic Hub
Courts, curricula, and communal power from the Bay Area to Los Angeles.
28 articles
California has the second-largest Jewish population in the United States — roughly 1.2 million people across Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and the Central Valley. That scale makes Jewish California a bellwether: the ethnic studies fights, campus antisemitism complaints, synagogue protest cases, and Federation-JCRC power struggles that start here tend to spread nationally within a year or two.
The Jewish Legal News covers those stories from the legal side — the filings, rulings, school board votes, and institutional decisions behind the headlines. Below is our full California archive, followed by answers to the questions readers ask most about Jewish life in the state.
California has roughly 1.2 million Jewish residents — about 3% of the state and one in six American Jews. A full guide to where they live, how the numbers are counted, and why the demographics shape California's biggest Jewish legal fights.
Staff Writer · August 3, 2026
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
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
Marc Aisen was arrested in Massachusetts, extradited across the country, and held in a jail cell in Oakland County, Michigan, for more than 2 years — all for messages sent to public officials. His case is a warning about how vague "cyber-harassment" laws can be turned against political speech.
Staff Writer · June 30, 2026
Federal Judge Rules CodePink’s Social Media Posts Are Not Protected Speech — Citing “True Threat” to Jewish Synagogue Worshippers June 13, 2025 – Los Angeles, CA In a landmark decision with significant implications for the boundary between…
Staff Writer · June 13, 2025
In response to JLN's request for ethnic studies curriculum, PAUSD has released the following materials: On September 17, 2024, PAUSD released the following: Mexican+Migration+1930s+Student+Materials_2…
Staff Writer · March 31, 2025
Pursuant to a January 21, 2025 Public Records Request to San Francisco Unified School District ("SFUSD"), the district responded with this letter on March 3, 2025 . The letter indicates that the ethnic studies curriculum is being…
Mark L. Javitch · March 4, 2025
The California Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum ("MC") teaches that Jews are dominant oppressors of other non-Jewish minorities. But MC proponents say that the MC “doesn’t actually say that Jews are bad.” True, Ethnic Studies does not…
Mark L. Javitch · February 23, 2025
Part 1 explained how JCRC censored Jewish moms' comments explaining that they don't feel JCRC represents them, especially on several key issues. Part 2 outlined the disagreement between the Jewish moms and JCRC regarding Ethnic Studies. I…
Mark L. Javitch · February 18, 2025
Part 1 explained how JCRC censored Jewish moms' comments explaining that they don't feel JCRC represents them, especially on several key issues. Part 2 outlined the disagreement between the Jewish moms and JCRC regarding Ethnic Studies. In…
Mark L. Javitch · February 18, 2025
Read Part 1: "Out of Touch" JCRC Censors Jewish Moms' Feedback Part 1 reported that JCRC recently censored at least three Jewish moms' Instagram comments that criticized JCRC's policies, while at the same time claiming to conduct a…
Mark L. Javitch · February 18, 2025
While claiming to conduct a "survey" of Bay Area Jewish community members, JCRC censored comments from Jewish mothers who expressed that they feel JCRC does not represent them. JCRC created the firestorm over email and Instagram by…
Mark L. Javitch · February 4, 2025
Much ado has been made about a recent court decision dismissing a challenge to what is known as the Liberated Ethnic Studies “LES” curriculum. LES supporters are hailing this as a big victory. First, the background on LES: “Liberated…
Mark L. Javitch · December 6, 2024
Sam and Andrea Kasle and other parents/guardians of Jewish students have filed a complaint against the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD), its officials (including Superintendent Crystal Leach, principals, vice-principals, and…
Staff Writer · November 1, 2024
Jewish organizations are increasingly divided on the issue of whether governments should adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Jewish Legal News is closely monitoring this divide,…
Staff Writer · October 12, 2024
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
Dr. Karen Fiss, a full professor at California College of the Arts, is suing the institution for employment discrimination based on religion and ethnic origin under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. She alleges that CCA has…
Staff Writer · August 16, 2024
On June 23, 2024, Helmann tried to enter the Adas Torah Synagogue but was blocked by a violent mob of anti-Israel activists. CODE PINK and COURTNEY LENNA SCHIRF, on behalf of HONOR THE EARTH d/b/a PALESTINIAN YOUTH MOVEMENT organized their…
Staff Writer · August 8, 2024
# Date Proceeding Text 1 11/13/2023 COMPLAINT against All Defendants, (Filing Fee: $402.00, receipt number ACANDC-18829273). Filed by A. N., Ahmed Abu Artema, Laila Elhaddad, Basim Elkarra, Al-Haq, Waeil Elbhassi, Mohammed Ahmed Abu…
Staff Writer · April 25, 2024
California Governor Gavin Newsom’s March 21, 2024 letter to California’s Muslim, Palestinian American, and Arab American communities has sharpened division between leadership of Jewish Organizations and Concerned Jewish Parents (“CJP”) of…
Staff Writer · April 8, 2024
In a poignant letter addressed to Bay Area Jewish leaders , hundreds of Jewish parents articulated a growing concern over the approach to combating antisemitism and extremism within the educational system. The letter, deeply rooted in the…
Staff Writer · February 20, 2024
California Assembly Bill 101 (AB101), the bill that aimed to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement for California high school students, has sparked controversy since its introduction. Much of the debate surrounding AB101 has focused…
Staff Writer · July 21, 2023
Being Jewish, I look forward to Passover every year. It's a time to celebrate our most cherished values and connect with family and community. However, this year, it's hard to connect because I've been feeling disheartened by the lack of…
Mark L. Javitch · April 10, 2023
Despite the news being mostly negative when it comes to censorship online, another trend towards free speech online has taken hold. Dozens of courts across the country, including at least 4 circuit courts, have determined that you DO have…
Mark L. Javitch · April 1, 2023
Why did the Jewish Federation of Omaha prioritize its bizarre political agenda and botch Black History Month so badly? Instead of celebrating the accomplishments of great African Americans in American history, during their Black History…
Mark L. Javitch · March 27, 2023
American Jews Boycott Israeli Officials Some Jewish Communities and Jewish Organizations have begun boycotting Israeli officials. In December 2022, Prime Minister Netanyahu formed a coalition with right wing members of the Knesset that has…
Moishe Rabinowitz · March 10, 2023
Full guide
A deeper breakdown of the ~1.2 million figure — Los Angeles, Bay Area, San Diego and statewide counts, how the estimates are produced without a Census religion question, and how the demographics drive California's Jewish legal fights.
California is home to roughly 1.2 million Jewish residents, the second-largest Jewish population of any U.S. state after New York. The largest concentrations are in Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Jewish Californians make up roughly 3% of the state's population — well above the national average of about 2.4% — which is why California policy fights over ethnic studies, hate crimes, and campus antisemitism carry outsized national weight.
The main institutional players are the Jewish Federations (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Silicon Valley and others), their affiliated Jewish Community Relations Councils (JCRCs), and coalitions such as the Bay Area Jewish Coalition and BACCA. Many groups that present as grassroots are in practice Federation-affiliated and institutionally funded.
The largest are the liberated ethnic studies curriculum litigation, synagogue protest and First Amendment cases in Los Angeles, campus and K-12 antisemitism complaints under Title VI, and disputes over how JCRCs represent community members on Israel-related policy.
The Jewish Legal News publishes ongoing reporting on California courts, school districts, and Jewish communal institutions. This hub collects every California story we've published in one place.
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
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
February 28, 2025 UPDATE: Links Contained in Curriculum Provided Here : The curriculum for ethnic studies and curriculum related to Israel and Palestine was recently released by San Mateo Union High School District in response to a request…
Staff Writer · February 28, 2025
Amy Spitalnick , a prominent figure in progressive Jewish advocacy is a frequent speaker at Jewish Organizations across the United States. Known for her affiliations with left-wing politicians and organizations, Spitalnick’s role as the…
Staff Writer · January 3, 2025